In the past when it came to finishes I always farmed out the finishing but I got some projects coming my way which will require me to do the finishing my self, this projects include book cases, tv stands and media/entertainment centers and maybe a vanity, most of which will most likely be stain grade with one or two paint grade.

Since I am a complete finish noob I have been experimenting with oil base stains, sanding sealers, clear top coats and paints with good results (sprayed paint and clear coats). The problem with the oil stuff is that it is messy and it takes a while to dry so to day I went and got a quart of Deft water base semi-gloss clear finish. The results were good enough for me to schedule some if not most of my finishing with water based clears although I don't want to stick to Deft just because of the good results I got with the little limited I have done with it so far.

Since the bulk of the finishing technincs i learned so far are related to oil base stains and clears I have so far no preference for waterborne stains or clears so I would like to know what is the general consensus here as far as waterborne finishes are concerned, I would mainly like to know what fellow creekers prefer in brands and different types of water base finishes.

Thanks in advanced.