I played metal links 6* 9* and 8* for about fifteen years and while they have pretty reliable intonation, the finishing is often very sloppy (rails unbalanced and soforth). I get a bit of a bright sound on them even though I have a late 50's mark vi. I have switched to a hard rubber 9 link and it is awesome. No loss of projection, just a darker sound. Think about what kinds of music you want to play. BTW the NY links don't stand up next to the Floridas. They are all different even with the same supposed specs. Try 6 or 7 of the sam piece side by side.