So thought some folks might like a tabletop informal impressions review of these two "Glockish" pistols; the PSA Dagger which is a G19 gen 3 modified clone and the Smith and Wesson SD9VE (shares some similarities with G19). For this review the specific pistols are a PSA Dagger with standard sights and green cerakote factory finish ($329 NIB purchase price) and a SD9VE with standard sights and brushed stainless slide (purchased $279 three years ago NIB). Keep in mind this is STOCK guns, not reviewing upgrades. Both are @ $300 budget self defense/range plinkers. On Buds today SD9VEs are $344. I just got the Dagger yesterday and have not shot it yet. First impressions here...
1) Price: My specific examples the SD9VE wins but currently they are about evenly price; paid $30 extra for the cerakote finish on the Dagger just because it was the model available.
2) Grip Length Size: the most noticable size difference is in the grip length - the Dagger's grip is shorterby about a 1/8 inch - doesn't sound like much but it is the difference between comfortable full three finger grip on the SD9VE and "squished" three finger grip on the Dagger. I have medium sized hands. The SD9VE wins here - not sure why PSA put a grip flar at the bottom that truncated it a bit. Not a fan.
3) Grip width (front to back): the Dagger's rear grip has the "Glock hump" and is skinnier than the SD9VE rear grip so it feels like there's a protrusion pushing into my palm with the Dagger. The SD9VE feels better so far gripping. The Dagger also has one finger groove in the front grip which to me is unnecessary. Not all fingers fit those well.
4) Grip texture: Dagger feels like more of a skateboard grip tape style and the Smith's feel more like melted in stippling. The SD9VE's feels more pronounced but both are plenty grippy and I wouldn't add anything to either. Draw.
5) Grip angle: the Smith's is more vertical, the Dagger is Glock-angled. Full disclosure I'm not a Glock person previously so I'm used to more vertical angles; will have to shoot both side by side to see preference.
6) Controls: the Smith's slide release is longer but doesn't protrude any further out. Both have too slick of a texture. If you use them, I'd say the Smith's is easier. I slingshot slides so not a big issue either way for me. Magazine release button: here the Smith CLEARLY wins. It has a bigger round button that is firm but not hard to push. No sharp edges. Good texture. The Dagger's is small and rectangular with very pointy corners. I'm a lefty and those corners dug into my fingers bad. Definitely smoothing those down. The spring in the Daggers is STIFF. I'm not a wimp, but that button on the Dagger is way too hard to push in, especially with how small it is. The Smith wins hands down here.
7) Take down: same same. no difference; draw.
8) Finger "memory pads" on frame above trigger: the SD9VE has oval divots (stippled) on both sides; very intuitive and comfy for trigger finger when safe and for thumb over thumb grip. The Dagger has like half-scalloped divots overlapping the take down tabs. Not as intuitive or positive feeling. The Smith wins.
8) Trigger guard: same size interior space; not super winter-glove friendly. Dagger's has a semi-squared front face that is conducive if you shoot with your support index finger on the front of guard. The Smith's has a rounded front. I don't shoot with finger on guard so it's a wash for me.
9) Safeties: neither has frame safety. Both have trigger safeties and internal drop striker safeties. The Smith has a loaded chamber half-moon hole in slide. The Dagger has no LCI. Advantage - Smith if you like LCIs. Neither has a magazine safety so both will fire without their mags inserted. I like that in a defense pistol. YMMV.
10) Barrels: the Dagger's is 3.9" and Smith's is 4.0". I know PSA made it a bit shorter to fit muzzle flush with frame. A 1/10 inch bbl length has no real impact on velocity so I don't care. However, the Smith's barrel feed ramp came mirror polished. The Dagger's is black finished and not polished from what I can tell. The Smith's caliber marking on the barrel block is WAY more noticeable than the Daggers (small stamping on side of block vs large engraving on top). SD9VEs come in 40 S&W as well as 9mm so maybe this is why they made it more obvious. Daggers only come in 9mm. The Smith's font is better done on it. Win for SD9VE
10) Slide serrations: both guns have front and rear serrations; the SD9VE's are wider spaced and deeper. Win for the Smith but both are functional.
11) Extractor: the Smith's is a bigger, beefier extractor; the Dagger's is Glock 19 part compatible. Have not shot Dagger yet so may be a non-concern. The SD9VE has been flawless exctraction and ejection on all ammo types.
12) Slide markings: the Dagger has VERY unobtrusive, muted slide and frame markings. All are on the frame itself. For minimalists this is good. The Smith has markings on the slide in nice font along with the S&W logo. I think they look good. However, pistols are tools to me and neither of these are "showy" guns so it's a wash.
13) Magazines/capacity: so the Smith comes with two stainless 16 round factory mags. The Dagger comes with one 15 round polymer Pmag mag. Out of the box the Smith wins. Additional SD9 mags I've found on sale for $20 factory mags. Varied availability. Glock 19 mags (factory) are about $20 - $24 but there are a TON of other maker mags for it for $12 - $15 per, and as long as they feed reliably... the Glock 19 mags are far more available. After market price/availability - the Dagger wins. Glocks and Daggers can take any other Glock mag so if you like having 17 round or 33 round mags sticking out the bottom you can. I don't like that typically but there are makers of Glock mag spacers for the Dagger to make 17 round mags fit better.
14) Trigger: ok, so here's the part that most people gripe about both guns... both have hinge-style triggers. The Smith's has less initial take up, but has a longer squishy pull through to the break. It's not good, but if you practice with it, it isn't a huge problem. The Dagger has more initial take up slack, then some grittiness, and then a crisper break than the Smith. The reset on the Dagger is a bit shorter but not short (like a Canik TP9's is short). The reset on the Dagger is more audible. The Dagger trigger face is wider but neither have any texture/grooves. Both are not good triggers, but the Dagger's is a bit better feeling overall. Aftermarket - LOTS of trigger upgrades for Dagger/Glock, and there is the Apex trigger kits for the Smiths which help them lots. Win for the Dagger in trigger category but it's not something to brag about.
15) Holsters (as of Feb. 2022) - Supposedly the Dagger will fit into SOME holsters made for Glock 19s, but not all. The one I tried at the gun store with it was too tight a fit. The SD9 series has lots of holster options for both left and right hand. I'd say win to Smith right now since unless you can try it before buying or know for sure it fits, you may get a Glock 19 holster that you find doesn't fit for the Dagger. At least with the Smith you know it's gonna fit holsters made for it.
16) Sights: Daggers are steel 3 dot variety. Smith's are steel front and polymer rear 3 dots. I don't have a problem with polymer rear sights, but the dot on the front of the Dagger is bigger which I like. The SD9VE's can swap out with any M&P sights, and the Dagger's can swap out with any Glock sights. Neither model cut for RMR. (but the Dagger has that option). WIn for the Dagger.
17) Accessory rail: the Smith has a picatinny 2-slot rail. The Dagger has a 1-slot Glock cut rail. Both are functional but the Smith's has more mounting option. Win for the Smith.
18) Slide tolerance: unloaded the SD9VE has noticable slide side-to-side wiggle. When full mag inserted that goes away completely, but the Dagger has almost no slide wiggle. Now I've put a few thousand rounds through the SD9VE so maybe the Dagger will loosen up after that as well. Right now the Dagger is tighter.
19) Overall fit and finish: The Smith's slide is more attractive to me; better cuts, rounder edges. Both the frames have visible mold lines but not sharp. I think I like the look of the SD9VE better.. the big side cuts on the Dagger grip to strip mags out are ugly and not needed IMHO. I've NEVER had the need to really muscle a stuck mag out of a pistol.
20) Weight: (unloaded, manufacturer listings) SD9VE: 22.7 oz Dagger: 22.4 oz BUT personally the Smith feels lighter in hand, and the Dagger feels more top-heavy. Subjective? maybe but to me it's noticeable. Maybe it's because the Dagger has a metal guide rod and the slide weight is packed into a slightly more compact length...
21) Overall feel; to me the Smith feels better in the hand. The Dagger's finger groove, shorter grip length, the sharp mag button, and the "Glock hump" don't feel good. Maybe time on range with it will change my opinion...
22) My overall impressions: both have pros/cons. The trigger is better in Dagger, but both are poor and could use upgrade. Smith comes with one more mag and has 16 vs 15 (Dagger) +1 standard mag capacity. Dagger sights are a tad better. Smith feels better in hand. Aftermarket parts availability? Dagger/Glock has way more. Warranty? S&W has a great factory warranty and service. PSA has limited lifetime warranty as well but not sure how they stack up.
Having not yet shot the Dagger, all I can say is that my SD9VE (even with its stock cruddy trigger) is accurate and very reliable. I have about 8 magazines for it and only one has posed a problem not locking back after last round. Feeds all ammo types incl. steel case and hollow points fine. I've got about 3,000 rounds through it with no parts breakage or noticeable wear. The Daggers have numerous complaints about the trigger pin walking out but I'll have to see if the one I just got has that issue. Hopefully PSA has fixed it by now. I'm sure both pistols are plenty accurate for defensive and range use. They aren't target pistols. I think the Dagger's biggest pros are it's price, it's compatability with Glock parts and mags, and that PSA is making a wide variety of slide configurations to include RMR cuts. If you like Glock 19s then the Dagger will probably be good for you; it does feel less blocky than a real Glock 19. If you want a pistol that looks a tad more refined and has the S&W name behind it, then the SD9VE will be a great choice. Other options in this range? Taurus G3 is getting great reviews but has a frame mounted safety (but the new G3X does not have the safety but is a 3.2" barrel). We're in a good time when there are lots of relatively inexpensive pistols that perform well.
SD9VE vs PSA Dagger tabletop comparison
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