Hi new here
I have both 1and1 and Hostgator hosting. I agree that transferring a domain from 1and1 is a pain in the neck, but their hosting is quite good, I use them for "keeper" sites I don't plan on selling. On the other hand their control panel is not CPanel, which limits you somewhat considering it's popularity for applications and ease of use.
I also use Hostgator. This is where I keep the bulk of my websites. They have cpanel, and their reseller plans are very cheap. I recommend both but would use Hostgator when looking for a more versatile choice.