Start with an ORM, for 99% of projects that is the good first choice. Once you start growing and you can't solve your problems with the ORM or performance on t

Start with an ORM, for 99% of projects that is the good first choice. Once you start growing and you can't solve your problems with the ORM or performance on the database starts to suck, start handcrafting where it hurts and gradually move to Raw SQL.