I don't find the sticking to be too much of a problem at all. I have the same tower and if you let it sit a couple days or a week (which is rare, but it will occasionally happen) you'll feel it will somewhat stick, but not to the point where I fear it may break ... knock on wood. It probably is worth the extra money for the better taps such as perlick, but I'm a cheap bastard and until I actually have money, these work just fine by my standards.
Regarding shipping, I've never dealt with them so no idea. Someone in the group (possibly Jmac or Brian??) posted the link a couple months ago and I thought prices were very good, even better than what I've seen in the states ... but the main concern is shipping; maybe they gauge you on S&H.