It's just spray paint, though it's the same color. Summit stands go through a booth where the aluminum is heated to somewhere around 300 degrees, and then powder coated electonically... Then a guy at a work station uses a spray paint can to touch up inside corners or any place he sees that he feels needs a touch-up. It was pretty neat to see.

Coug's right about the Lone Wolf, too. Back that little nut off a bit, and that plastic knob is SO much easier to work with which allows you to raise and lower those support arms. Use it a few times, and it's a piece of cake, and you'll definitely appreciate the ability to pack it flat. I told Scott on IM a couple nights ago that I never missed the capability for the stand to fold flat -- until I started using a Lone Wolf and realized what I'd been missing.