Wilsons guns are not ungodly expensive...sometimes you get what you pay for..../ ...so it depends on your perspective of "expensive" and where you draw the line on value.
Wilson Combat uses superior internal parts, has better fit and finish, better reliability, better accuracy, more options for customization if you want it ( flush cut barrels, recessed slide lock pins, more sight options, mag wells, etc..and better lifetime service if you need it.
Its my opinion, that Wilsons guns are worth every penny ....and I shoot my Wilsons a lot - 10 yrs on my 9mm wilson, a little over 150,000 rds thru it now...at least.
There are a lot of 1911's in the $2,800 - $5,000 price ranges today....Wilson, Ed Brown, Cabot are some of the finest guns made in my view....and my top 5 might be Nighthawk & Les Baer,....and all of their guns are a cut above most any 1911 put out by Kimber, Springfield, Sig, S&W, etc.../ and I'm not saying a 1911 like the Springfield TRP isn't a lot of gun for the money around $1,500 - I might even put my TRP 3rd in line behind my Wilsons....but I would rather have one of my Wilsons any day...and they prove it in their long term durability, smoothness and accuracy.
Many of the most popular Wilson guns are between $3,000 and $ 4,000 ...CQB and Protector models as examples... depending on the options you want...which is really not that much more than the Kimber custom shop guns ( Gold Combat Stainless II, etc at around $2,800 ....)...
If you get a chance to shoot a Wilson Combat.....maybe owned by an acquaintance at your local range...test it and see, before you make assumptions that every 1911 over $600 is just "fluff"...
( I own a few Kimbers & Springfield 1911's ...and an Ed Brown Kobra carry, a Les Baer Monolith...all decent guns....)..but my primary carry gun is my Wilson Protector 5" in 9mm ...and my old carry ( now retired, a Wilson CQB 5" in .45 acp is still a great gun ...)..none of my other 1911's has ever earned the #1 or #2 spot, to replace either Wilson ...but like I said some are close...and some are not - and are kept around only as training guns for my grandkids, or to pass down in family later...and while I'm only 68 now, not leaving this life anytime soon..that Wilson Protector & Wilson CQB are coming with me when I go !! ..just in case I ever need a gun !!...( family can argue over or my wife can sell the rest of em..)...when I'm gone...