lots of shimano uses the same design just improves the materials; that’s why the low end mechs work beautifully, but go yampy faster, and why you can bastardise parts (like putting an XT clutch in an slx mech).
Yes you’re right. But that’s the beauty of the Shimano parts diagrams like the ones I posted above. To know whether it’s exactly the same part in say an XT and SLX mech, or just a similar part that’s lesser quality but still interchangeable, you just have to look at the parts diagram.
In the “interchangeability” column if its marked with an “A” its the exact same identical part. If its marked with a “B” its compatible but “differs in materials, finish, size etc.” You can even go one step further and check the part numbers. If the part numbers are the same, then its identical. A ‘similar’ but inferior part will have a different part number.
And so, by looking at the XT M786 parts diagram below, we find that the clutch mechanism in the XT M786 and SLX M675 are one and the same,as they have an “A” against the corresponding parts, and have identical part numbers:-
End of story, I sincerely hope 🙄