I don’t mind plain old black colored anodized Al lights. I have many of them; they are functional workhorses.
But I also like bling bling looking shiny lights. I have my fair share of SS, Cu and Ti lights in my collection. Given anodized aluminum’s good heat dissipation (vs SS, Ti), low weight (vs SS, Cu), toughness (vs copper) and low cost (vs Cu, Ti), why aren’t we seeing more clear anodized Al lights?
I have a clear C8 on order and I wish more are made that way!
I don’t know which process is more expensive, assuming the clear ano is the same price I would simply assume that flashlight buyers have preferences.
Not sure how many buyers are male vs. female. But a dark/aggressive/stealth/”tactical” approach might get the upper hand for sales? I certainly like black/grey lights more than clear or polished ones. I could be in the minority though?
Much harder to cary conceal.
Black anodize results in a black-body thermal radiator…. IE more efficient thermal energy radiation to the surroundings.
More than anything (IMHO) the manufacturer can’t really market it as mall ninja - tacticool.
From memory, the black anodizing can be harder/tougher than the clear (& light colours) anodizing. 
Btw, I don't think the difference in emissivity is at all significant in a hand held light. 
Best Regards,
George
Emissivity is more about substrate then colour, reflectivity however is the opposite
So i painted all my radiators black for nothing, dammit! :laughing:
But don’t they look nicer now? 
No, i’m not a very good painter. 
I would buy lights in clear ano, most of mine are steel or titanium. It’s the chips and wear in the black that i dislike. I don’t use clips or pouches, carry most lights in a pocket so ss or ti is easy to fix up if scratched.
Obviously keep one or two black ano for the tacticool missions. 
It only looks good on matte / sand blasted surface, or just on bezels etc…, otherwise it looks rather cheap.
(edit)
Hmmm…. not true actually, i have a sleek Romisen RC-A6 which looks very nice.
So never mind my comment….
I like the 504B host in bare aluminum a lot:
http://www.dx.com/p/uitrafire-504b-aluminum-alloy-replacement-case-for-flashlight-silver-228602
Me either, i’m a perfectionist :weary:
Agreed, i’m a perfectionist :weary:
Indeed, i will have to consider this :cowboy_hat_face:
The first rule of tacticool missions is that you never speak of tacticool missionry 
It was my impression that the color is just a die sealed into the otherwise colorless electro chemically anodized surface whereas a clear coat is an actual coating like polyurethane, lacquer, varnish, etc. I don’t know which process (dying or clear coat) is more trouble in terms of space needed or cost but they are certainly different so to have the option would mean adding a separate line to production runs.