I agree, it depends on what you are quilting, how it is going to be used and what method of quilting you are doing. If I am doing ditch work, I use a smaller needle and usually backstitch to start and stop. If I am doing a fill design, I also try to start in a seam and will backstitch is I am using a walking foot or a regular foot, but... if I am doing FM then I usually just do 5 or 6 very tiny stitches. Also, sometimes the fabric makes it easier to do one method over another. I'm currently quilting some large borders on a king size quilt that is brown with some tiny flowers and blue and rust colored grid lines. I found that is I use some embroidery thread that is a bit darker than the lines on the border, just do walking foot quilting I can start in a bit and then do 2 back stitches and it is not at all noticiable.
But then if the project you are working on has any posibility of being entered into a show,fair or anywhere, where it will be judged you will want to knot and bury. I sort of learned this the hard way, and have to say that it is a bitter pill to swallow when backstitching keeps one of your star quilts out of the competition.
Good luck, i'm sure you will pick the right method for your project. I find it interesting that many of us use several methods.