TBH, it was disappointingly stiff 'out of the box' but did soften up quite a bit in the few hours i've worn it. Whether it will remain as a long term item, i'm not really sure.
It's my first sharkie so i have nothing to really judge it against, but it's quite smooth and i would say it's semi-nubuck, as it isn't fully glossy or fully dull.
There will be another arriving shortly from a well known maker
I'm actually finding it difficult to settle on a default strap for the 305. The Simona i posted previously is so far my best/nicest, but i'm struggling to accept the (to me) giant oversize buckle
Maybe a buckle swap is required but cutting out a sewn in is not so easy!