I have been doing hours of research on this recently. There are lots of factors when deciding this to consider, i will share my thoughts and some sources on this.
One: do not trust a single lock and or chain to secure your bike. Use multiple varied methods and have them with you so you can decide which one or ones you should use in any given area.
No cables even the abus shielded cable can be cut easier than you think, cables are jist barely better than aa doube knotted shoe lace. You might use them for locking a wheel to the frame, but i wouldnt unless you are in a sleepy area where there is little theft.
I agree that anything that says master on it is pretty useless with the possible exception of the street cuffs which i have not actually used or owned, but i will for a specific purpose, so when that happens, i will review them. I wouldnt use them as a primary frame lock no matter what, they are too limited in what they can lock to amd they are a master lock after all. Master locks can resist bullets oddly enough, but most thieves arent going to use that method, when a pick, or a few surprisingly gentle hammer taps will render safer and more effective results.
If your chain came from a box store and you said it did, you should consider upgrading. Square link hardend chain of 10mm at least is the minimum. Through hardened not just case hardened. In sae that measurment is 3/8 to 1/2 hex chain is a good compromise in cost, much better than round, probably not as good as square. Brands that are well though of, kryptonite, abus, peerless, security max, pewag. Notice master isnt on that list. I havent seen any reviews of masters securit chain, but if its like their locks, its cosmetic and a target for thieves, so i would avoid it. This can get expensive, but the peerless seems prettt good amd its less than 10 a foot plus shipping and its cheaper direct than it is on amazon. Peerless is a 7/16ths hex hardend blue steel (blue probably isn't important, but its a pretty sweet looking chain. This stuff is also heavy.
About american locks, they are the same company as master, though they are a better product in many ways. A bit harder to pick or bypass than master and they are a little better made, so that might wprk well for you.
Keep in mind you need to research and see if the lock you want to use will work with the chain you want to use. See if the chain you want to use can interlink, meaning one end link can slip sideways some way s into another end link so if you have a lock with a shakle too small for both links, you can still use it.
Not all big chain can do this.
Protect your self from your chain. These things are heavy and so are the locks. The chain needs a cover of some sort. Most places that sell chain for this purpose sell nylon sleeves to go with it for pretty cheap. Im thinking that i might try a pool noodle or some clear soft plastic tubing on mine to see what works best to prevent scratches to the bike or the property im locking it to.
Have a bag to cary it in, it makes it so much easier if you can just toss it on a rack or in basket and not have to figure out how to loop ot around the top tube or whatever when you want to ride.
Get more than you think you will need. You arent going to torque attack chain like this with a crowbar very quickly, so if they have some slack , its not that big a deal.
Secure the wheels too, you might be able to get away with cheap chain or cable here, but you have to make that call. The street cuffs are probably good enough for this, but i bet their lock is pretty easy to pick.
There are things called folding locks which are basically chains woth long solid bars fixed together with rivets inside a bearing on each end for links. Some are better than others, you should see what works for your budget and risk level, but the good ones are probably better than cable for locking wheels, and maybe a frame for quick trips where you will be able to see your bike.
There is one called the BL-10 its a Japanese lock that insurance companies require to issue insurance for bikes, mopeds, motorcycle. Its f-ing strong, but i have seen it shimmed in pretty short order. This can be prevented with a mod though by finding or making a steel washer that will fit onto the end of the locking link, and allo it to lock. Then tackweld the washer to the locking link. This will block the locking pawl from being shimmed open. If you dont know what shimming is, look it up, it will frighten you. The bl 10 is hard to come by, but if i can get my hands on one, i will get one and mod it and use it.
Ok, u locks!
Some are good, some are crap. Again master is not a contender here. Its just not, dont buy anthing old and used as the older ones could be bumped open with the plastic body of a bic type pen pretty quiclly.
Kryptonite, abus, foreverlock, are companies that make some good u locks, but not all that they make is great, so do your research, ive used on guard, but heard really less than good stuff about their quality and pickability, so ymmv. U locks can be useful for securing wheels to frames and can be positioned in ways that make typical brute force attacks are difficult to do in public.
Ok, i think that should start you off on the right track, heres a list of brands, products and information sources that helped me
Stanely 24/7 lock pretty good
Abus
Sargent and greenleaf environmental locks (pretty expensive but rekeyable and hard as **** to break)
Abloy (nameplate of abus i think)
Assa (another company associated with abus i think, they make some good stuff)
Viro, italian lock maker with some nice locks
Foreverlock just look it up, you will see
Pacific lock
Commando lock
Kryptonite
BL-10 folding lock
Pewag chain
Peerless chain
Security max by 1st chain supply
Pinhead locks
Frame locks
Sources
Wayne winton on youtube
Bosnianbill on youtube
Lockman28 on utube
Hal ruzo on youtube (the guy is a clown, but he knows how to secure a bike)
So look it up and decide how to secure your ride, this is a fun subject, but remember two is one, one is none, so have ore than one way to do it.