An arbitrary number of pips or ticks wont help you. Your stop distance and location depends on a few things: which market, the time frame, the current volatility, how good your entry point is and if going short you also need to account for the spread. The basic idea is: Put your stop in a location where if it is hit your idea was clearly wrong!! Eg: Mkt is in a bull trend = Put your stop below the previous major low (on your timeframe) so that it will only be hit if the trend breaks. I know this can seem a bit vague but it will hopefully help you understand what you trying to aim for.
It differs from trade to trade because in some trades I use 50 pips SL and this pips amount varies ranging from 10 to 50.
I no longer go by a certain number of pips. I use identified support or resistance levels (as applicable) instead, or if the closest level is too far away, the maximum amount of loss I'm willing to suffer on a given trade.
Best is as tight as possible, Because then you (tried to) hit the best entry point. SL is calculated at either last lowest price, or other TA reasons.
Good Morning Waylen, You can use whatever stop loss you want to use. It does not matter. Just make your best guess.