Sounds like you might have a horse in the race after all, Frosty. Your enthusiasm could still sway me, though. I am leaning towards the induced burner because I have a small forge in mind, 130 in^2, and I read a lot of folks here on the forum having trouble tuning their smaller burners. There's lots to like about an NA burner, though... If you can set me on a path towards a 1/2 NARB design that limits those issues, I'm happy to come around. My goal is a 1x6 ribbon with a single row of orifaces (Orifii?) built into the table to give even heat for working and heat treating knives. No welding in this forge...
Back to the metering tubes discussion, I believe the metering tubes, being longer than just the thickness of the perforated top plate, offer a greater and more even resistance and therefore a more even distribution of fuel mix... Let's not let the perfect be the enemy of the good, but I'm happy to invest a little extra effort up front in something I hope to use for many years.