Shannow, I agree with what you're saying. I read this pretty soon after I got up this morning and skimmed over it pretty quick before replying. I should have had some caffeine first.
Anyway, that being said, anyone else *not* a fan of this process? Walking around a dark room at night with a flashlight highlights how much dust you can kick up just walking around, I can only imagine how much dirt, dust, and tiny specs of grit are floating around while a shop vac is churning up the air a few feet away, with all that air and everything in it going directly into the sump of the engine.... no thanks, I'd rather remove the drain bolt, plug the hole with a clean thumb or finger to keep the oil in the pan, while I use the other hand to put the new washer on the drain bolt and reinstall it. I might lose an ounce or two of oil, but at least no infiltered dirt and dust filled air is blowing through the engine.
Its a clever process, but the more I think about it, the more it seems like not a very good thing to do.