best hosting / hosting comparison

how to choose

[flex55]

I know this subject was already bitten to death, but I searched here and didn't find anything.
I need a few hosting companies for shared hosting, at a reasonable price- does anyone know on an *objective* comparison of isp's?
my experience with isps shows that the majority are not so good- uptime is very bad, connectivity is lousy, or too many sites hosted on a box which results in very slow sites.
any help will be appreciated :-)

[Brett_Tabke]

We generally don't do hosting questions because it is one of the most often spammed out topics for webmasters. Even if it isn't spam, there are so many people involved in it, that asking for recommendations is like asking a whale what he thinks about the flavor of a tictac...

[BertieB]

As a general piece of advice, ask around for word-of-mouth recommendations from people you know. I say people you know because they are more likely to be honest. Beware affiliate referrals!

If you are new to the business and/or don't know any webmasters personally, talk to webmasters of sites you like that will be similar in size/requirements of yours. Most people should be pleased to hear things along the lines of "I like your site [etc]... and who do you use for hosting?"

Get a few recommendations like this, then compare the hosting providers to see how well they fit your needs and budget -- and remember you can email them too if necessary.