Originally Posted by
southpawboston
I never thought of it as low end, but solidly mid-range. Its numerical designation puts it right in the middle of the hierarchy, along with what later became Shimano 105 and Deore LX. However, the "L" tosses in some weirdness in Shimano's otherwise clear road/mountain designations.
To me, the finish was not up to what I would consider the mid grade stuff. More steel, less alloy.