I too was at my local LGS, looking to buy a sub-compact auto in .40 S&W or .45 ACP, to compliment my cadre of J frames, when I saw the Shield in the case. Cursory inspection led me to think it was what I was looking for, until the owner said to look at the Walther PPS, and the SA XDs .45 ACP, since they all were of similar purpose, size, and design.
My initial impressions of the Shield went by the wayside when I picked up the Walther PPS...it was like night and day when it came to fit, finish, aesthetics, and features. The PPS was essentially, and for all intents and purposes, the same size and weight as the Shield. The Walther had an accessory Picatinny rail, and the Shield did not. The Walther had the Tennifer finish, while the Shield had the Melonite, which as far as I'm concerned, is not only not the same as the Tennifer, but not as durable and wear resistant as Tennifer. The Shield had what I felt was a cheesy stippling on the grip, similar to what I have found on cheaply done 1911 grips who's owners were too cheap to pay for a proper checkering job, while the Walther's molded in grip surfaces were tactfully and tastefully done...delicious tacticool, if you will.
Now for the SA XDs...what can I say, again, near in size and weight of the Walther and Shield, and a viable alternative for those who want to pocket a potent larger then a 9 mm bore semi-auto. The fit, finish, aesthetics were good, again, it too was finished in melonite, and it had the advantage of a more readily available and probably cheaper big bore round. So, what's not to like...well, I've never been a fan of firearms manufactured in countries who don't have a very long history in the manufacture of notable firearms, Croatia, or the former Yugoslav republic does not have a firearm that I can think of that is on my must collect list. Yes, they have a very modern and sophisticated CAD/CAM factory built and paid for bt Springfield, who btw, do not manufacture this pistol, but simply roll mark their name on it and market it as a Springfield. Why even the name Springfield Armory, while evoking memories of one of several gun manufacturers to build the M1911, they don't build their 1911's here, but have Embel in Brazil do it for them.
Bottom line, I chose the Walther PPS because it just looked and felt better in my hand...it was about $150.00 more then the Shield, but it was readily apparent why. The SA XDs, for all its positives just didn't do it for me, and I suspect it had everything to do with where it was manufactured.
That's my take on these sub compact pocket pistols, and I'm sticking to it.