By their nature, candles will always require some "maintenance", or at least attention. For example, none of us would advise anyone to leave a candle burning in a room with no one in it. Having said that, I agree with LuminousBoutique that the typical person just wants to light their candle and enjoy it. I think one of the advantages of candles crafted by a candle making enthusiast vs cheap mass-produced candles is that we put a lot more time trying to get the wicking right, so the customer is more likely to have a candle that burns well with the least possible maintenance. Educating our customers about this will help them appreciate our candles even more. BTW I think one answer to the proper length to trim a wick is to trim it to the point that the end of the wick is in the edge of the flame. Although we take the curve of a burning wick for granted, this was actually a technological advance. Wicks these days are woven so that they curl as they burn, which places the end of the wick in the heat of the flame, making it somewhat self-trimming.