stoopid ? about wristpin clips

OK, the GPz1100 is FINALLY going back together. I'm putting pistons back on rods, and wondering 2 things:
#1. everybody sez "Don't use old circlips!! Get new!!!" But I don't see anybody but Jeff selling them. Wazzup with that?
#2. Them clips are buggers to get back on without running a small blade screwdriver through your finger. Has anybody said, "the heck with this!", grabbed a piston, and heading down to the local hardware store for eight real circlips, the kind you use circlip pliers on? Why not? If I changed all eight, it wouldn't effect the balance. Right?

It will probably work, I have reused the old clips with no problem. However, if a W-pin scrapes the wall and all goes to smoking maybe i wished I would have used new ones, not hardware store clips. Hey, how bout Teflon buttons? Cant go wrong there.

My biggest concern was the flying circlip, losing it somewhere in the garage. As yo say you need to use a small screwdriver and the chance of stabbing the finger high. However I found the job easier than I thought holding most of the wire clip in the groove with one finger of left had (I am right handed) and using the right to use the driver to push the remaining tail into the groove.

I can understand the desire to use proper circlips but I have a strong suspicion that these will not seat properly as I bet the groove is circular and the "proper" circlip has square edges

New ones are cheap and you don't want to have to open that motor back up God forbid something goes wrong. I would just get the new clips since you already did the hard work of getting it down to that point.
Plus, what is a few bleeding fingers when it will bring you peace of mind!

With the wristpin in the piston and rod,I use
a pair of needle nose pliers that I have filed
a small groove in near the end of the tips to
place the clip just into the hole about a 1/16th
of an inch.Then with an old wristpin I push the
clip in untill in snaps into the slot.I do the
#2 and #3 pistons first.

The wire circlips lose their springiness and probably shouldn't be reused. Awhile back, bikebandit.com listed them for about a dime each so I bought a hundred of them... seemed like a good idea. Perhaps they are still a dime each. I don't reuse them and they do tend to fly out and find a dark corner anyway...