I can tell you that not everything I do is "cost-effective". I just liked the ability to see what was inside the filter after going a bunch of miles and I wasn't really into cutting a conventional filter open figuring that I'd probably slice a couple of fingers off in the process.
I was also attracted to the amount of filtering area which means very low backpressure and faster oil circulation to the bearings though that's a bit esoteric since SynLube's solid lubricants do more of the work than the liquid does after about 100 miles.
It's also a beautiful filter.