Well, the keybed is miles ahead of the Essential. Semi-weighted, although, IMO just barely. It's a little trickier to play accurate velocities on the pp end of the scale than on a hammer action, but not unworkable. I played for a couple of hours last night, most of which was using Austrian Grand, and I had enough control to be satisfied with it. Also, no stuck notes. I did have to adjust what I played somewhat because of running out of notes, but I still have the Forte available when I need it.
The integration with Cubase is much better than the Essential too.
So, yes, I think it's a keeper. I'll play with it again tonight to be sure, and on the weekend I'll build a slide-out drawer for it under the desk.