It's a judgment call.
I carry a Shield EZ 9, OWB. Many people prefer the excellent Glock G-19. I gain a grip safety, an easier slide racking effort, and a quarter of an inch in thinness. I like the tigger pull.
I lose some capacity, and that may prove very important some day.
The grip safety was one main discriminator. Slide racking effort had to be within my limit.
Thirteen years and few months ago, I was talking to an old friend about a handgun for my spouse. She prefers revolvers.
"Tell her to get a Glock. It's just like a revolver, but it holds more, You just pick it up and shoot it".
He and are equal in age and experience, but at the time, I remained more old-fashioned. I could not get past the idea of not having a safety on a semi-automatic pistol.
Then one day in a training class, I drew and---nothing. I had fumbled and failed to disengage the safety. That scared the daylights out of me, even though my attacker was paper target. I divested the gun immediately.
I replaced it with a Springfield XDS 9 4.0. It has a lower capacity, but it has a grip safety.
But I found that after open heart surgery, I could barely rack the slice. A friend's Ruger American Pistol was easier, so I bought the compact model--without a manual safety. It's little heavy for a bad back, but it has more capacity. I had to live with the lack of a grip safety. BTW, it has a much better trigger than the XDS.
Then Smith and Wesson came out with the EZ 9. I bought one immediately.
I would not turn down a G-19 today,
I do not want anything too small and compact, and I do not want to carry an all-steel pistol all day. Been there, done that.
I am not pushing my choice for others.
When asked this question I always say, whatever works for you. Find that and train with it til its second nature.
