Deja Vu. I swear I read something recently somewhere on exactly this thing about great wear on master links. So was was balancing the cost between bulk Shimano replacement pins (segmented type with break-off tip) and the master link. And I think I got a bulk price on some Shimano 10 speed and other speed for like $1.50 in groups of 25 or 50. I think you can get them for around $11 for a bag of 5 pins still. While retail for a 10 spd master link was like $2 in a 6 pack/card. So the price isn't all that much different, and if the life span of the master link is only 30% less, then not a big deal. I could either replace it for an extra $2 or so and use the chain for 30% longer. Or I could just replace the chain, since I'm likely to replace it anyway. But what could really make the master link a better value is that for the life of me, I can find my chains and master links in one of my parts bins. But where are my bulk Shimano link pins? I recall organizing my inventory in the garage and not finding any, well maybe an older 8 or 9 speed link pin. And it's not like I stock a lot of shimano chains either. But losing that many chain pins is a dumb mistake. It could still be somewhere, but we moved across town last year, and I'm still missing stuff.