I've had my Kahr CW9 for a long while now. I gave into the pop-gun-culture trend and bought a Shield in 9mm...I've had it about 6 days. A few observations for those who are interested:

1) The Shield (with the 7rd flush-fit magazine) and the CW9 are practically identical in size - length, width and height. Not enough difference to mention. The only noticeable difference (outside the fact that the 8rd magazine makes the Shield taller) is the Shield has a larger trigger guard.

2) The Shield (with the 7rd flush-fit magazine) and the CW9 are almost identical in weight (if you didn't know, the CW9 magazine holds 7 rounds too)..

3) The Kahr fits better in my hand.

4) The Kahr doesn't need $92 worth of aftermarket parts to get a decent trigger.

5) Because the Kahr has a superior trigger (out of the box) I hit better with it. We'll see how the Shield feels when those $92 worth of aftermarket trigger parts arrive and are installed.

6) the Kahr was about $200 cheaper.

With all the talk of how great the Shield is, and my experience with my full-size M&P's (9mm and .45 and LOVE them), I thought the Shield would be just as good as its big brothers, only smaller. Well, it is smaller...