I'm starting to add some planes to my toolbox and am shopping for a #60-1/2 LA block (to augment my Stanley HA block), a #5 jack, maybe a #7 jointer at some point, and definitely a #4 or #4-1/2 smoother. It is the last one I'm pondering over.

What do you prefer as a smoothing plane and why? A #4 or a slightly bigger and heavier #4-1/2? If the slippery slope has its way, I may eventually end up with both but right now I have only room for one of them. I understand that the #4 is slightly smaller and lighter and therefore more maneuverable than the #4-1/2 and that some feel the added weight is too tiresome after a while, whereas the extra heft of the #4-1/2 is preferred by others as it adds to the momentum while planing. I have had both kinds in my hands and the extra weight of the #4-1/2 doesn't seem too bad but then I haven't used it during a whole day of planing to be able to tell whether it may become uncomfortable.

So my question to you: which smoothing plane would you pick if you could choose only one, the #4 or the #4-1/2? I'd appreciate your feedback!