... for me, personally ... I use unweighted floats. There's a bit of a trade-off, using the weighted floats ... more distance, but little to no chance of seeing a lift bite (since the float is going to continue to float upright, due to the weight) ... while others trade distance for the ability to see a lift bite, by using nonweighted floats. Alot depends on how much distance is needed on a cast, and how much of a chance there is that a fish will "lift bite" your bait.
In reality, if one were to constantly be using or needing to use a float ... it's probably a good idea to have several choices in your tacklebox
Even though I don't often use a float/bobber of any kind ... I carry about a dozen :p -- plain clip-on's - slip floats of several styles - clip-on's with rattles - spring holder style. I generally prefer slip floats, because they cast farther/easier than clip-on & spring holder styles & they're more accurate to cast with, if you're casting to a spot with limited entry access.
... cp