... Plus the plastic ends block so filter media flow in my opinion.
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This is a great example of assumptions made manifesting into opinions which likely have no real basis for complaint. I'll explain ...
Your complaint is that the large overlap of the top and bottom caps on the sides of the media "block media flow", in your opinion.
Question: How do you know that the engineers who designed this filter didn't take that overlap into account when they calculated the surface area available for flow?
My point being that the engineer(s) who spec'd this out probably took into account the overlap and found the resultant surface area sufficient for the required flow. Why do you assume that the media covered by the end caps is compromising the flow required for the application; it's likely that area wasn't intended to be included in the flow.
I see these kinds of assumptions all the time. People want to find errors to complain about, and yet don't consider the possibility that the characteristic they worry about was already accounted for in the design criteria.
I've seen the same type of assumption about filtration life, especially when it comes to air filters. People assume that filters are calculated at 100% of the total capability of flow when new, and so as they age (load with particulate) they will always be at some value less than acceptable for the design requirements of the application. But that's just ignorant of how products are designed, typically.
Example: If an air filter is intended for an application which consumes a maximum of 600 CFM, then the air filter isn't designed for 600 CFM when new. Rather, it's probably capable of 800 CFM when new, and then the flow degrades as it loads. Maybe the intended lifecycle is 30k miles, and the filter would reasonably be expected to drop 150 CFM over that lifecycle. So at the END of it's intended cycle, it would still flow 650 CFM for an application that only requires 600 CFM max.
DON'T AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME that the condition you view is the best-case and it only gets worse from there. It's is quite likely that the engineer(s) took into account the various criteria and adjusted the product for lifecycle degradation and/or attribute restrictions.