I don't really want to start a contest about the best shifters in the world, I just want to understand the general ranking among these systems... I'll put them in the order I think it is from worst to best quality/rank and you guys can tell me if I'm right and where I'll start to notice a difference and where I won't be able to tell a difference as a beginner road cyclist but avid rider who is used to a Kmart special with grip shifts....

I think but am not sure I'm right:

Sora
Tiagra
105

But where does SRAM apex compare in this?

Apex is SRAM's lowest level group, however most people agree that it is close to or good as 105.

Your Shimano rankings are right. It continues 105 -> ultegra -> Dura Ace.

Most cyclists can't notice a real difference between 105 and up in terms of handling. There's a weight difference, but the shifting is very, very similar and crisp.

Sora is definitely slower the shift than 105+. Plus, it's important to realize that Sora is NOT compatible with 105+ (can't use the same chains/cassettes and swap around), and that Sora also has a 'thumb-shifter' for the RD downshift, which means you can't shift from the drops for most. I will say without hesitation that 105 is a better groupset than Sora, in pretty much all aspects.

However, this does NOT mean that Sora = crap. Sora performs excellently, and in fact, near flawlessly when well adjusted. It also doesn't wear out prematurely, and a good thing is that the parts like chains and cassettes cost half what the 105+ line costs. I'm not a beginner cyclist, and I still ride Sora on my main bike. (My race bike is Dura-Ace, and yes, it's better crisper shifting.) I would venture to say that Sora is more than enough quality for nearly all beginners.

The main situations where I'd say avoid Sora:
1 - You already know you'll hate that thumbshifter downshift. Happens a lot from folks who are already used to 105+. I don't have any issues with the thumbshifter myself, but a lot of folks really don't like it.
2 - You know you'll get upgraditis because all you've been researching is 105 and up. If you feel like Sora is a step down from what you want, don't bother and just get the pricier stuff - you'll invariably find some mental excuse to justify the upgrade even if there's no practical reason to do it. Upgraditis is prevalent in cycling, so buying what you really want up front is the cheapest option.
3 - You'll be racing crits. As trouble free as my Sora is, I would definitely go 105 and up for criterium racing, where fast, hard shifting repeatedly is the norm. The Sora shifter will probably be finicky enough on those shifts that you'll get annoyed during a crit where seconds are crucial for not missing a breakaway.

Last thing - unfortunately, Shimano sells Sora as an on-bike groupset - it's actually hard to buy a replacement Sora groupset unless you go to special dealers online. Shimano wants you to be in the forced upgrade path of 105 up, where they can make good profits. So even if you plan on riding your bike until the group wears out (which I'm currently doing), it's likely that a 105+ upgrade will be in your future.

Read some of the posts here from bike mechanics and LBS owners about the problems with Apex. Evenb though they are the same design as the higher Sram models, they have a lot (a whole lot) of problems. One LBS owner mentioned something like the majority of his warranty issues were with Sram and Apex was the majority of that.

^^^

ive heard that about older version of Apex, but not the current ones.

i thought the issues were corrected, but i could be wrong.

disconcerting because i plan on buyin a full apex gruppo in the near future

So you guys mentioned 105 and up and compared it to sora but what about tiagra? Should I not bother and just go with 105? I just don't want to buy more than I will notice especially if I can upgrade later. Is tiagra stuff compatible with the higher end lines if I want to upgrade some later?

The newest version of Tiagra (4600 series?) is finally 10 speed, so it is now compatible with 10 speed 105, Ultegra and Dura-Ace.

Some people say there is not much difference in use, others say there is. If you can find a good shop with the same bike but one is Tiagra and the other is 105, you can see for yourself. Good luck!

Edited to add: It is almost always cheaper to buy the complete 105 bike now than to upgrade later unless you buy and sell parts piecemeal looking for deals.

So I was looming at the felt z95 and it uses micro.shift shifters with tiagra components. I haven't heard of microshift yet, is it any count? Is that a good combo or if I go tiagra should I consider something that has the full shimano system?