Most diamond needles are man-made glued onto a mount but this one is a single solid real diamond. This allows for more reliable performance. This fact combined with this stylus being an obsolete genuine Signet product are why our cost is significant to get this stylus. Signet was made by Audio Technica so, to choose an OEM replacement, choose any "VMN" type stylus below. All of which are mountable directly on your TK3Ea cartridge without modification but yes they look different. To save money you could instead choose any 212 body style needle. This gets you an aftermarket needle that fits/works well but no flip guard.