As someone stated, this debate has been going on for a long time. When Inno first implemented it before any defenses were made, some players started using sab attacks as their primary off because it was so effective. To me, it completely unbalanced the game--a situation that took Inno a long time to respond to. In its current iteration, with defenses available, it has become less effective. Buying tech, as someone else mentioned, really is not practical when you get to 100's of vills. Also a problem, when I get to that level, I start running into problems with timing and keeping track of sab attacks, a significant factor given they work best in closely timed swarms. In the end, I like using sabs because it's the only attack that can be made without lighting up the target's alarm. It's also the only way to take out a church (if you're lucky) other than taking the vill or using a huge number of cats.
What I find most interesting is that, out of all the aspects of this game, it's this particular "feature" that excites the most discussion on ethical grounds, and I'm not sure why. Sneaky? Yes, but so, in a manner of speaking, are flash chapeling and deceivers. I suspect that it's more about going to bed in a nice safe vill and wake up to a pile of rubble--a frustration I experienced on more than one occasion and was none too happy about--like being blindsided.