The EC9s......hmmmmm. I'll start by saying I paid $200.00 for this gun in 2018. This was before the high capacity micro 9s started to come out. I thought it would be much smaller than the PT111 I was carrying at the time, and would be easier to conceal. Come to find out the second I got it, they were similar in size in the dimensions I was most concerned about, so huge disappointment there. Also, why go from 12+1 to 7+1? OK, so that's the 1st regret, on to #2. It's extremely uncomfortable to hold, let alone shoot. The thin part of the grip that goes into the thumb pad is harsh compared to almost any other 9mm I have held. I put a Hogue on it, but now it's just a bit thicker and less slippery, still not anything anyone would want to shoot for more that 25 rounds. #3, the trigger is absolutely horrible, and remember, this is coming from someone carrying a PT111 at the time. It's stiff, has an uncomfortable face and the reset is about 3 miles long......ridiculous in every way. #4 is a personal finding that some may relate to. It was extremely rare that I got through an entire magazine (only 7 rounds) without a failure to fully eject. I got to the point where I anticipated this mishap so well, I looked like a firearms instructor giving lessons on how to get back in the fight. Ruger looked at the gun 3 times, returning it to me each time with no issues found. Hmmmmm. I had many people shoot it to see if it was me. The problem existed with everyone, except the sharpshooters at Ruger of course. #5 and maybe the most frustrating (yes, even beyond the constant disruption in cycling) is the slide "lock". It is truly a slide "LOCK" as that's all it does. For some ridiculous reason, it is made to only lock the slide back, NOT to RELEASE the slide! Wow, that's different......and absurd. I'm sure there may be other guns out there with this "feature", I'll be sure and stay away from them as well. Now we come to #6, disassembly. Can we make this MORE difficult and time consuming? It has a mag lock.....really???? Why??? 99% of all handguns don't. So if you want to clean this one, make sure you have a magazine or the dummy mag they give you when you do it. I love having extra non necessary parts to store, don't you? Also, the mag lock is for "safety" I'm told. Having to have a mag in the well to clean it means an opportunity to not see a round in the mag as you do that. Safety? No, just inconvenience and more unnecessary work. Now the kicker. Glock figured this out many years ago, and most other companies have similarly adopted the slide removal process. If you own one of these door stops, you know there is a tiny pin that will eventually roll off the table into the infinity abyss never to be seen again that holds the slide in place. Not only that, you need a "tool" of some kind (which Ruger doesn't provide, I use a straightened out paperclip) to push the pin out.
I'm trying to figure out why this type of gun was made, what purpose did it serve that wasn't being addressed on the market. Maybe there was a woefully low supply of low capacity, uncomfortable to shoot, lack of common and expected features, and ridiculously complicated system of disassembly pistols on the market at that time, and Ruger saw the opportunity. If that's the case, bravo Ruger, you nailed it. (Aside from the price difference, I have a buddy with the LC9 who has identical beefs. He's more aggravated because he paid over $100 more for his).
I have shot other Rugers, and found them all to be just fine. The Mini 14, an AR15, 10/22 the 5.7, and a couple other 9mm pistols, and they all seemed to be excellent firearms. I don't know what features they had or didn't have, but they at least felt and fired just fine. I might buy another Ruger in the future, but it would only be a rifle.
The failure to eject was a specific issue I experienced with my "particular" pistol, but all the other issues I stated are ubiquitous with this thing regardless of what your serial number is. Currently, I wear it OWB in my yard and have 9mm shotshell in it for snakes and varmints. After about 3 months of wearing it, the entire right side of the slide has rusted as well as internal areas of the slide. Not worth doing anything about it, just a visual reminder of what a worthless dinosaur it is.