Well... I like...

Ballast: 1. magnetic rapid start since its so rare here. 2. magnetic preheat will do fine also. 3. electronic rapid start for T12 or T8(not T5)

Slim-line instant start ballasts and lamps would be nice to test out since they sound so exciting but unfortunately its a little hard to obtain those here.

what comes for (fluorescent)lamps: 1. anything in T12 and above 3500K is ok for. especially nice colors are Deluxe cool white 4000K, halophosphate 4000K, deluxe daylight 5000K, halophosphate 6500K. T8 comes for good second but only colors above 3500K   

Bulbs:

Cool White: For me the classic fluoro color.
Soft White: A nice one that almost looks like incandescent.
Black Light (Not the Black Light Blue ones): Not useful for general lighting, but I do like the color


Ballasts:

Preheat: My all-time favorite.
Instant Start (Magnetic): I've always like Slimlines
Rapid Start (Magnetic): I never cared much for these until I learned that they were going away. Now I'm starting to miss and appreciate them.

Everything that does not imitate the light color of incandescent

Gear - I like PerfektStarts but everything else is ok with me too

Tubes:

circlines
T12s
True colored tubes
PLs
Any color temp above 4100K



Ballasts:

Preheat  (any type)
Magnetic

I like

 all T12s
    coolwhites to daylight
    color tubes
    ciclines
    T8 on rapid start

    ballast
    Preheat
    DC inverted magnetic rapid start
    Instant start
    Good HF ballast (junk one for EOLing tubes in overdrive)

My favorite fluorescents and ballasts was changed and now includes the following:
1. Preheat/Switchstart magnetic ballasts with thermal (PerfektStart) and electronic starters (Reliability of the magnetic ballast + the flicker free starting of the electronic ballasts).
2. T8 (Full mercury and triphosphors) fluorescent lamps (I understood why the modern T5s aren't more efficient than triphosphors T8s and have shorter life).
3. 2-pin PL + preheat/switchstart magnetic ballast (More efficient and green than energy saving CFLs despite of the presence of the magnetic ballast).

When my Osram DuluxStar 8W/827 on my reading spot, will reach EOL, i will for sure replace it to a fixture for a single 2-pin PL-S with swtichstart/preheat magnetic ballast.
When the HF ballast of my 21W T5 fixture will end its life, this may be a problem, since as the main light for my room, i don't want to live with a flickering light, so if a 2X18W T8 preheat (Two lamps can reduce the flickering) is less efficient than a single 36W T8 preheat (Even if both lamps operate from a single 36W T8 switchstart ballast), and of course, only with linear fluorescent i can install an electronic starter for flicker free starting, so i will have no option other to nevertheless buy a 1X18W T8 HF fixture.

A 11W PL is 900LM. An average 18W halophosphate is around 1000-1100LM

A 11W PL migh be just sufficient. I use one for my room. Since the PL is bent and the ends are together, flickering from it is very minimized

A 2x9W PL (on the same ballast) fixture takes about the same 18W (i think maybe even less, as the current in the ballast is lower), and probably give about 1.5X the light of the 1x18W T8. Again with very little flickering

I understood why the modern T5s aren't more efficient than triphosphors T8

They are less efficient only on the paper, as the related standard mandate to rate the lumen output on 25degC air temperature around the lamp, while this is the peak efficacy temperature for T8, but too low for T5's.
At peak efficacy temperature (35degC) they go ~10..20% above the standardized rating.
And in real life inside most fixtures (where lamps are recessed into reflector assembly) the air temperature is around or even above the 35degC, what mean the T8 start to loose it's efficacy and the T5 operate at the optimum, what make ~15..25% efficacy difference shift in favor for T5's.

The issue with T5 is, then on magnetic ballasts they do not operate properly with glowbottle starters and the higher wattage ones require more complicated circuits (series LC with current stabilization), all because of the higher mainly reignition voltages, the high wattage ones even operating voltage (it become too close with the mains). They do require either pure time controlled starters (not voltage anymore, as there is no gap to distinguish the OCV with not ignited lamp from reignition spikes), what mean when something extinguish the lamp (e.g. short mains dip), the system would not restart without intervention of the power switch (switch it OFF for long enough time for the starter to reset). So the only suitable are protected starters with an automatic reset (by cycling the power), like Philips S10E or similar (after ignition they end up in the "fault" mode, but as they stop intervene, they in fact let the lamp to burn without disturbances)

Or they require starter controlled by circuit current (e.g. 4 pin thermal starters).

For general use I like 4000 K, with good color rendering, so triphosphor. Second place would be 3000 K, which can be nice in bedrooms, BUT only if it is triphosphor, I strongly dislike warm halophosphate tubes (but they are banned so gone now anyway). I don't like 2700 K from fluoros at all. I haven't really tried 6500 K, but but they seem to be too blue for my liking. Recently I have started to like cool white halophosphate color 33, which is bad because they are difficult to find.

For ballasts: Magnetic, preheat, with electronic starter for long life (but I do like the blinking on startup from conventional starters, but I consider tube life more important for actual use). Rapid start would be interesting, but is nearly nonexistent here.

For me, my favorite fluorescent lamps in terms of colors tend to be cool white, lite white and cool green. Sometimes I'm in the mood for daylight as well. As far as ballasts go, I definitely like magnetic best and I would probably say it's pretty close between preheat and high power factor rapid start. High power factor lead lag preheat ballasts would probably be at the very top although standard preheat and HPF RS are VERY close up there.

My favourite is the old quality made T12 warm white tubes on magnetic ballasts

I like 8 foot T12's  and any size of T8.
As for the colour temperature, cool white or daylight.

Can't beat magnetic ballasts for the soothing sound of 50 cycles and I really do like the way switch-start lamps glow and sputter into life.

I used to work in a place that had really old 1970's 8 footers in the basement, about a hundred of them. Flicking the switch in the morning ensued a fantastic display as they all struggled to life after their slumber. It was music to the ears.  A real shame now that I work in a place illuminated by cheap T5 quad 2 footers that seems to go through more control gear then lamps. Modern electric starters are frankly, boring.

My fav fluorescents ha ve to be my Coloured Ecko ones, my BLI Blue and Pink, ALL my BC tubes and some of the nice old 8foots I have, I also love liteguard Tubes, Atlas, Anything thats 90s and earlier

T-12 anything - just love them

T-8's certain vintage types only

T-5's, little ones (about 1 foot or so) but not so much the longer ones.

Anything vintage. I hope to own a 8 footer at some stage, especially slimline or VHO. Love the vintage Aussie and NZ tubes but anything vintage is awesome

My 1st choice of ballast's has to be SRS and 2nd has to be Switch start. The best looking fitting for me is a late 60s early 70 atlas grey sided poppack followed by the mid 70s to early 80s poppack (T12) lamp holders. My favorite make has to be atlas and Thorn & Thorn/GE tubes in colour 35.