Sorry Retro
"That couldn't be further from the truth"
you can't compare a parts box to brush bumpers being driven off-road in all weather conditions, scraping tall brush, going through mud, gravel, dirt,etc. Powder coating is fine for bike frames and show car frames and maybe nut & bolt boxes but for rough treatment go with a good primer & paint.
regards
Wasn't having a go at you Ron, my parts box has about 1000 {sh1tloads} of different nuts and bolts in it and I made it and powder coated it in around 1986, its been half way round the country and beat to #$%* but it had good quality Dulux powder on it and it hasn't failed yet, its a great example of good powder, powders these days are much better. I would go with either good powder or a good epoxy {epoxy is very strong but fades if not applied with a clear coat} for the best toughest finish hands down. I paint industrial coatings, thats my trade I've done a lot of powder coating {mostly industrial}, electro static spraying, Acran, when it was used widely {mining equipment} as well as a pile of industrial polyurethanes and epoxies. You would be amazed what is powder coated these days, including most Bull bars and nudge bars used on 4WD's... 
Edit, a couple of things I left out that should be of interest, Powder has a far better abrasion resistance than any paint and remains pliable for many years {resin based}, it is also 100% solids, which is far better than any paint , it is also unaffected by fuel, brake fluid and other chemicals and has a very low to nil toxicity, it is food grade and classed as a "green" product unlike any paint or epoxy. Epoxies have poor UV ratings and should have a polyurethane clear coat over them to stop powdering and fading.
Hey, Retro, a few questions, if I may:
In 1979 someone painted my tank & side covers with a gold epoxy that is REAL close to the gold candy (but not translucent, obviously). I have been 100% impressed with how well it has held up, just not so much with the color (I asked him for blue...). I finally wore some minor scuffing into it with 30 years of tank bags bumping and sliding on it. But, it was a 1-shot paint over primer, he said: if it a simple paint to apply? It would seem to be a good frame paint, if one could shoot it at home. I sure can't powder coat!
I also have a now well-chipped Imron on my Vetter. It was the buzz in 1974 when I had the original Vetter lacquer in tatters, so I had it Imron'd. After 15 years or so, it started chipping like a windshield stone crack does when something big hit it, and now I have lots of such marks, deep enough I will have to fill them before the next paint. My question is: do you know what can be painted over Imron? No one seems to think anything will stick to it. It can't be removed with solvents, and I am not about to sand my hand-laid fiberglass Vetter I, rare as they are.
Hi Mark, A 1 shot epoxy..? The only single pac epoxies i have seen or used are primers, every other top coat product was a 2 pac, thats how epoxies work, they need an activator {part B}to set them off. Wondering how you asked for blue and got gold...
Imron is a polyurethane paint and very toxic, you would need to look at a MSDS sheet or speak to Dulux about that, I've used lots of urethanes but only ever as a top coat and in industrial conditions only, like at QLD newspapers, in the press room the painted walls are, or were, stained with a film of ink that can't be seen in the air, but accumulates on the walls and sends them black, an acrylic paint was applied to the walls after cleaning them and then a polyurethane coating is painted over the top of the acrylic to seal it and provide a surface thats easily cleaned, that was a product called PolyU400, its a marine grade clear with great anti graffiti properties, we also use that on council's roadside portable offices that are prone to being graffitied, the graffiti just wipes off..
I do know that there are paints like acrylic auto paints that are recommended not to be painted over PolyU, not sure about 2 pacs myself as I've never had to paint over PolyU, in saying that, polyU paints have great resistance to anything sticking on them, including paint, thats why we use them as an anti graffiti coating. Sorry i couldn't be of more help.. If I ever have any questions about product I usually just ring the paint rep and ask, get it straight from the horses mouth...
Poll