The half smooth half checkered grips seem like a good idea, but then I noticed they were really checkered in the right areas to take full advantage of the checkering for my grip. The half and halfs usually have the checkering at a diagonal with the largest amount at the bottom. I would do better with it if it were all on the forward half of the slab, vertical, not diagonal.
I have switched over to smooth grips for concealed carry and have been very happy. The slab sides really do not offer a tremendous amount of hold advantage for my grip. Most of my gripping occurs on the front and rear straps. The lack of checkering on the slabs means my clothes don't snag, no grip rash on my love handle, and I can slide my hand into position very easily when drawing.