I have toured in outback Australia 3 or 4 times and have used bar ends. I will NEVER forget a fellow who was at the campground in Booroloola, NT (google map it) who told me that when he was touring from cairns to the Northern tip of Cape York and his brifters both died - so he rode to the N tip and back south to cairns in 1 gear. YUP one gear. At a bike shop in cairns he saw my bike (which was in for a check and rear cluster "fix") and decided to get bar ends. that fellow rode counter-clockwise around the rest of Australia (and across country from Kalgoorlie NE to Alice Springs, then south to Adelaide).

I believe in the KISS principle and will continue to use my bar-ends (purchased used on eBay in 2005) as long as I can continue riding. No point in complicating a simple and reliable piece of equipment.

Yes, buy what you like, but you asked for advice and based on my extreme location touring, I have given you mine. On my last tour (Perth WA to just north of Adelaide, SA), there were places that were at least 1200 (or so) km from a bike shop with any parts at all - including 26" tubes and tyres ...