Ryley,
When you say "porcelain" do you mean the thin steel grates that have rails shaped like an upside down "U"? If so, yeah, they are not a lot of people's favorite and definitely the low cost entry.
Virtually all cast iron grates that you might be able to find new are coated with porcelain in some way. The ones that I think are the worst have a thick, glossy coating of porcelain. Looks really nice new, but you can count on that porcelain to start peeling off and if you don't watch out ON to your food
.
The very original Weber cast iron grates seem to me to not have any coating. Some say they do but that it is "impregnated." In any event, they don't peel, but they are highly susceptible to rust if not given lots of care - maybe even storing inside during times of non-use. I still love these regardless of the hassle. If they do rust you just have to start over like you would on a cast iron skillet. The problem is that these were from long ago, so finding a nice set is pretty hard.
Maybe a much easier solution would be to look at some good stainless rod grates. These can give great sear marks, too, and are much more forgiving than cast iron and can be left outside in the winter, etc.
I did a thorough review of the stainless rod grates that were available back a year and a half ago. Some things have changed since then, but this might be of help to you in looking at your options. Prices and quality vary significantly:
I am still hoping someday to make my first "This Old Grill" episode, but hurricane and family stuff make that unlikely for a while. So, I decided I should at least publish my findings here so that you all can review them and maybe ask some questions. I did a separate page on each set of grates...
tvwbb.com
