I'm going to surprise some of you and actually say something nice about H-D, in regard to the high priced oil filter situation anyway. As Twolane pointed out, the K&P cannister is removed from the engine the same way as a standard filter, with the same resulting mess. At least the H-D Dimension 5 system has an endcap that you remove, making it much easier to drain the oil without the mess. Perhaps if they were to combine the two ideas, the K&P permanent filter with the H-D cannister, they would have something I would consider purchasing. As it is right now, however, I can buy at least 13 chrome K&N's for the price of the cheapest of these alternatives.
BTW - don't necessarily believe everything you read from a vendor. The statement on the K&P site about micron ratings and how filters are rated is a little misleading. If the stainless steel media in their filter has consistent 35 micron openings as opposed to the variable sized openings in the 5 or 10 micron paper filters, then while some larger particles may not be picked up on every pass with the paper elements, particles under 35 microns will rarely be picked up in the K&P. There is no free lunch, the reduced resistance to oil flow that K&P touts comes at a price.
What I'd like to see is an independent test comparing the various spin-on filters and the K&P permanent filter. Run the same volume of contaminated oil through all the filters and measure the amount and size of the particles that pass through. Then repeat the test and run the oil through multiple passes, to see the effect of the variation in pore size of the filter media. I have a sneaking suspicion that the paper filters would come out on top.
Jerry