I have a somewhat different outlook.
I have experience using the st-225 and agree it is a good drive.,
there is a chip like a 14 pin dip, but the middle pins are made as one piece of metal.,
it is at the edge, cannot tell from the one I am holding now. this chip sells for $3.00. I saw a dealer busily replacing them.
at a job we had piles of worn st-213. many had"st-225" in tiny letters near the spindle hole. We had some st-225 with bad pcb.. we swapped cards and had a steady supply of st-225 and put the st-213 back on the scrap pile with a tiny id mark. apparently the early hard drives did not have durable media platters.
the st-251 seemed to be subject to the STICTION problem. as said a tap would start them. so we could back up.
the st-251 had quite a different pcb.
there was the 251 and -0 40ms.
and the st-251-1 supposedly 28ms. you must test to find out.
we had a st-251 at hope that after a LL format would last a week.
I gave it to someone who worked for GE computer service. he put it on a machine ans said he "rewrote the servo tracks" This must be done on that machine not in a pc.
so if it happens to you- go back to 1990 or forget it.
I grab the drive by its sides with both hands and give it a sharp, rotational twist or turn, trying to hold the drive as level as possible while doing this. The inertia of the spindle and its platters will tend to hold this assembly stationary momentarily while the drive's body is being turned. This may help to overcome any stiction if that happens to be the culprit. I do this first without power to the drive and if that doesn't resolve the problem I then do it with the power on. I've got a FH Maxtor that will only start this way in the winter.