layvuz4,
Welcome to the forum!
The fact that I have a certain reputation as being somewhat mildly in support of Les Baer pistols notwithstanding :shades: I think you present a tough decision. I say this, since in your list of criteria, you mention a certain preference for aesthetics. Model to model, the finish work on Browns is somewhat more extensive and some think that the STI-style stippling is more attractive than checkering.
The Special Forces, in its basic iteration is a blued finish. While arguably the prettiest, it is the least hard wearing of all finishes and will show signs of wear in short order. It has very minimal rust preventing ability and requires more maintenence. In contrast, the SRP comes standard with Bear Coat, a hard wearing, Teflon-S derivative, which not only adds tremendous protection, but cuts way down on friction and collection of dirt. It is also noticably smoother from the holster.
The SRP also comes standard with an ambi-safety and front cocking serrations. These may, or may not be important to you. The SRP comes with three magazines, as to where the SF comes with one and the others are rather overpriced IMO.
If I were to order the SF, I would have them omit the cheesey "Special Forces" stamping.
While I like Ed Brown pistols a great deal, I bought the SRP. Admittedly, much of this had to do with past experience with Baer products and what I consider to be a satisfying relationship with Les Baer Custom. Another reason was that my dealer of preference is Pro Load Distributors, for reasons of both price and unmatched service and they don't Ed Brown.
The SRP is somewhat more expensive than the SF, with a $2339 MSRP. Upon comparison, it becomes clear that the differences stated above account for the $340 up-charge.
And, that's just about how close they are. Both are extraordinarily well built pistols, made with the best available components. I strongly suggest handling at least one example of each before throwing down, particularly to see whether, or not the stippled surfaces feel as secure for you as checkering.
Tough one. Hope this helps.