Got a call from my LGS yesterday, saying they got the new Shield 2.0s in. Stopped by today, and decided to pick one up. Mine is the 9mm, no thumb safety, with the Crimson Trace laser. I do not use lasers in my training, but for $20 more over the standard version, I figured why not.

It comes in the standard black cardboard box all the old Shields came with. Inside you'll find the usual manual, lock, 7 & 8 round mag, and a little baggie with two tools (presumably to adjust the laser, and access the battery compartment.) The 8 round mag uses a sleeve to fill in the gap.

All the controls are left side only (slide stop/release, mag release, and takedown lever), with exception to the laser "button", which are conveniently located on both sides, in front of the trigger guard.

Trigger is ok..not bad, not good, but OK. You have your usual take up, a glock like break, with a weaker than expected reset. I might swap to the Apex trigger shoe since I prefer flat triggers, but I don't think the duty enhanced kit is a necessity.

The 2.0 grip texture does not seem to be as aggressive as the full size or compact models. I got to hold all three, and personally, I think the Shield 2.0 texture is more subdued. It is still abrasive on the skin, so I'll be sanding down one side a bit.

Lastly...The laser itself is red, and has two modes. (Constant & Strobe) The "button" is more like a pressure pad...a slight tap will be enough to activate it. There is no tactile click to tell if the button is pressed. The button is slightly recessed into the frame, and there is a small lip around the front to help prevent accidental activation. The entire unit sets into the molded portion of the frame. You can remove the laser, and I would assume you can swap out with a green laser, or maybe even a light? According to the manual, the red laser uses 2x #357 silver oxide batteries, while the green laser will require one CR1/3N battery.

 
 

Looks really nice! I just don’t see any reason to not be content with my gen 1 at this point.  Apexed it and put nite sights on it.  But if I didn’t already have one I would get the new one for sure.

I just looked at a Shield Prof center 45 with night sights and ported I almost got it .

looks good,   I am guessing the shield in 45 was an early release of the 2.0

mine have the same texture I like the trigger as well

Definitely makes me think the 45 shield was  pre release of the m2.0 shield. Almost identical.

I'm considering adding a 2.0 here shortly.  Currently carry a standard shield.  

I'm actually a big fan of the laser on handgun theory, when done properly.  One of the only reasons I still have an M&P 9 fullsize is because of how well it integrates with the laser.  

Practice with it, and it will show you any flaws you have with your trigger press.  Also very good for unusual positions, one handed shooting and moving targets.  That said, I am slightly slower with the laser than standard sights.

I've only put 200 rounds of 124gr Speer lawman over 2 sessions at the range, but at this point, I can say that I like the 2.0, if only for the grip texture, and slightly better trigger. I still don't like the hinged design, but it breaks much cleaner than the 1.0. I'll be adding this to my carry rotation once I get 3 or 4 boxes of Speer GDs through it for additional T&E. With that said...given the price difference between the two, I wouldn't be in a rush to sell the 1.0 for a 2.0, or necessarily upgrade from a 1.0 to a 2.0.

I really like the laser for dry fire training. Once I got the laser dialed in for 10 yards, I did a bunch of dry fire training with the laser on. Like you said...it really does expose and flaws with the grip and trigger press. I haven't done any serious training utilizing the laser, but that is in the pipeline.