I have 5 bikes and three bells.
Road bike - no bell as I use it exclusively on rural roads and seriously can't remember a time I have thought I could do with a bell.
Gravel bike - has a bell and it gets well used on bridleways and mixed-use paths.
Hardtail MTB - has one, gets limited use on bridleways and byways but I tend to ride places/times that people don't choose to walk.
Full-sus MTB - no bell yet but I plan to add one; still looking for the perfect low-profile option
Shopper bike - has a classic push-and-return trrrriiing-trrrriiing type partly for show but it occasionally gets used on mixed use pathways.
I'd say that over 90% of my bell use gets a pleasant response. There are still people who misinterpret my "just to let you know I am here" signal for a "get out of the way", even though I will slow accordingly if there is limited space or a child or dog or something. I always start with a tentative ting-ting from a distance, with extra tings at intervals if no response is seen. I take into account the weather (on a windy day a ting can easily be lost) and try to look for signs of headphone use. Even with a progressive ting-ting approach sometimes they simply don't hear you and more than once I have passed and they have jumped. I also do the 'fork-lift' ting if I am approaching a blind corner - along with an appropriate tempering of speed.
For horses I will ting from as far away as I can - often I will see that the horse has noticed me well before the rider has; it is mostly the horse's attention that I am trying to get so they are not surprised by the sudden appearance of an apex predator on their hind-quarters... heavily-armed hind-quarters I might add. As a horse rider myself I am well aware of how they react and behave and I sometimes find it amusing/concerning when a rider finally notices me despite their horse having been 'telling' them about me for some time. Often the rider will thank me for my diligence - I sometimes respond that "I have ridden far more of those than I have of these", which is true and occasionally then sparks a genial conversation.
