film/developer combinations

I'm getting back into black and white after a bit of time. I took an evening class at the local high school, and the instructor had bulk-load TMAX 400.Try as I would , could not get what I considered passable negatives. I have no idea what the developer was. I will probably use Tri-X or Plus-X or similar film for my shooting,and would like to know which of the "old standard" developers will give full film speed, good sharpness, and fine grain. I read what Kodak had to say re: Xtol,then I read what the forum participants have to say, and don't think I'll do that to myself. My choices are D76/ID11(written like that, are they the same developer?) HC 110, Ethol UFG, or Acufine. We used a lot of Acufine for yearbook work when I was in college, but the results were more of the "soot and chalk" variety with pushed development, and I am not sure if that is a good choice, either. I like to shoot at the manufacturer's rated speed. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

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