Ease of cleaning.

[reohn2]

The degreaser in the link is about the same cost as White Spirit,but if you use the shake in a plastic bottle or jar method you can reuse WS over and over again by letting it settle in a jar,then decant it off when it goes clear after it's been stood for a week or two

[pwa]

Hi,
Your standard cassettes will rust if they are standing in damp air.............but normally they are always covered in muck / oil.
Better ones are better plated but of course better steel and probably don't corrode as fast.

If the teeth rust where plating's come off, this will disappear when you next use bike.

Not IME they don't last any longer than the cheaper ones and I'd need proof the plating is any better.

The mid range HG cassette that I'm currently running into the ground has very worn teeth but no rust. It's just silver. All over. Maybe it's the lube I use, but I've had at least one neglected chain go a little rusty on it.

[reohn2]

The mid range HG cassette that I'm currently running into the ground has very worn teeth but no rust. It's just silver. All over. Maybe it's the lube I use, but I've had at least one neglected chain go a little rusty on it.

I think with any cassette it's the chain lube that keeps the sprockets free from rust,but I'm convinced the only advantage between high end and lower end(nikel,chrome plated(?)) cassettes is weight,and in your case ease of cleaning.other than that personally I see no reason to buy high end cassettes.
That said all my 9sp cassettes are custom made to make a 14,15,17,19,21,23,25or26,28,or30,32or34,the 10sp on my MTB is on spiders and is an 11/36 abomination of which I very rarely use the 11 and 13t sprockets even if I only use the 30t middle ring(the other rings being 22 and 40t) on the c/set.The bike would be much better with the same 9sp 14-34 or 36t cassette and a 22/36 or 36t(40t if you must) c/set

TBH (thread drift alert)everything went stoopit silly when it all went to 10sp and compact c/sets and completely bonkers when 1x11 or 12 reared it's mad head!(sorry but it's a hobby horse I can't help taking for a ride occasionally)

[pwa]

The mid range HG cassette that I'm currently running into the ground has very worn teeth but no rust. It's just silver. All over. Maybe it's the lube I use, but I've had at least one neglected chain go a little rusty on it.

I think with any cassette it's the chain lube that keeps the sprockets free from rust,but I'm convinced the only advantage between high end and lower end(nikel,chrome plated(?)) cassettes is weight,and in your case ease of cleaning.other than that personally I see no reason to buy high end cassettes.
That said all my 9sp cassettes are custom made to make a 14,15,17,19,21,23,25or26,28,or30,32or34,the 10sp on my MTB is on spiders and is an 11/36 abomination of which I very rarely use the 11 and 13t sprockets even if I only use the 30t middle ring(the other rings being 22 and 40t) on the c/set.The bike would be much better with the same 9sp 14-34 or 36t cassette and a 22/36 or 36t(40t if you must) c/set

TBH (thread drift alert)everything went stoopit silly when it all went to 10sp and compact c/sets and completely bonkers when 1x11 or 12 reared it's mad head!(sorry but it's a hobby horse I can't help taking for a ride occasionally)

I get practically no rust on cassettes whether they are upmarket XT or more humble HG something or other, so yes, price point makes no difference to me in that regard. The XT mechs are certainly lighter. You can actually feel the difference in your hand. But on the bike they perform the same. But as I say, my habit of taking a cassette off once in a while for cleaning makes me feel tempted to buy the dearer version simply because it is so much easier to clean when off the bike. If you don't do that it is not worth paying the extra.

[Brucey]

I've run a variety of different cassettes and black-finished sprockets can more easily rust in winter if they are not kept coated in lube. If the cassette comes apart, it isn't at all difficult to clean it, just a bit fiddly to put it all back together again.

cheers