Dave,as part of the cost review ,might also want to compare the material and application methods used when referencing a ceramic coating. Swain is just one of many with claims on the superior quality of their coating. Not implying their coating is the best or better than others, but provides a base for comparison.
A potential negative depending upon personal desires, Swain's coating is a white finish with the surface being similar to medium/rough sandpaper, which they refer to as the ceramic particles. I sprayed mine black with a high temp paint.
From Swain's web site:
Like all of Swain Tech’s coatings, White Lightning™ is a performance improving coating. What makes White Lightning™ the best performance exhaust coating?
1) White Lightning™ really is ceramic so the material is a superior insulating material.
2) White Lightning is applied much thicker than any of the cosmetic coatings. White Lightning™ is applied about .015” thick compared to about .002” thick for the cosmetic coatings. Because White Lightning™ is the best insulating material and it is applied thicker than any other coating, White Lightning™ offers performance improvements that cannot be matched.
Many companies apply the shiny or colored paint based coatings and call them ceramic. Those thin shiny coatings are very different than Swain Tech’s White Lightning™
http://www.swaintech.com/store.asp?pid=10969