With the introduction of the new XD-S 9, and the M&P Shield which has been out for awhile now, I've started to consider cashing in the Ol' G26 in favor of one of these thinner more comfortable carry pieces. After lots of comparing, and watching/reading reviews, I'm starting to wonder if single stacks are really worth the trade off. Below are the specs of the XDS9, Shield 9, and G26.

Weight: (unloaded)

XDS 22.4 oz
Shield 19 oz
G26 20 oz

Winner the shield, but not by much, obviously the mag capacity will have an impact tho.

Barrel length:

XDS 3.3
Shield 3.1
G26 3.5

We all know barrel length is king for velocity, G26 wins.

Height:

XDS 4.4
Shield 4.6
G26 4.2

Again the G26 wins (albeit not by a lot), and grip length is one of the biggest factors of concealment.

Overall length:

XDS 6.3
Shield 6.1
G26 6.3

Tie, even tho I rounded up on a couple of the Glock numbers since they use c%nt hairs in their measurements.

Width:

XDS 1.0
Shield .95
G26 1.18

Winner the shield. This is the most significant difference between the Glock and the other two, this will ultimately make your decision for you IMO.

Capacity:

XDS 7+1
Shield 7+1 (in compared config)
G26 10+1

Winner Glock.

Some may say this comparison is apples to oranges and it may be, however it is a legitimate comparison I made, and figure others may be thinking about it as well, so I thought I'd write about it. In the end, I don't believe the tradeoff in width is worth it to me, and I'll just stick to my capacity.