The only thing I could think right now, is that individuals with small hands would have a little more difficult time with the larger grips. SV, STI and Caspian tend to be priced higher than the $1,200.00 you originally mentioned. Para's tend to be priced between $700.00 and $900.00 here in Los Angeles.
BTW, I own several of all the brands that I mentioned with my preference being SV but thats in a different price range their single stack sells for a little over $1,700.00 for the plain version.