its pretty much the same internals as the esprit 3, but as you asked for 'real world' pros and cons, the only thing i've found is the lack of the two rotary nobs on the top for steering and brakes which are on the esprit. (if thats what you were to assign them to). the only on the fly buttons are micro switches on the handle, or you have to go in to the actual menu. ok in practice but if you wanted to make a change in the race not as easy.
the spectrum or ko 2.4 module fits straight in so no issues there if you wanted to go down that route at a later date.
that deal looks fine, but i'd be wary of the customs issue.
the end of the day its all down to prefence of control, do you prefer steerwheel or is it that you havent tried sticks? i've always used a wheel because it feels right for me. the helios is well balanced in the hand and the battery life is fine too.
hope this helps more than the rain mac one....
...if you only race indoors that aint an issue...