So what is the best email client for personal use?

This answer may be about the least helpful you'll find anywhere. But first, let me point you to a few Web sites:

The site at www.digitaltrends.com/web/best-web-based-email-clients/ compares Gmail, Outlook, AOL, Yahoo, and Mail.com .

The site at www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-email-software.htm discusses Mozila Thunderbird, DreamMail, Foxmail, Incredimail, eM Client; and, Web-based clients such as GMail and Yahoo.

The site at www.techrepublic.com/blog/five-apps/five-email-clients-to-help-ease-you-away-from-outlook/ adds to the confusion by comparing Opera Mail, Dreammail, iScribe, Postbox, and Evolution (for Linux).

Chances are, if you ask this question of 100 people on the Web - or this Forum - you'd likely get 20 different opinions. And the same holds true for browsers.

The best one is the one that does the best job for YOU, and the only way you're going to determine that is through trial and error.

I am still often asked "What is the best computer". And my reply invariably is "the one that meets your needs best". For example, I would never recommend a $3,000+ high-performance machine for someone who isn't a gamer and only needs something on which to compose a few notes and email. Back to your original question about email, I find myself increasingly dependent on Web-based email clients when I'm on the road; in fact, I most often rely on my ISP's Web mail service while using Windows Mail on my Win 7 machine at home. But that doesn't mean, because I use them, they are the best. Your opinion is worth at least as much.