Werbil,
You have me wrong. As per my first post on this subject. I agree, an overly extensive check list is counter productive. Checklists are just that, a check is conducted after a flow has been conducted on each particular phase of flight dependent on the complexity of the aircraft involved.
Many POH checklists are cumbersome and seem more for litigation resolving purposes than common sense.
A flow can be done in many different ways. Dependent on how it is written and resolved in the Operations Manual by the CP.
If the Ops Man is not written well or inconclusively it can result in misuse of a checklist to the point where safety is now reduced.
My statement was aimed at those times when a low time pilot goes outside what has been written for the sake of ease. The other side is that the checklist is too complex and includes items that are not "gotcha" items, this reduces the effectiveness of the check list and may end with the list not being used at the completion of a flow but as a shopping list.
I will stop now as it is taking both hands to type, thus leaving a total of zero hands to operate my beer stubby. After hours of course.
Safe flying.