Thanks to importer and distributor KRISS USA, the SPHINX SDP Compact Alpha has been available in the U.S. for about a year. I got my hands on one to do a deep dive comparison between it and a couple CZs, as the SPHINX is effectively a high-end, Swiss-made, CZ 75-based pistol. New to the U.S. market this year will be the SDP Standard Alpha and the SDP Subcompact Alpha. Interestingly enough, the trigger pull. . .
…on the SDP Subcompact was significantly nicer. While some reviewers have claimed otherwise, the SDP I borrowed plus the SDP Standard and Compact at the SHOT Show booth had triggers that I find only barely nicer than a factory CZ 75 B trigger. They’re still gritty, and they stack — suddenly increase in weight — at the end of the double action pull. Conversely, the SDP Subcompact’s trigger felt closer to a CZ Shadow variant. Significantly lighter and smoother in double action and totally consistent through the entire pull. Extremely nice.
Unfortunately, I can’t quite say if this is to be expected or if it was just this specific demo model at the booth. The folks there were not aware of any specific changes, but definitely corroborated the difference.
That is a good looking pistol….
Weird, I was thinking exactly the opposite… well, perhaps not “opposite,” but certainly more towards, “Wow, that’s almost GLOCK brand GLOCK ugly” than… um, whatever it was you said.
Very nice looking pistols, I’m assuming Swiss timepiece pricing as well?
Not entirely that bad. Speaking in rough terms, the going rate on the SPHINX Alpha series (Alphas are the ones with the polymer grip) seems to be about 2x what a “similar” CZ costs. If KRISS ends up importing the rest of the SPHINX line, like the ones with one-piece aluminum or one-piece steel frames, the cost goes up from there.
Basically 2-3 times their CZ counterparts. They are nice…but damn expensive. I think a CZ would be 95% percent as good for much less money.
Your getting “better than HK” quality at HK prices. Having handled one I think their worth the cost of admission.
Still going to cost as much as a used honda though. I’ll take the honda and get a CZ instead.
The Sphinx is one of the best handguns I have ever owned. It’s worth every penny. It may even slightly edge out my CZC Shadow’s and Les Baer (custom build).
Sphinx pistols are amazing. Excellent Swiss engineering.
Swiss precision. Engineering is entirely Czech.
No,…Swiss engineering. If you look at the gun internals, as you can see on many youtube videos, you’ll see a major difference. Just picked up a subcompact and the trigger is amazing. This gun is in a class all it’s own. At $815, it was a great deal.
I have an SDP Compact, I love it. Picked it up for $950, a fraction of the cost of some of those big bucks 1911s that everyone swears by. Slide feels like its riding on ball bearings, clean trigger in both DA and SA, and with the smaller grip it sits in my hand just right and points so naturally. In the words of Ferris Beuler, “it is quite choice. If you have the means, I highly recomend on.”
I will stick with my 25 year old EAA Witness 45.
The same gun half the price and fires actual bullets too.
No need for swiss time piece builds. And prices.
Its a gun folks.
No more to be said.
You wouldn’t understand until you took one out and shot it. Until you actually experience shooting one, you don’t have a clue.
Eh, I never saw the big deal about any Italian made pistols….safties on the slides, way too oversized and heavy for guns that shoot 9mm…the “classics” by Beretta, tanfoglio….they all build em that way…….no thanks
Will the Spinks sub compact digest steel cased ammo as well as brass, will it run with cheap ammo like military surplus etc