To add my own experience to the discussion, I haven't had any experience of the more expensive HOTAS sticks either. But, I haven't felt the need to. The T-Flight has served me really well.
In relation to Voice Attack, I've not missed the different button command combos. VA reacts quickly enough when I've needed it to - though you do need a decent mic and set up voice recognition in Windows. I've not paid for any voice acks as I just use the one I've developed incrementally over time. Even if you do splash some cash on an expensive HOTAS, don't dismiss VA - it really adds to the game!
In relation to Voice Attack, I've not missed the different button command combos. VA reacts quickly enough when I've needed it to - though you do need a decent mic and set up voice recognition in Windows. I've not paid for any voice acks as I just use the one I've developed incrementally over time. Even if you do splash some cash on an expensive HOTAS, don't dismiss VA - it really adds to the game!