I'm repeating hearsay, but I read somewhere that the "black chrome" used on the A-D Vent Noir was actually a "hard chrome" finish, similar to that kind of plating done to motorcycle fork sliders, etc. Don't know why that kind of chrome plating would be used to provide or permit the darker color, but that's what I was told. Other versions of the Vent Noir came with a matte black painted finish, not nearly as attractive, IMHO.