My thoughts:
Paper filters are effective, user friendly because you just toss the old one and throw in a new one, and very friendly to the pocketbook at the cost of being slightly more restrictive. Restriction can be beneficial in a dry filter media because the slower the air flows through the filter, the less particulate can be carried into the engine. The airflow potential of cotton gauze filters have proven time and again that power can be increased by using one in place if a paper filter, even if only slightly. One drawback of a cotton filter is that if the MAF is in close proximity of the oiled filter, there is a potential to gum up the sensor. Also, the cost of a cotton filter is a drawback. If cleaned and oiled properly and allowed to shed excess oil for several hours before reinstalling, they can be a good for a few relatively inexpensive horsepower. The way our stock air filter housing is shaped in relation to the MAF makes it relatively safe to run an oiled filter as long as the person cleaning and re-oiling the filter takes some common sense measures before reinstalling it. Do I have one? Yup. Did I notice a difference? Not really. But cotton filters come with stickers I can put on my truck! And I never have to replace it...so is one really better than the other? Nope...it's all in what you're looking for.
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