Originally Posted by barba
The 10 speed Shimano chains seem to be especially susceptable to failure at the special prelacement pin. It is a stupid system, and the likelyhood of misinstallation seems to be unacceptably high.
This is only true because most people don't pay attention to details. There are
two different 10 speed ampules. The 7800 and the 7801. They are not compatible. Using the wrong one will cause the chain to fail. Also failing to orient the chain properly when assembling is problematic. On the lower section of chain, when apart, the outer links should be open to the rear, not the front. They don't know
why this works better, but their team mechanics in the field have found it's just better.
Having said that, I stock
very few Shimano replacement chains. We prefer Sram and KMC. The KMC links are
not intended to be reused. Sram were, but this has changed with the advent of their new 10 speed chain.
From now on, if you want the ability to pop your 10 sp chain apart quickly, you'll need to obtain the appropriate Wippermann/Connex link.