Pro tip: that $12 can of plastic dip is not the shortcut people say it is

I keep seeing people say to skip primer and just spray plastic dip on foam armor, so I tried it on a pair of bracers last month. Spent about $12 on one can and it soaked in weird, took four coats to even cover the foam, and still looked blotchy up close. Then the corners peeled the first time I flexed my arm at a small con in Columbus. Replacing one bracer cost me more time than the dip ever saved. I get that primer plus paint is another $20 and a day of drying, but the finish actually holds and I don't have to redo it. If the dip works for someone else, fine, but I think the shortcut gets sold as a rule when it's really a maybe. What do you all use on foam pieces that have to bend a little?