My Monowear black metal link band just arrived from Amazon ($120). The price was slightly steep but the quality seems pretty decent so far. The links on the sides are brushed stainless steel and the links down the middle are polished stainless steel. The contrasting finishes give the band a more premium look. The clasp seems a little flimsy but should hold up since it doesn't get much action except when putting it on or taking it off. The Monowear emblem is etched into the metal clasp which is nicer than if it were printed. The lugs fit well but you can clearly see that these are a cheaper quality than Apple's lugs. The brushed/polished finish is present on the lugs as well but on one of my lugs it is off-center but is hard to notice without close inspection. The links were easy to remove for sizing using a 1mm jewelers screwdriver and hammer. A paper clip may work as well since it didn't require much force to dislodge the pin. I needed to remove 2 links to properly size the band for my 177mm wrist. Overall I'm happy with the band. I think it should have probably been priced below $100 though for the quality. It's definitely much nicer than my $20 Pebble Steel band though. Here are some pictures of it on my Space Gray Sport.
