I handled an XD-M at the gun show today

[XD-40 Shooter]

In all honesty, my regular XD feels better in my hand. The aggressive texture actually felt abrasive to my hands. Also, the girth is slightly larger, it doesn't have that "perfect feel" that my regular XD has for me. I'm keeping my XD, plus the fact that I have 10 magazines for it. In my opinion, I'm not sure the XD-M is worth the $100 price premium, or that its signficantly better than the old XD's.

 

[CPshooter]

Yeah, I can see where you are coming from. I like some things about it, and some things totally turn me off of it. I would agree that the grip design/texture could have been better. It's kind of cheesy looking and it does feel abrasive IMO. The old 9mm/.40 grip has that perfect feel for me too. The interchangeable backstraps don't do anything for me since the original XD grip was the perfect size, but they are a good option for those with smaller or larger than average hands. Heck, even the .45 grip feels better even though it is a little bigger in circumference.

I also don't like the look of the slide. I like the squared off look of the original XDs. The new design looks too futuristic and gaudy, where as the old design looks "meaner" and it says "I mean business." The new take-down lever and slide-stop are crappy too. I like the positive feel of the older style controls.

The only reason I see myself getting an XD-M in the future is to fill the niche of being a "tactical" handgun. The 16+1 capacity in .40S&W is a pretty sweet deal. That and the 4.5" barrel would make for a little better ballistic performance. Throw on a Surefire X300 or TLR-2 and some night sights, and it would be one hell of a nightstand gun.