What questions should I answer before asking for a recommendation?

Could we make a short checklist for buying-advice threads? I think recommendations would be better if the first post included priorities instead of making everyone ask the same five follow-up questions.

My guess: size, controls, refill preference, maintenance tolerance, budget, and whether replacement-part availability matters.

That is a good start. I would add what you already use and what you specifically want to change about it. That gives the recommendation a reference point.

Budget is more useful as a range than a hard maximum if recurring costs differ a lot between options.

I will turn this into a pinned template if the format keeps working well in new threads.