Who likes a 5-1/2 plane?

In a video by Mr. Tom Fidgen, Mr. Terry Gordon of HNT Gordon says that it was when he first used a plane similar to the smoothing plane he now offers, that he felt that he, and not the plane, dictated what woodworking he could do. The same applies to me I thought. It was my first #5½ that brought that sensation, and ever since it has truly been a jack-plane for everything. Finding it took me past one Stanley #4, a #5 (that taught me that some tools aren’t ready for use when bought), and a HNT Gordon that does not agree with wood from conifers.
Now, if my #5½ was the tool that redeemed my planing from total randomness, why then isn’t that plane model the one for everyone? Alan Peters, for instance, allegedly used a #7 for almost all planing, and others, yet again, vary a lot in their choices. Perhaps there had been some improvement in my use of a bench plane that just coincided with the decision to dish out the money for a Clifton #5½. A hypothesis worthy of testing, I applied all the planes, plus a Lie-Nielsen #5½, to dimension some pieces of silicate – sold as white oak – and found that, with exception of the #4 and the HNT Gordon, they all worked. The latter has a bed angle of 60°, and I can’t push it through demanding oak. As for the #4, in my feeble hands it’s simply not suited for the task.
In conclusion: a plane will be liked when its use coincides with desired results, whether that is due to the properties of the plane or skills development of the user.