In reply to Baron Weasel:
I've bought two Beal Cobras in the last three years with the Golden Dry finish. I love the handling characteristics but have found that the sheath is not very durable. Small nicks have led me to cut one (from 60m to 50m) and I now have some doubts about the other (the worst nick is in the middle). I may be over-cautious, but for my latest purchase I've switched to Mammut Genesis following recommendations on here. So far so good but it's fairly early days with the new rope.
I climb mostly trad with a bit of winter/alpine. Interestingly, the cut down Cobra survived a week's glacier trekking this summer without further damage and little water absorption considering - so I wouldn't question the golden dry finish.
Martin