Most 1911 sucks, out of the box - many become great/phenomenal after the initial break-in/settling-in period (or assisted break-in, i.e. lapping) and minor tuning/polishing
That being said - if STI Spartan interests you, go with SAM, they are both made in the same factory using similar parts BUT the SAMs are approx. $200 cheaper.
If you anticipate heavy use on this, minimum I would recommend is the STI Trojan that comes with a bunch of upgrades (ramped and supported bbl, undercut trigger, better sights, STIpling on front strap etc) for an extra $400 (approx.) over the Spartan. Additionally, it is actually made by STI in Texas rather than Philippines and difference in quality shows.
There are also mid tier options that add value (such a tri-top slides, forged frames etc - and cost understandably increases as a result) as you move up like the STI USPSA, Wilson Combat, Night Hawk 9s. if on the other hand budget isn't a concern you could have one built by SVI, built completely to your specs where you choose every last detail on the pistol (check the gunbuilder on their site).
PS: You could of course go with nicer sounding brands like Sig or Kimber that are in the same cost bracket as the Trojan, but based on my personal experience with 1911s - the STIs hold up much better to actual sustained round count (think 20-30k rounds per year).