Your dead wrong here. I've been in the paint and coatings business my entire life and cerakote is just as good as the swain tech, or polydyne or any of the others.

 

Well now I'm lost , so the ceramic coating 2k degrees is not a true thermal barrier ?? Is swain's coating a type of coating or we are talking about an actual place

 

I wouldn't brush it on. Also it needs to be sand blasted with a non silica based media or it won't stick. I did multiple light coats with about 20 mins flash time between coats. It definitely builds up. I forgot to mask the manifold flanges and had to grind it off and it was pretty thick.

 

I'm guessing that the "good stuff" may have been white lightening?, or a very similar competitive product? He told me that his cost on it was about $100/lb. Probably in part because he doesn't buy it in large quantity. It was applied as a powder coating, and he used an electrostatic powder gun with the part grounded when it was applied. He told me it would significantly reduce the amount of heat conducted through the part. I asked if it would be as good as the insulating wrap? He said to be he didn't know how it would perform compared to the wraps, but that it was much better than the standard high heat powder coating he uses on exhaust that is rated for 1500F. I did see a lot of other parts there waiting to be picked up which he coated. He does quite a few sets of things like zoomies, side pipes, headers and exhaust systems mainly for street rods, and race cars. He also had lots of other automotive components there powder coated like springs, control arms, etc. in about all the colors of the rainbow.