Glen,
No disrespect intended for what you find appealing. Of course black looks good. Not a colour for scopes though. That's what I mean.
With planet season reaching its apex soon, a very good test of the optics will be if you are able to make out the Encke Division in Saturn's rings. Should be a cinch for a good 8" in steady seeing
Be able to see it and see it in good seeing (leaving excellent seeing aside) & then you really have a true keeper! These conditions will really put the Strehl rating of the optics to the test.
It's what separated the very good & excellent SCTs and Maks when I was testing them. All the scopes were able to resolve the Encke Division, but the slightly challenging conditions sorted out ultimate scope with how the different scopes were able to deal with the seeing. This is how the 7" Intes Mak won (pic below) from the other two very good C8's. I mention this to give you a usable guide by which to discern the quality of your CC's optics.
Alex.