I am having a frame powder coated right now and I will follow this thread for answers from those that have done this before. I think the powder coating is tougher than paint but like you this is my first frame I have done. My coaster says that he uses a special primer for a proper bond after media blast. I have seen powder painted frames and they look fantastic and I haven’t heard of any issues with it being brittle or prone to chipping. I had a frame painted by a pro in the late seventies and it was beautiful but chipped like crazy so it can be annoying.