Nickel just plain sucks as far as durability is concerned....looks great when new, and stays that way, as long as you don't touch it......that is exactly how chrome came to be, plate over a nice nickel finish with chrome, and you get a more durable finish.....highly polished nickel tends to hold up better due to the non-porous surface, but matte or satin holds in any kind of oxidizer and turns to **** much quicker, if not properly maintained, but highly polished nickel still scratches super easy, don't ever wipe it with anything but the softest cotton or microfiber, or it will dull up and show scratches almost instantly.....how many brand spanking new nickel guns do you see being made nowadays?......if you want a silver slide, go with hard chrome, you can get any desired look from high polished to matte, and it will hold up to use, it all depends on the surface prep before chroming, and it doesn't cost tons of money......