[jeffb]

Matt,

You can use the polyester powder coat as a filler and you can wet sand and buff like a paint if you want to get real picky with the appearance. There is a sandable primer for powder coat also.

Me...I'm not that worried about perfection. It could look as good as paint if the effort were put in to it though. And the durability over paint is the main reason to go with powder. It isn't that hard to touch up either. There are additives to make it a liquid so you can spray it on too. Homework needs to be done when deciding to paint or powder coat. Me personally , I feel powder coating is easier than painting. You nailed it when you said the metal needs to be prepped perfectly to get a good finish. But when that is done the rest is a cakewalk compared to painting. It also helps to have an oven as big as mine. I can fit Cub frames , motorcycle frames and a lot of things too big for the casual coater using an old kitchen oven.

Jeff.