Sorry guys but I have to throw my hat in the ring with Para Ordinance P-12... since it's already saved my life once, I'm kinda partial to it. I've also got a Para G.I. Expert that cooks off anything I feed it.
I like .45's, so I've got RIA A-1's and A-2's, Springfield stainless, and am waiting on an SR-1911 Ruger as well. Maybe my "brand" would be "whatever I happen to have in my hand at the time..." I like both the feel and shooting characteristics of all those guns, and they don't seem to change regardless of whether I'm shooting single stack or double stack designs... I just get more shots with some.
I know that's not really "an answer", but I'd grab any one of them for self defense and cause a real problem for whoever is on the other end... they all work flawlessly.
WT