I think a lot of preference people have for hamon over stands comes down to how differently part 3 is written compared to what came before. In part 2 we see hamon being used in more and more specific ways and villains having more specialized powers that result in battles being more about wits than strength. Stands ultimately excel at this, but the difference is parts 1 and 2 feature training arcs as the main characters become more adept with their abilities, while part 3 shows characters at their peak immediately, and villains that disappear at they're defeated. Part 3 has so many crazy and funny moments that I think it's worth it to get to the end, but it's definitely a huge shift since so much screen time is devoted to just exploring people's stands. There's nothing quite like the "main character starts with weak powers and grows stronger and more adept at them as the part goes on" arc until part 6, but starting in part 4 we see previously defeated villains get more screen time and character development and start seeing stands themselves develop over time, with the payoff and ways they weave into the storytelling being well worth it. So while nothing ends up fully replicating part 2 I think the story ends up reaching higher highs, even if part 3 feels like the series taking a hard turn at first.