Xon's ES search essentials - worth the money?

[Tracy]

Title says it all... if you are using XF and ElasticSearch, is Xon's Search Essentials worth the $30 on the front end and $20 renewals...
If you use it, what exactly does it bring to the table beyond what the default XF ES add-on does?
I honestly see very little that it brings to the table, other than search bar auto-complete... I don't use tags.. to me, they are as useless as teats on a boar hog.
I realize that Xon makes some fantastic add-ons... but I (personally) don't see anything fantastic that this brings to the table.

 

[Cedric]

I’ve seen this addon, but haven’t really see it in work and doubt it will be a big improvement. Nonetheless, if anyone says differently, feel free to change my mind. 😎

 

[Tracy]

I’ve seen this addon, but haven’t really see it in work and doubt it will be a big improvement. Nonetheless, if anyone says differently, feel free to change my mind. 😎

I have honestly not seen anything that "pushes" it as an upgrade. My site currently has no issues with local 2 and 3 letter searches using ES and the XF add-on... which was a very important aspect for me. The default mySQL search sucks salty balls when it comes to 2 and 3 letter searches, even if you change the setting in mySQL.
It was worth the $55 for the XF add-on for me... but I honestly do not see any great extension this add-on adds for the price. I'm not really concerned with "auto-fill" on search or tags (which are not enabled on my site)... I figure most of my users will know the terms they search for. The biggest issue was many of those terms are 2-3 letters in length for certain items (M1, M81, M51).
I don't mind spending the money (hell, it's a hobby and all hobbies cost money) if it furthers functionality.. but I have yet to see what "great" extension this add-on makes.