RIA makes a 911 style pistol in 10 mm called the tac ultra. Nice weapon got it a few years back & yes all 10'1 got a kick but the RIA is no beast by any means. I am sure the Kimber is nice yet you can buy two RIA's for the price of one Kimber. Is the Kimber better? Yes I would say. At twice the price? Nay!
Yes, the Kimber is a much nicer gun, and we'll worth the price.
I bought a RIA government (Rock series) in .45 acp.
They are good reliable 1911s, and are great staring points for custom builds.
I replaced the internals with Wilson Combat Bulletproof parts, polished everything inside, and tuned the trigger. Gave it to my son.
It's a fantastic gun, but still nowhere near the level of fit and finish of my Kimber, even after the work.
The Kimber will hold the majority of it's value on the secondary market, the RIA, not so much.
The additional premium for the Kimber lies in it's fit and finish, attention to detail and "Made in the USA" lineage.
It also costs more to build guns in the US than the Philippines.
Kimbers really aren't that expensive compared to other well built US made 1911s.