Centaurus, has buried his most relevant point into his tales.
You can use whatever list you Like, or are told to use. But unless you understand what each item on the list (written or memorised) is calling for, the whole excersize is superflous. (ok the spelling of big words is escaping me tonite, but i'm sure you can interpolate)
TMPFISCH and BUMFOH carry me very well. I fly a variety of types, and they serve me well. The U in the BUMFOH, I have changed how i approach it.
It is a challenge to myself to confirm what type of legs my plane has...by the time you are running the BUMFOH, you should have your legs out anyway.
When flying crashna's i MAKE the person in the opposite seat look out and confirm they can see a wheel....for non pilot types it makes them feel important to the operation...to pilot types, i hope it shows them that i am paying attention.
I'm sure one day, i will graduate to a type that I need to work with written checklists, but for now the flying school mantra is covering what I need, so i will stick with it.
Cheers
Jas