I've been inclined to stayed out of this thread, but at this point I think I can add some value. I've owned more than two dozen CZ75 pattern pistols including CZs, Tanfoglios, Jerichos and Caniks spanning over 30 years and multiple importers, so I think I can speak with a reasonable amount of credibility.
When you say "the customer" you're not talking about Mike the individual customer, but rather the aggregate of all CZ customers, right? CZ UB (the manufacturer) receives feedback from "the customer" in a variety of ways: individually, indirectly through their importers/distributors and most importantly through sales of their guns. The fact that CZ pistols are sold out as soon as they hit the shelves sends the manufacturer a loud and clear message that they're giving the customer exactly what they want: superb function and reliability. Aesthetics are clearly not a high priority for CZ and if they continue to sell everything they can manufacture, why would that change? If you plan to shoot USPSA with this pistol a Kydex holster will chew through the factory polycoat finish very quickly, so if the appearance of your pistol is important to you I suggest hard chrome or Cerakote. With regards to the barrel there doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason for the color of the coating, most of the CZ barrels I have are done in a grey color that hides wear very nicely, I have one barrel from a 2007 TS in that black and it looks just like yours, I also have one polished to a silver shine which looks very nice. Among the variants from other countries, the finest quality of machining and exterior finish I've seen is actually a $400 TriStar imported Canik. There are no visible tooling marks inside the gun, and every part is coated with a durable black finish I have yet to penetrate. Excellent value
Seth already provided some great links for tools and here's my contribution: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=191773 Welcome to the club and enjoy your pistol!