Originally Posted by
HillRider
I wonder about that 30% faster wear claim. The old 8-speed Craig/Forster links did develop a click after a couple of thousand miles but the Wippermann Connex links I've used with their 9 and 10-speed chains seem to last forever, certainly for the 8,000 or so miles I put on a chain before replacing it (and the cassette). I've used many of them over the years and never broken one.
There's no reason why a connector link would wear faster than any other link
IF it's made of the same material and temper. One problem with making a connector link is that you need to machine a small groove into the pin. This is difficult with the material typically used for chain pins, so some use a softer material. But it is possible, and some chain/connector makers do use the identical specs for normal and connector link pins.
I suspect that Shimano's aversion to connectors is historic. When they developed Hyperglide chains, there were still patents in place on connectors, and it's possible that they tried and failed negotiating a decent royalty, or skipped that altogether and set out in a new direction. Now, having successfully developed their pin system, they're not interested in abandoning it. It isn't a question of better or worse, but using heir system or someone else's.