Smith & Wesson Equalizer Review: Which Version Should You Buy?

The Smith & Wesson Equalizer answers the one real complaint people had about the Shield EZ: capacity. It keeps the EZ line’s easy-rack slide and gentle handling, then marries them to double-stack magazines so you get up to 15 rounds instead of 8 — in a package small enough for everyday concealed carry. If you loved the idea of an easy-operating pistol but wanted more rounds on board, this is the gun Smith & Wesson built for you. This guide covers how it differs from the Shield EZ, the safety-configuration choice that’s your main decision, and which version fits how you carry. For the softer-recoiling, simpler sibling, see our Smith & Wesson Shield EZ review.

What the Smith & Wesson Equalizer Is

The Equalizer is a micro-compact 9mm built around a simple idea: take the easy-rack, low-effort operation that made the Shield EZ popular, and solve its one real weakness by giving it real capacity. It does that by borrowing the double-stack magazine well from the Shield Plus, so the same easy-handling philosophy now feeds from 10-, 13-, or 15-round magazines instead of a single-stack eight.

The result is a genuinely versatile carry gun. It’s optics-ready, it wears a Picatinny-style rail, it ships with all three magazine sizes and a Maglula UpLula loader in the box, and it keeps the easy-rack slide that makes it accessible to shooters who struggle with stiff pistols. For anyone who wanted the EZ’s operability but found 8+1 too limiting, the Equalizer is the answer.

Equalizer vs. Shield EZ: What Actually Changed

This is the comparison most people arrive here to make, so let’s be clear about it. The two guns share the same core DNA — the internal-hammer, easy-rack system — but they solve slightly different problems.

The Shield EZ is single-stack, holds 8+1, comes in .380, 9mm, and 30 Super Carry, and is the softest, simplest option — the purest expression of easy operation. The Equalizer is 9mm only, uses double-stack Shield Plus magazines for 10, 13, or 15 rounds, and is optics-ready. In plain terms: the EZ prioritizes maximum ease and the gentlest recoil; the Equalizer trades a little of that for a lot more capacity and a modern optics-ready slide.

Why the Equalizer Still Racks Easily

The Equalizer keeps the feature that defines the whole EZ family: an internal hammer-fired action rather than a striker. That’s the quiet engineering that makes the slide easy to work. A hammer-fired design lets Smith & Wesson use a lighter recoil spring without compromising the force that hits the primer, so you get reliable ignition and a slide that takes significantly less force than a typical micro-compact. Deep front and rear serrations and slide wings give you plenty to grip, and the reversible magazine release and optics-ready slide round out a genuinely modern package.

It’s worth being honest about one thing: because the Equalizer is a 9mm feeding from double-stack magazines, it isn’t quite as effortless as the .380 Shield EZ. It’s still dramatically easier than a conventional micro-compact 9mm, but if your hand limitations are severe, the .380 EZ remains the gentlest option in the family.

The Three Configurations

The Equalizer is one gun, offered in three configurations. Unlike the Shield EZ, where the decision is caliber, here the decision is safety setup and whether you want the ported Performance Center upgrade. All three use the same frame, the same easy-rack slide, the same three-magazine system, and all three keep the internal grip safety. Here’s how they differ.

Performance Center Carry Comp — The Ported Upgrade

Best for Recoil Control

Performance Center Equalizer Carry Comp

9mm · 10/13/15-rd · ported · thumb safety

• Ported barrel and slide cut muzzle flip
• Performance Center flat-face trigger
• Ambidextrous thumb safety plus grip safety

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Who it’s for: Buyers who want the best-shooting version and value reduced muzzle flip — especially helpful for the recoil-sensitive shooter this whole line serves.

The Performance Center Carry Comp is the step-up model, and its headline feature is a genuinely useful one for this audience: a ported barrel and slide (Smith & Wesson’s Power Port) that vents gas upward to cut muzzle flip without making the gun any longer. For a shooter who chose this platform because recoil and control are concerns, less muzzle rise means faster, more controllable follow-up shots. It also adds a Performance Center flat-face trigger with a cleaner break, and ships with both the grip safety and an ambidextrous manual thumb safety.

The honest framing: this is the premium option, and most buyers don’t strictly need it — the standard Equalizer is an excellent gun. But if you want the flattest-shooting, best-controlling version of the platform and don’t mind paying for it, the Carry Comp delivers. One note: a ported gun sends gas and flash upward, which is worth knowing for very close-retention shooting and for indoor low-light use.

Equalizer, No Thumb Safety — The Simplest

Simplest to Operate

Equalizer (No Thumb Safety)

9mm · 10/13/15-rd · grip safety only

• Grip safety only — nothing extra to disengage
• Fastest, most instinctive presentation
• Ships with all three magazines

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Who it’s for: Shooters who want the fastest, most instinctive operation with nothing extra to remember under stress.

The no-thumb-safety version (SKU 13592) is the standard Equalizer at its most streamlined. It keeps the grip safety — which passively disengages the moment you take a firing grip — but has no manual thumb safety to sweep off. For many defensive shooters that’s the preferred setup: fewer steps between drawing and firing, and no risk of forgetting to disengage a safety under stress. If you train regularly and want the cleanest presentation, this is the one.

Equalizer, Thumb Safety — The Added Layer

Added Manual Safety

Equalizer (Thumb Safety)

9mm · 10/13/15-rd · grip + thumb safety

• Adds an ambidextrous manual thumb safety
• Extra layer for new carriers or pocket carry
• Same easy-rack slide and capacity

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Who it’s for: Newer carriers, pocket or purse carriers, or anyone who simply wants an extra manual layer.

The thumb-safety version (SKU 13591) adds an ambidextrous manual thumb safety on top of the grip safety. Some shooters want that extra deliberate step — particularly those newer to carry, or people who carry in a pocket, bag, or off-body where an additional manual safety adds peace of mind. The trade-off is one more thing to disengage on the draw, which is why it comes down to training and preference rather than one choice being objectively better. If a manual safety helps you carry more confidently, it’s the right call.

The Three-Magazine System

One of the Equalizer’s smartest touches is that it ships with all three magazine sizes in the box — a flush-fit 10-round, an extended 13-round, and an extended 15-round — plus a Maglula UpLula speed loader that makes loading them effortless even for weak hands.

That’s not just a value bonus; it makes the gun genuinely adaptable. Carry the flush 10-rounder for deep concealment or summer clothing when printing is a concern, then swap to the 13- or 15-round magazine for range days, home defense, or winter carry when a little extra size disappears under a jacket. One gun covers several roles without buying anything extra. Because the magazines are Shield Plus-compatible, replacements and spares are easy to find.

The Grip Safety Trade-Off

Every Equalizer — including the no-thumb-safety model — has a grip safety on the backstrap that must be fully depressed for the gun to fire. As with the Shield EZ, this is worth understanding honestly, because it affects exactly the shooters this platform targets.

The grip safety must be pressed all the way in at the top of the backstrap. A shooter with reduced hand strength or a smaller hand who takes a low or incomplete grip may not fully depress it — and if it isn’t fully depressed, the gun won’t fire. It’s the safety working as designed, not a malfunction, but it means grip consistency matters.

Smith & Wesson Equalizer Specifications

The Honest Trade-Offs

Which Equalizer Should You Buy?

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

The Smith & Wesson Equalizer is the gun a lot of Shield EZ fans were quietly hoping for: the same easy-rack, low-effort operation, but with the capacity and optics-ready slide that make it a serious modern carry pistol. It doesn’t replace the Shield EZ — the EZ .380 is still the gentlest, simplest option in the family — but it fills the gap for anyone who wanted that easy handling without settling for eight rounds.

Your decision is mostly about the safety setup: the no-thumb-safety model for the simplest, fastest operation, the thumb-safety model for an added manual layer, and the Performance Center Carry Comp if you want the flattest-shooting, best-controlling version. Whichever you choose, respect the grip safety enough to train with it — that habit is what makes this accessible pistol a dependable one.

For most buyers, the standard no-thumb-safety Equalizer is where we’d start; step up to the Carry Comp if reduced muzzle flip is worth it to you.

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