I used speedplay pedals for years... started with X-series back in about 1998, then went to light action in about 2010 and just a month ago switched to Look keo with the red cleat. I tried shimano SPD-SL with the yellow cleat and didn't quite like them (they're on my trainer now and don't bug me as much for some reason).

The reason I switched away from speedplay had nothing to do with the float - it's great. It's also great being able to just step on the pedal and "clip in"... it's a bit of an adventure for me now with the look pedals. The speedplay pedals used to give me hot spots after about 70 miles and my perception was that my feet could wobble back and forth (so rock from side to side) and I thought that might be contributing to my issue, not to mention the foot platform on the keos is larger than the speedplay pedal by quite a large margin.

Because of the nature of the cleat/pedal interface, the look pedals tend to keep my feet where I put them more than the speedplays did. Especially the old X series but in general, pedaling on speedplays feels a little like riding on an ice cube.

Anyway, I do like the Keos and they're cheaper than speedplays by quite a bit - got the pedals for about 114 instead of nearly 200 and replacement cleats are quite a bit cheaper too although I'm not sure how long they'll last. The speedplay cleats with the walkable covers also tend to squeak and I'm too OCD to tolerate that.

thanks for the info, a professional bike fit is something i plan to do i just figured a pedal with some degree of float was what i wanted so that there is the ability to move if thats what my body needs. I'm not so concerned with preventing knee pain as i am making a pre-existing condition worse quickly.