Reply to Maschine mk2 - Full vs Mikro

I've taken many stabs at production over the 15 years I've been around electronic music. But for some reason I've never found a flow that I've been happy with and was willing to stick with. There's been lots of hardware attempts (MC-303, Korg ESX-1, MPC 1000) and software attempts (Rebirth/Reason, Ableton, etc). There's always been things that I've loved about one or another, but always things that I didn't like. I'm very casual when it comes to music production, not trying to become the next big thing, but I just want to have lots of fun trying to make my own sound.

I loved working with the ESX and MPC... but I hated loading custom samples/sounds/etc on to these devices. Reason and Ableton I just never really got in to the flow of creation, maybe I was just overwhelmed by so many options (instruments, etc). I'm really enjoying the simplicity of Propellerheads Figure (on my iPhone)... but it's only good for creating little loops/jams on the fly. I want to go a bit bigger... and I believe Maschine will be the best option for me.

I don't want to spend too much... but at $350 and $600 (Canadian prices at my local stores) it really isn't too much of a stretch between the two options. But if I can get the Mikro version, and don't feel like I'd be missing out on too much, I'd rather save the money for something else.

If anyone can answer the following, that would really help me with my decision. Remember that I'm just someone doing this casually and won't be doing "live" performances.

1) Is the lack of knobs for efx a big deal? I also understand the knob on the Mikro "clicks" and that may cause noticeable "bumps" when making automated efx adjustments. I do notice similar issue with the "hp/lp filter" on my Traktor Kontrol S2.

2) Is the workflow any more complicated without the extra transport buttons? For example, is it a pain changing between groups (on the fly) with the Mikro?

Anything else I should consider before making the decision between the two options?