First off thanks for all the replies.
To the poster that said I was uncomfortable well duh Although if you think you were being funny you weren't

After some more research (IE searching on the net) and briefly considering the Vita I've decided to go the route of upgrading to the XL. The larger screen is what sold me on it and being more comfortable in my hands I hope to be doing alot of gaming in the next few months.

Hope you enjoy it, the XL is great.

Agreed, XL is so much better than the original one in comfort and "usability during long gaming sessions".

I think there is still a place for the original 3DS, it's compact for on the go, has a slick design and offers a bit sharper graphics due to not being stretched.

However, the 3DSXL is in almost all regards better in my opinion. It has better battery life, better buttons, higher contrast LCD screen, less reflection, stylus slot is better placed and the more screen real estate makes 3D a much better experience. Due to the screen having the same resolution the image is stretched, but Nintendo did a fine job on this with the image remaining quite sharp.

hm weird...i think the XL is way more uncomfortable due to it's bigger size and bigger weight. i have normal to big hands btw

I agree the original is a bit uncomfortable. But for me it's only during Mario Kart, and similar games, due to holding down the accelerator button 24/7. That cramps me up after a while, and it's tough to put MK7 down so... I endure the pain.

I'd love an XL, but it's just a bit too big for me to happily carry it around. And I love me some on the go gaming!

Yeah I'm not a fan of the XL either. The 3DS fits my hands comfortably, and I prefer the compact screen resolution.

I'm perfectly fine with my original 3ds. Also, it's the Zelda themed one, so I'm definitely not selling it to get a XL!

I think the original 3DS is kind of uncomfortable, but it depends on what game you're playing. one time I was playing Kid Icarus Uprising and it was really hurting my hands... -_- I still have yet to get a 3DS XL, I really want one and it's gonna be worth every penny imo

The strongest argument to get a 3DSXL is to try one out, sells itself Well it did with me anyway.

yeah, I tried one out at Target, it feels pretty nice and I like how the 3D slider clicks when you don't want the 3D to be on. the ABXY buttons feel like the DSi XL's buttons too, and the L and R buttons feel like the Gamecube's L and R buttons

I don't have very big hands and I found myself cramping up from playing the original. I also have 20/20 vision and I found it hard to focus on that small screen for more than an hour... became a chore to play tbh.

The original is without a doubt a cute little device; very compact and portable. Personally I can sacrifice the bit of portability for the larger screens and higher level of comfort. I found that my XL is perfect! May be a bit on the heavy side, but it's not a deal breaker.

Not to mention the XL just looks better aesthetically; although a good skin can hide the ugly of the original ... First thing I did with my original haha
Front of 3DS Original
Back of 3DS Original