a catch in a machine which prevents motion until released.


If the Wipperman link didn't have a detent, there would be a lot of face plants out on the road. It has a different kind of detent compared to other master links like the KMC missing link which uses an interference fit. We each have our preferences. Perhaps you prefer the Wipperman. That's ok. I prefer the Missing link which takes a special pliers to remove because the 'detent' is an interference fit compared to the 'detent' of the Wipperman which requires rotation to disassemble.