Kahr P-9 vs Kel-Tec P-11

rodgerglide

Is the Kahr P-9 twice as good as the Kel-Tec P-11? They are both polymer frame compact 9mm and both are made in America,which is important to me,but the Kahr costs twice as much as the Kel-Tec.Why is this? I am concidering buying one or the other and would like some advice.

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Trader Dave

Get the Kahr. You will keep it and the value of that gun will not fall like many Kel-Tecs do.Kahr does not have a strong following, however those that like them swear by them as being very dependable and accurate.I don't here of too many Kahr's going back for repair - Kel-Tec on the other hand, different story. I am not bashing Kel-Tec, I think they make a fine weapon, but put them up against Kahr and I say Kahr all they way.

Alerion

You're kind of comparing Cadillacs and Chevrolets here. Kel-Tec makes a decent low-cost gun while the Kahr is higher quality with a price to match. I'm one of the Kahr owners (K-40 Elite 98) who swear by the gun but I'm also a Kel-Tec (P-32) owner. While it's not fair to compare the guns directly, I think it is fair to compare the quality and perceived value. The Kahr is one classy piece of workmanship. Almost everyone I've shown it to has commented on how nice it it. It also pulls a couple of engineering tricks that let you have a three finger grip (like the Glock 23 I'd intended to buy) on a gun the size of a Glock 27. I've put more than 600 rounds through my K-40 without so much as a hiccup.The Kel-Tec does the job of launching a bullet downrange but the price is reflected in the look and feel. The one real functional point is probably the trigger pull. The Kahr has one of the nicest triggers on any of my (currently 10) guns while the Kel-Tec is the roughest by far. But again, given that it's a P-32, it's not likely that I'm going to be using it for target shooting anyway. The Kahr is surprisingly accurate for a gun with a 3.5" barrel. The P-32 is part of my search for a gun I can carry on my key ring.Kahr's following will improve. The company only started up in 1995 and currently doesn't make anything but 9mm and .40 S&W DAO ultra-compacts so it hasn't gotten much attention yet. I suspect that's going to change. Tom

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Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

JudgeColt

I have given my reasons for supporting the Kel-Tec P11 and P32 over all other pistols in their categories many times on these boards. That said, there is no doubt that the Kahr is a much better quality gun in fit and finish, and the percentage of guns with problems is probably much lower. The Kahr also has one of the best trigger pulls of any pistol. However, given two properly functioning examples of each, the P11 is smaller, lighter and holds more rounds. Small and light are the key factors for me. The eleven rounds of the P11 are a big plus factor as well. If Kahr would see fit to make the Micro with an alloy or polymer frame, I might be tempted to switch to one, but the polymer frame Kahr is substantially bigger than the P11 and holds fewer rounds. It is interesting to note that both Kel-Tec and Kahr were introduced in 1995 (as I recall). I disagree with the poster who said the Kahr had not gotten much attention. It was all over the gun press upon introduction. On the other hand, the Kel-Tec was not given as much attention, which I believe was due to its inexpensive price being initially equated with a poor product by the gun press. I would guess that the producton numbers favor the Kel-Tec P11 by several times over the Kahrs, with price certainly being a factor in that regard.I have said that the Kel-Tecs are inexpensive, not cheap. They are not all perfect and may not give pride of ownership like more expensive pistols, but they serve my needs better than any other pistols available, and I carry them with complete confidence. Only you can decide how the differences between the two affect your choice. My choices were the P11 and P32 and had nothing to do with price.