Objective Web Host Reviews, et al

I have hired web hosts before, and I will soon dos so again. The trouble I am having is that hosts (and review sites!) exist in such quantities, quality, and capability that even after cobbling together a short list and choosing a host, I have never been satisfied with my final choice.

The review sites are mostly constructed to be affiliates and end up being less than useful.

As to hosts, higher cost doesn't always mean better. I found a good, medium priced host once, ran multiple sites with them, until they changed backend providers. They crapped up things for a month, and I ended up with fewer and less useful tools than I did before.

Yes, I have found that calling tech support to see if they answer the phone useful, as was using TRACERT to get peak response times. But there are so many things that can only be found out through using a host.

Finally, now that cheaper multiple domain hosts are beginning to show up, how does this change the way you all are choosing and/or cutting deals with your hosts?

So, I would love to get some tips and hints on host choosing, and any objective host review sources (and are these possible by anyone but a buddy you know has used a particular host?)

Thanks.

I will consolidate answers and my research into a FAQ like document for anyone who wants it....

I will heap praise on all contributors....

I already have some advice that I should stay away from
spam domain hosts if I want my email to not be blacklisted....

Thanks!!

Few Things that you would want to find out about a host:

1) Location of Datacenter and Quality of Bandwidth (tier1,2,3??)

2) How many clients per box (most hosts oversell space and create lagg and even downtimes for you from packing them in).

3)Level of staff expertise (real degrees or hobbyists)

4)Hours and means of availiability (phone,e-mail,ticket) and what times of day.

5)How long have they been in business? Do they have the financial strength and experiance to support your site.

These are a few points that should narrow quite a few hosts out there. Don't fall for the Unlimited Disk Space, and unlimited Bandwidth plans....mostly hosts overselling cheap bandwidth or they are going out of business.


Peace and good Luck.