It's a bit odd. The very first pistol I fired with my father was his full size Colt 1911. For the past many years the 1911 models never quite piqued my interest. Then about two years ago or so I saw some of the compact officer-sized pistols and they looked wholly new to me. I guess it's like trying oysters...the first time, meh, then your tastes change and then it becomes "Wow!". So...
Fast forward a couple weeks back and out of idle curiosity I came across Cabela's Gun Library, and saw a Kimber Ultra CDP II .45 with a few small slide-stop scratches for a bit over $800. The night sights were bright and the pistol needed a good cleaning, but was in great shape, so I, er, pulled the trigger on it and now have one. So slim, and such intuitive controls. Given my familiarity with Kahrs, I was wondering how I'd react to the manual safety, but it feels very natural using it.
MK9 Elite 98 / K40 SS / PM9 / KIMBER ULTRA CDP II
NRA EPL / Buckeye Firearms Assn.