In the past the surface finish of the aluminum hasn't been that great with quite a few tool marks. The surface treatment has been hard anodizing which, in the past has benn more towards grey or purple than black.
Supposedly they have recently improved th tool mark issues and I believe the color of e anodizing has become more consistent.
Hard anodizing is good at wear resistance (within reason) but being that the base metal (aluminum) is still soft, impacts are going to defeat the anodizing. But hat should be expectd with any brand.