Here is the bottom line. If you pay 20% more for some unknown type of chrome plating, then you should get 20% more durability. That means 3600 miles instead of 3000 miles.

I don’t think that will happen and I can’t recall any thread professing that type of additional durability associated with the type of coating/plating.

It is a fairly low quality disposable consumer product.

I bought a little used Shimano chrome plated cassette pretty cheap that had a pretty good amount of rust by the spacers when I opened it up. The history of was unknown to me, but I was surprised by it.

If you don’t like what I say, that’s fine. Just buy what you want.

John