As with anything new, one tends to bounce around left and right of the target in the beginning. This place really shows you that ANYTHING is available which tends to cause information overload. "I like this look/body type/sexual experience!" You try a few different ladies, trying different things as you search for "The One". Some are, for lack of a better term, disappointing (Well, not like "having your car stolen" kind of a bummer!) and you keep searching.
What pearls of wisdom, tips, etc. have you learned from experience that help you cull through the names and faces to get reasonably close most times to at least a 90% experience?
Try using the filters on TER's "seach reviews" page.
You can adjust for the attributes you want, including the minimum level of look and performance. Hit the enter button and voila, there are gals who should meet your requirements.
I've done that a few times with excellent results.
MrFisher, although using the TER filters as you suggested is a good way of searching if one is mostly into looks; as we know, this is clearly an art and not an exact science! As we should know by now, most grades are inflated and personally speaking, I feel that I have graded ladies about 2 points higher than actuality, if I was grading as compared to my Civvie standards. I have learned to grade the looks on TER according to the talent available to me at the price point which I am at in my local market, plus grading the ladies according to same availability in the market but in their own age category.
OP: I have only been in the Hobby for about a year now and I do not have any vast practical experience, to start throwing advice around (I have seen at least 8+ different providers that I did not write reviews of, either because I was review sensitive at the time or did not care to leave them a review which in retrospect, was not a good thing!)
One thing that flagged my attention in your post was this: "trying different things as you search for The One" That being the case, the search for "the one" can become both very expensive and very time consuming. The when you do find the "one", you may want to be mindful of the old saying, "be careful as to what you wish for, because you may just get your wish!" I have gathered that many experienced hobbyists have ATF(s) but the savvy and experienced hobbyists know when to loosen or tighten that leash and link to their ATF(s)
While there are probably many possibilities plus vast permutations and combination of factors involved in the Hobby, let's not forget as to why the "majority" of people involved in the Hobby do hobby:
1- For the ladies, it is because it is a great way of making money if they can get over the psychological barriers of having sex with total strangers.
2- For the gentlemen, it is because it is exciting to have sex with different partners, without the need for any other investment, such as emotions, devotion, trust & love. All that one has to invest is money and time, which normally pale in comparison to making similar investments in the Civvie world (taking a long term perspective)
I am both a picky person and I have had the fortune of having been with some stunning looking SO's in my personal life, therefore I do share your seeming frustration with the disappointing experiences, because I applied the same high standards. The way that I have now accepted the differences (hence reducing the disappointment factor) in the two worlds is really the change of my perspective on my investment theory as presented earlier, i.e, you reap what you sow and if I believe in the Hobbying four F's (Find them, Feel them, Fuck them & Forget them), then I must be prepared to accept the disappointments that are consequential in a numbers game. This is where I gather the more experienced Gents excel at this game, i.e, they learn and then move on by forgetting them 
Searching is an art, not a science. You know the cliche, one man's 9 is another man's 6. In my city, I have some hobbyist who share the same likes and dislikes as I have when it comes to the ladies. We've never talked or met, but we've seen the same ladies over the years, and we've scored these ladies pretty much the same way. When I see one of these gentleman write a review of a new lady, that's all I need to make the call or write the email to her.
Always remember this P4P, spend some time on The Erotic Highway Board. You don't want to catch the dreaded "I've fallen for a provider and can't get up" syndrome.
First, let me say that you guys are great! I have always valued collective wisdom and there be bunches of it here!
To clarify, by "The One", I refer to finding an ATF. A dependable lady that:
- Chemistry was great
- Fit the bill on looks
- Overall time, inc. the sex, was on the money!
that I can go back to when I'm not in the mood to keep trolling around.
PLUS the concept of accepting mentally what happens hit home HUGE yesterday. I met a lady that, if I purely focused on looks, might not have tripped all my breakers. Pretty but not smokin'. Great body though. Having read the earlier replies before meeting her, I set my expectation meter to just "Enjoy for what it is" and it was a great time! Gotta tell you. Just reveling in what was happening at the moment helped me loosen up, enjoy, and leave not looking for what wasn't there, but what was. Thanks, guys!
I have learned that I have preferences in nationality, body type, hair color, height and personality. The tricky one of course is that last one. I try to get a feeling for a lady from her reviews, ads or website but it's always a bit of a crap-shoot until the first time you actually meet a lady. No matter how hot she is there will not be a second visit if we don't click personally.
After I made the normal newbie mistakes, I learned to read & weigh every scrap of information, examine the pictures available. I have got pretty good at identifying potential dates for my various moods. I keep a catagorized bucket list... so I can quickly bring up a couple of "want to's" when an opportunity appears.
Not enough data, reviews, web-site, few or poor or thumb pictures... not on MY list.
skb
1. Do your due diligence.
2. Be honest with yourself as to what you want, then go for it.
3. Always maintain the utmost respect for the providers who choose to see you.
MisterDobalena's precepts will serve every hobbyist well.
I'll only add that the "looking for" can be twice as much fun as "the finding." And there is no "The One." There's only "This one." What will the next one bring?
continue to do research by reading details in reviews (need VIP to read the juicy details) because the profile is not always accurate. Always let the big head do the thinking.
Like others have said, I enter my search parameters but I also look at her pics carefully. When I research the reviews I look for reviewers who I know or have seen some ladies I have seen and compare his review of Ms. X with my review of the same lady to see how accurate his review style is. Remember, you always have room to learn more about this hobby.
I'm still a Newbie, unless there is a specific number (of providers seen) or months you can be a "Newbie" but here is what I have learned in my almost four months of absolute fun ... this is a lot like real life dating. You can see the pictures, listen to your buddies talk, maybe even chat online or through texts for a few weeks ... kinda a "trial and error" type journey. You limit the "errors" by investing time in reviewing the providers on TER and other sites (TER is my favorite). You talk with other Hobbyists. You check out her website and do your very best to get a feeling for her ... but you will never know how things will be until you go out on the actual date.
I believe this is the YMMV part. You won't click with every Provider, just like not every date you ever went on was perfect, or ended with a little something something! You learn that photos can be misleading, as can some reviews (seriously a hobbyist that pops three times in an hour?) and even websites. There are some really knowledgeable hobbyist's around TER, but in the end, your gut instinct is what you need to go by ... all the research in the world won't mean a successful date, and just like our counterparts, we have a "good feeling" when something is going to be right ... trust that instinct.
I have come to understand that these are business friendships. When you team up with someone to complete a project it should be mutually beneficial and then you can both walk away from each other. There is no obligation to see each other again and that is what makes it fun.
