I had a SW9VE (the 9mm version) and felt it was a good pistol.
I even won an accuracy competition with it: 10 rounds, any standing stance, no rest, no time-limit, 75 feet, trying to hit a 2" target--I put 4 rounds through the bullseye.
The trigger was heavy, yeah, but I was coming from the world of double-action revolvers and a heavy trigger is nothing new. What I
didn't like was the trigger's overtravel after the shot breaks--made the sights wiggle from exerting so much trigger-finger pressure on such a light pistol.
I liked its ergonomics: it fit my hands pretty good, there weren't any finger grooves (I don't like finger grooves), and it pointed more naturally (for me) than a Glock or my H&K P7.
I also managed to break the striker, somehow:
I emailed S&W, and they fixed it under-warranty, with no charge to me. Excellent customer service--It came back fixed, test-fired, and with an extra magazine, even. It was flawless afterwards, too.
I ended up selling mine a month ago to pare down my collection a little and to help pay for a Beretta 92FS. I kinda regret selling that thing, now, because it would've made for a good HD/SD pistol, small enough to carry concealed (IWB only, however!), and it was quite accurate.
One thing I don't miss, however, was the lack of aftermarket parts and accessories for it--no extended mag-release, no extended slide-release, etc. I ended up making my own holster out of kydex because I couldn't find anything else for it, and good luck finding a light or a laser to go on that proprietary rail system (not that I use either, but it would've been nice to know such options were available--it would've made for a slimmer pistol without the rails, which would've been nice).
It was a decent pistol, and a good first pistol that I would recommend to anyone.