I only read the first several posts but I have to say a few things, coming from a kollel wife (for 12 yrs+ B”H!!):
1) Whether other people “battel” or not, look at your own level of learning and try to improve (working or not) – stop looking at others!
2) I have seen over the years even though my husband was NOT one of the “coffee breakers” that he and many others are somewhat less serious when they first start kollel when they first get married even though they totally believe in it (who are other pple to judge someone else’s yetzer hara?!) but over several years in kollel he and many of his peers have become serious talmidei chachamim who now do take every second seriously and would like to spend any spare minute with a sefer. But had they not stayed in kollel with the argument that they don’t keep a sefer in hand every second then, they would never be where they are today – not in knowledge and not in lack of batala!
3) to all those who argue that “money will run dry” – I agree that “al pi teva” it does seem that way, but please realize that all money belongs to Our Father in heaven and He gives and He takes whether you work or not (I have friends with 2 incomes who struggle more than us), and if you are doing ratzon Hash-m for your tafkid (whether that is sitting and learning or making a kiddush Hash-m in the workplace) then you shouldn’t worry and anything that was gozeir to come to you, will. and if you ask a ton of kollel people (at least in eretz yisrael) they will tell you that they live from month to month b’derech neis but that Hash-m always does send them the money they need
any gadol will tell you that if you are cut out for learning you should unless circumstances show Hash-m is guiding you to a different tafkid….we won’t have gedolim in the next generation if pple don’t sit and learn til old age, it’s not for everyone but pple that can, should – ask your LOR
As to pple who say the rambam and others didn’t learn full time – 1) while the rambam does say one should work, the rambam says in another place in mishneh torah that the definition of a working person is someone who works 3 hrs and learns 9 hrs – show me “working guys” today who really do that amt of learning!
and 2) gedolim and rabbanim have said that having pple in learning without working is a horaas sha’ah for our generation specifically where there is so much shmutz and treif in the working world, that klal yisrael would not survive spiritually intact unless we have many who stay in the bubble of torah – it’s not easy and perhaps it’s not for everyone but for whoever can do it, they do have greater odds of staying spiritually intact. If you take issue with that take it up with the gedolim!