My Norax Ceramics and Trizact Gators and ceramics last a long time. I go thru a lot of 60, 80 and 120 grit belts and I try to toss them when they stop cutting well or use them when cleaning up hidden tang shoulders, profile clean up, etc. The 36 and 50 grit get put on Heavy Profiling duty when they stop cutting bevels as cleanly. If I use a belt on a crazy steel, like hardened S90V, I use them on other steels when they start not cutting well on hardened S90V and get a good bit more life out of them that way. Slowing down the grinder also seems to help with belt life when they are new and getting broken in. I have also found that worn ceramics do not work very well on handle materials! AO belts are fairly inexpensive, so I try to use good ones. I go from 36 to 60 or 80 grit for AO to the handle finishing belts (see below)
The Pops 2" Scalloped Super Nova AO belts are freaking amazing. I use a coarse 36 and 80 stiff regular AO belt to rough out handles, but go from 120 to 600 on the Pops Scalloped SN AO belts. I have broken a few (my fault totally!), but they last a VERY long time! I think my 320, 400 and 600 have over 30 handles on them easily, including my own home made fabric/epoxy handles, stabilized woods, micartas, G10, SureTouch, AmeraGrip, etc. The 120 and 220 I broke a while back trying to use them to clean up plunges, but they were still going strong on handles like the other grits are when I broke and replaced them! I ordered a new set from Pops a few months ago and haven't even had to bring them out yet!