I respect that, but you’d confuse me saying “a few” if you meant 5 when “several” is right there!

FWIW I’ve had this utterly engrossing and important discussion with numerous friends, family, and acquaintances. We arrived at:

• Couple = 2 (max 3, rare, not ideal)
• 2 <= Few <= 3 (max 4 depending on context, but you’re pushing it)
• 4 <= Several <≈ 10