Well, I've called and called called and called called and called called and called called and called called and called called and called called and called called and called the makers of the Nexen and Blueshark. They don't pick up. On their forums I've noticed a rash of complaints: not answering the phone/respoding to emails/no tracking numbers/items never received but cards charged. All in the last week or so. Looks like another company got in over its head.
Soooo, back to the drawing board. I didn't want a Cobalt Flux (too flat) so I went with the TX-1501 which has depressed arrows. I found out that the same maker makes quite a few of the imprints; a TX-4000 (same as the TX-1501 but flat and no break-away cord) is known as an XPG or Blade, and the TX-1501 is AKA the Ninja or GPX-3000, depending on the merchant. Once you memorize the appearance of the pad you can spot the models right away -- which helps find the best price. The naming protocol was verified by ddrfreak.com BTW.
So I went with a Ninja -- ranked just under a Nexen and about half the price. They are all over eBay. Happy Dancin'!!