One other issue that wasn't mentioned - the size of the burners on your
stove. If you're going to be using the pot on top of the stove as well
as in the oven, it may be difficult if your pot is a lot bigger than
your burner. Even though the cast iron evens out the heat, it's still
not optimal. I use a 7 quart and it's OK even on a fairly small stove,
but I wouldn't go for anything much bigger unless you have an oversized
burner.

Karen