So-called 'chisel planes' seem to be the unintentional modification of a useful plane following a collision on a concrete floor....... that's how I got mine, anyway.
It prompted the acquisition of some very comfortable foam-rubber mats around the bench
Asking about favourite planes of any type will release a huge amount of contradictions..... however, for what it's worth, here's mine........
Notwithstanding the current perceived supply issues........As far as shoulder planes are concerned, the best, in my opinion, is the Veritas type; the engineering is superb. You may think at first that the four little locking screws on the sides of the blade stock are a faff, as I did until I sorted out why they were there, and once you get to use it, you'll wonder why no other manufacturer used this idea before. It means that you can set your blade protrusions at each side exactly and return to the same setting every time that the blade is removed.
The Medium size is the most useful, I believe.
The 3-in-one plane is, as you suspect, a compromise, but the original Clifton version was based (as was Record's) on the Preston model and came with a short nose, a long one and two loose metal shim plates so that the mouth could be set very close. If you're buying used tools, these shims and the short nose can very often be found missing.
Anyway, that's my two-penny-worth.
Good luck with the search.
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