XDS vs XDE

Looking for a new carry pistol. Anybody have the new XDE9? How does it compare to the XDS9? Had a XDS9 and traded it off, wish I would have kept it. Do you like the hammer fired XDE over the striker fired XDS?

Nobody have a XDE?

I guess that's good enough of a review for me. I'll probably be looking for another xds.

Have a XDS 45 and what little I shot it, it's a good one. Went in for recall and carry everyday. I have Colt's in 45's and 380's and Glocks in 26 and 27 and carry the XDS. Also keep a 32acp Seecamp in my boot. I like to be protected.

I handled an XDE, and did not care for it. I loved my xds, but someone wanted it worse than i did, so i traded it. Plan to get another.

I handled one and it seemed the slide was about a 1/4 inch taller than the xds. I really like hammer fired pistols better than striker fired but the xds did have a pretty good trigger.

I rented both the XDE and XDS in 9mm at the bullet trap this weekend. I wanted to like the XDE, but after firing both I preferred the XDS.

For me it’s about the trigger, I like having a crisp, clean breaking trigger. Both seemed to have a long trigger pull, but I think the XDS was slightly shorter. The XDE trigger also seemed to have a long reset.

I am also looking for a new carry pistol. I’ve already bought 2 that are a little on the large/heavy side for regular carry, so I’m looking for something smaller/lighter yet. I liked that both the XDE and XDS “feel” like a larger pistol in a lighter/smaller frame, but neither of them had a trigger that I liked.

The next two I want to try are the sig P938 and the Kimber micro 9. I think I’ll be happy with the trigger, but unsure how I’ll like the smaller size... they also had a Glock there that had a nice trigger, but I have already drank the XD cool-aid.

Overall I think all of the above are quality firearms and you can’t go wrong with any of them. But after I’ve made the same mistake twice, I would recommend finding a range that rents what your looking for and try them out. It’s better than spending >$500 on something you find out you don’t like or isn’t a good fit for how you want to use it.

Sounds like a good idea. I'll check with my local range, I know they rent but not sure what they have. I have had a xds and liked it. So I at least know about that one. I've just always liked the hammer fired pistols and was hoping the xde was going to be a good one.

Since Sigmund brought up the 938. I have been carrying one for a couple years now, and i really like it. More expensive than the xds, but comes with night sights. Small, easy to conceal, and shoots great. I carry mine in a FFR owb holster, and conceals with a t-shirt. Definetly worth checking out before you make a decision, if you like a hammer gun.

I was thinking about this more this afternoon. another thing about the XDE that I didn’t like was that the safety lever felt a bit far back. It was a bit of a stretch to get to it with a “ready to shoot” grip.

After reading jab3006 comments it reminded me of another observation I had with the XDE; the fiber optic front sight. The visibility was good, but it’s plastic... a guy behind the counter at the gun store told me it “comes with a couple spare” pieces. I said that’s nice, but it doesn’t really inspire confidence in the durability. The tritium sights that come with many sig & Kimber models is worth the extra cost alone IMO.

I prefer the hammer guns as well, but usually because they also have a trigger that I like. The XDE has proven to be the exception though... has a hammer, but didn’t like it. I think it would have been better if it were single action only.

I have an Xds 9....I really want to get the Xds .45 its the exact same size. Been carrying the xd9 over 2 months and love it!

I just feel better with the .45.