When reading the last from @
GAP I found myself thinking along the same lines. When I got my first 26 (about the time they came out) I was doing a lot of gym rat time. Deadlifts, pull-ups, etc helped develop a great deal of grip strength. After getting a red 26 (with a flat bottom profile), it went to the mat room and was "rolled around" with. This was before AIWB and was done with Kramer leather products. They survived! The stubby slide did hamper gun grabbers when the gun was out of the holster. The stubby grip made it harder for grabbers trying to snatch it from the holster. The strong 2 finger grip did not hamper weapon retention abilities in or out of the holster. I think its size made it easier to cover while in the holster.
In the spirit of "chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry" everyone has what works for them. I shoot from a more or less traditional position. Being a bigger mammal, I have some weight behind the gun. G26 recoil seems to come straight back into my hands with less muzzle rise than one would expect from the little gun. This is even so with a one handed grip from awkward positions. The 43x does not feel the same. The 43x is workable but the fatter 26 grip feels better and (for me) is easier for sight tracking.
I also like how the 26 is "scalable" for task/conditions/location based on magazines. Fair warning to those who are tuned off by this: I'm going to apply some cop context here but it is likely applicable to non-cops too :-)
I frequently carry the 26 off-duty. Usually with a G19 reload and now with a 10 round OEM mag in the gun. This provides a great deal of capability. The small, reliable, easy to carry/deploy package makes for a great "save me" gun. (Think robbery, etc.) The longer reload gives a little more time in the game with one manipulation of the gun versus another 10 round for a reload in the less likely event of an extended "save me" scenario. (Think multiple robbers or a targeted attack.) The gun can also be scaled up with bigger/more mags if going someplace in which there may be legal, moral, or ethical imperative to have a "save others" gun . (Think employment or school shooting rather than a coordinated terrorist action.)
The gun can also be scaled down to comply with mag restriction laws. From where I live, any travel in a northeasterly direction requires flat bottom mags in the gun and on the belt. I even keep 3 OEM 10 rounders in my vehicle. Sometimes I have to make an unplanned journey to those places.
All things considered, the little beast is pretty versatile! As others have mentioned, If limited to only one pistol, given my needs for the foreseeable future, the 26 would very likely be the one.