Yeah, now it seems like $15 for a pair. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...1-dc3240e894a8
If it gets cheaper I may stock some but first I need to wear out the ones that came with the chains to the point that they do/undo without much force by hand.

The design of re-usable and non-reusable ones are slightly different. Reusable ones have an elevated wing profile in the middle I wonder how much difference does it make.

Also isn't dropping a chain or breaking it on a link other than the QL just as dangerous? Some suggests as if missing links are the only links that can break.

The quick link is the only link that should ever be removed, after the chain length is set, unless you have an old fashioned protruding pin chain, commonly used on 6,7 and maybe 8 speed. Modern 10-13 speed speed chain are all flush pins that will be damaged if removed. There are some special joining pins made for a few chain models, like Campy. I use a properly fitting quick link for Campy chains, too. A sram eagle 12 link works with a Campy 12 chain.

Campy now has the 13 speed ekar 1x chain with their first quick link.

Btw doesn anyone know why Connex 11 speed quick links are so expensive? It is understandable that the price goes up when you need more precision but 10 speed is around $12 while 11 is $25+ ? What is the lifespan of connex links, can they be used on multiple chains ?

I use Shimano chains with their non reusable quick links, which I reuse for the life of the chain. It gets removed and reinstalled maybe a dozen and a half times for a thorough cleaning, mostly I just clean and relube the chain on the bike. Never had an issue nor do I see how it could happen, you're not taking those off without the special pliers even after many uses.

I also keep a worn quick link in the saddlebag, because with a fresh one you can basically forget installing it to fix a problem without the pliers, even installing a "worn" one is a struggle but at least possible in the field with some effort and an allen key for leverage. Saved me from DNFing in a race once.
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Connex quick link....you don't even have to use a Connex chain. If your going to fork out $16 for a link that requires a tool, just splurge an extra $9 for the Connex and your life will be a whole lot easier.....or better yet, just buy a Connex chain which comes with a link.

In all my many, many years of using quick links on many bikes ridden by myself and family members, I've had quick links (8 and 9 speed, not labeled for single use) come off spontaneously while riding twice. They both happened within a year or so and it was at a time when I was just re-using quick links from chain to chain thinking they had an indefinite life. Since then - probably 10 or more years - I have been re-using the quick links (8 and 9 speed not labeled for single use as well as 10 speed labeled for single use) just for the life of the chain. I keep them with the chain when I'm soaking in kerosene for cleaning just to make sure. Haven't had one fall off since.

That said, I also have used connex links and they are more fool-proof. I might be an outlier in that, while they're not rocket science to install and remove, I just find it easier to use the more conventional ones. Plus, the whole idea of any quick link wearing along with the chain it's used on makes sense to me - so I change the connex links along with the chain too.

Why would anyone think that a quicklink has an indefinite lifespan (ie. multiple chains), while the built-in link of a chain only of course lasts the lifespan of the rest of the chain? Is there a belief that quicklinks are made of some super-metal that the chain makers haven't discovered yet?

I've suffered three SRAM PowerLink failures in the past 10,000 miles... and two of those three times were downright scary because of traffic. It's not good to drop a chain the middle of a busy intersection. In all three cases, it was my own damn fault for re-using links after lubricating with paraffin... or maybe it was my fault for being so damn powerful. Anyhow, it really started haunting me that I might have a quicklink come apart in the dark and/or rain. I ride a lot in the dark and in the rain.
I decided to stop re-using quicklinks, and I also decided to switch to KMC Missing Links. I don't know if those are better or worse than SRAMs... but so far so good.

I'll pinch pennies elsewhere.

i reuse my wippermann

I got my last batch on sale in 2019 at $2/6.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...068e5c7d00.png

Sometimes people (like myself) just don't think things through. I made that mistake until I had the "DUH" moment.