I guess the big difference is the motor size, they tell you the 8000 has the 3.8 motor and they won't advertise what puny motor the 8000e has. Most everything else is identical, but for the fairlead. Both have a measley 4800lb. pull on the 4th wrap. But you're right, better than having nothing on the front bumper. I wheel on a budget, so had I not come across my current winch, I'd go the $399 route eventually.
Which leads me to the story of the jeeper that had his 8K winch wired with 12ga. power wire and 2ga. ground, supposedly what somebody told him to do. I was helping him winch a long hard pull when smoke started coming out from under the hood. We quickly popped the hood to see that he had coiled all the excess 12ga. wire and tied the loop to the radiator support. All the insulation had burnt off and was still smoldering. Thank goodness we caught it when we did. Moral, take care of your fellow jeepers and make sure they're fully informed, for everybody's safety.