the biggest issue that affects how difficult it is to clip into speedplay pedals is the installation of the cleat. the shims that come with the cleats need to be selected and installed so that the cleat ends up perfectly flat. often the wrong shims are selected, or the screws that hold the cleat onto the base plate are tightened down too far (the instructions indicate how tightly to fasten these - the screws have nubbins on the countersink part of the screw so you get some tactile feedback that indicates when to stop and the loctite keeps them in place - not making them super tight).

that being said, the black circlip (on the models that use it) tends to get beveled a bit from clipping in, so they do get easier, but proper setup of the cleat can avoid most problems with excessive force needed to clip in.
i have thought about taking a dremel to the edges on a new set of cleats, to replicate the results of a few months of riding, but never ended up feeling it was necessary.