Andre, are we talking about the same tool? I wouldn't call it hefty. It's about the same size and weight (and shape, for that matter) as a small wire stripper. About the same size as, but lighter than, small pliers.
We are, Dave. My tool kit weighs 68 grammes, and with it I can strip the bike right down to the bottom bracket and the Rohloff sprocket, for either of which I need a tool I normally leave at home, and of which only one (the Rohloff sprocket spanner head) would be taken on tour. Carrying a quick link tool would double the weight of my everyday toolkit. I'd resent that as an imposition by engineers who didn't make a proper design job of the quick link.
No mercy, no amnesty for engineers in the pocket of the marketing department!
EDIT: I just read the rest of the thread. I hear no hurrahs for quick links: they're convenient when they work, but their obduracy is unpredictable, which is not helpful. It really causes me to pause when an experienced and thoughtful cyclist like Martin gives up on a component.
