I have four 1911 pistols, and three of them are S&W: a 5" stainless, a 4.25" Compact ES, and a 3" Pro. I also have a Colt Government Model XSE in blue, 5". I have also owned 1911s made by Kimber, SIG, Taurus, Magnum Research, and Springfield, and I think S&Ws are the best (other than custom.)
Some people knock the S&W models, because of the external extractor and it not being a "pure" design...but that doesn't matter to me. When you stop and think about it, how many pistols have an internal extractor, other than 1911s?