As someone who has flown with the entire spectrum of captains, from ones who start a trip by saying "I don't believe in checklists" to ones who follow the SOP exactily to the letter, I agree that I would rather have the latter because, as you all said, at least I know exactly what I have to do and what's going to happen. Nothing threw me for a loop more as a new FO than captians who just did their own thing.