I'm not a fan of 1911s, or pretty much any single stack auto. Seven or eight rounds in a two pound gun just doesn't do it for me.
My first handgun was a HK USP Tactical 45. It was never very reliable and had a crappy trigger. And HK customer service was a bunch of uber snobs. My friend has a USP 45 that I shoot every once in a while, and I am constantly amazed at how much muzzle flip it has. IMO, HK isn't worth the added money over something like a Glock.
I have owned a SAO SIG P220 .45. The gun was smooth and very reliable, just not enough bullets. I would love to own another SIG, but I am thinking SAO Legion P226, so I get that sweet trigger and some capacity.
I have some time on a Ruger P90 .45. Trigger wasn't fantastic, but it was built like a tank and was very accurate. Good gun for the money, but it was a decocker only model and again, it was a single stack. Also have shot a few Ruger Mk Is and MK IIs. Actually learned to shoot a handgun on one. Fantastic little plinkers. If I needed a rimfire auto, it would be a Ruger.
Also have some experience with a pair of Beretta M92FSs. The Beretta is everything a handgun shouldn't be to me, and I despise it. It is a double action auto and it makes you carry it hammer down. Two different trigger pulls on the same gun? Not acceptable. Strike one. The safety was obviously designed by someone with more experience eating leaded paint chips than using a handgun, because it is in the least convenient place and operates in the least convenient manner imaginable, and possesses not one single advantage over a properly placed frame mounted and down swept safety. Inexcusable, strike two. The pistol is too big and complicated for the amount of firepower it offers--a Glock 19 has the same capacity but is simpler, smaller, lighter, and has a better trigger. And the triggers. The triggers on both the Berettas I have fired are truly atrocious--like dragging a cinder block across gravel with your finger. Strike three, and four. Beretta is probably my least favorite handgun of all time.
There are three Desert Eagles in my family--two older Mk VIIs in .44 Mag and one newer Mk XIX in .50AE. They are obnoxiously fun--accurate, loud, powerful--but too big to be practical for anything but the square range. I could give them a pass on the single stack mag, since the cartridges it is chambered for mean the Desert Eagle can only really be compared to revolvers, but that safety is still no-go for serious use. Fun yes, but personally, I'd spend my money on a lever action carbine if I needed a the capacity and power of the Desert Eagle, because the carbine would be only marginally heavier and offers much more utility.
Also shot a few rounds out of an older S&W 9mm. It was okay. I remember the safety being a little complicated, but the pistol was the proper size and capacity and seemed to do what I think a handgun of that type should.
Fired a few different Springfield XDs. They again, are okay. I am more established on the Glock and found the XD to be pretty underwhelming, really. I remember when they said the XD was going to be a Glock killer. Ummm, no.
Also have a few rounds through a Walter P99. That was a pretty sweet little gun. It shot really well. If I wasn't so invested in the Glock, the Walter might be the striker fired handgun for me. Also handled a PPQ at a gunstore, and marveled at the trigger. Still prefer the simplicity, modularity, and aftermarket support of the Glock, but Walters are nice, for sure.
I like Glocks. I know they are ugly and utilitarian, but that is kind of why they appeal to me. They are all business, crude and unrefined, but reliable and effective. People like to diss on the Glock trigger, but I personally prefer the Glock trigger to any double action auto I've experienced. It is the same from the first round to slide lock, it has a short reset, and the mushiness smooths out considerably with use. I don't buy the current misconception, that a crappy trigger is a safe trigger. I think I am sticking to Glock for my striker fired pistol needs.
I also don't mind SIGs, although my interest is limited to their SAO models. I don't have a lot of experience with CZ, although again, I would limit my interest to models with a safety that can be carried cocked and locked, rather than the decocker models. I am interested in the Browning Hi Power, and may have to scratch that itch eventually.