I've just received a Shimano HG compatible 12-speed cassette that I ordered from AliE a fortnight ago. It's a
Sunshine brand 11-34T, made of steel, weighing in at a hefty 385g. I have some wheels that I can't get XDR drivers for so I was hoping this could work with my AXS bikes. At £33 including tax and delivery, it is very inexpensive compared to Shimano and SRAM 12-speed cassettes so worth taking a punt on. I would perhaps have purchased an Ultegra R8100 11-34T instead of this, but there is no stock anywhere. I also considered the aluminium offerings from Srace and ZTTO but this steel one was cheaper and potentially a lot more durable.
At first glance, the cassette seems well made and looks good. The weight was exactly as advertised. It fits fine on 3 different 11-speed HG hubs I have tried, but getting the lock ring to catch the threads properly was a little tricky on one of the hubs.
On the bike though, it's not the success I had hoped for. I have tried a couple of wheels on my Force AXS winter bike and, while shifting in the middle of the cassette is acceptable, I can't micro adjust the RD to have the chain sit correctly on both the smallest and largest cogs. If I micro adjust to shift correctly to the 34T cog, then it won't drop down to the 11T. Similarly, if I adjust the RD so that it shifts to the 11T correctly, the chain will slip down off the 34T. I haven't measured anything yet, but this would suggest that the cassette is a little wider than an AXS cassette. I'll play around with the B-screw to see if I can get it to work better, but it may just not be suitable for the AXS system and perhaps it's fine on Shimano and/or Campagnolo 12 speed setups?