I say it every time a thread like this comes up. A CCW needs to be a pistol that you shoot well, quickly. That's it.
Obviously it needs to shoot for you to shoot it well. The poster upthread can shoot his Mk23 well so it's good for him. It might not be for others. Many folks can get a G19 deployed and rounds on target in a hurry. I can't, so a G19 would be a bad carry gun for me. It's not a bad gun, just not a good choice for me.
As far as reliability and brands go, you still have to test the particular pistol in question, not just go by brand. I had an FN fail on me out of the box this year. FN certainly knows how to make reliable firearms, and have a storied history in doing so, but had I not tested this pistol I'd have had a bad day.
So don't get hung up on brands, prices, and reputation. Find a design that works well for your style of shooting, and lifestyle. (not all folks can carry big guns, or pocket guns or whatever). Then buy a gun and shoot it several thousand times. Then you'll know you have a CCW that YOU personally can put rounds on target, quickly with.
Addendum 1: While every individual gun is different some makers certainly have better odds of putting out reliable firearms. That can factor into your decision.
Addendum 2: As was mentioned upthread, don't confuse reliability with durability. At least some of what you are paying for with a brand like Sig or HK is a service life in the hundreds of thousands of rounds. A HiPoint might be a perfectly reliable gun for 5,000 rounds. If you are only going to shoot it 100 times a year, it'll last a while.
Addendum 3: Because I hate it when folks don't actually answer the question asked, I expect any gun I will carry to average at least 5000 MRBF. It has been my experience that any modern pistol in good repair will do that easily. I have 1911's (expensive and not) Sig's, Springfields, Smiths, Walthers, FN's new and old, and some others that all hit that mark with ease. Good mags, good ammo, and very minimum maintenance and pistols tend to work pretty well. They are pretty simple machines.