Those who have never tasted a beer done with LODO have no opinion worth considering when it comes to the value of LODO.
It's a thing. The theory is oxidation of the malt flavors diminishes those flavors. Where YOU would find the result worth the effort is a different issue.
The whole LODO thing is difficult to bring off as if you ignore any of the stages where oxygen can enter the process on the hot side, you've lost what you're going for.
I've been doing this for about, oh, nearly 18 months; it's a process to learn it, a significant process. I've focused on things like crushing the grain immediately before dough-in, preboiling the strike water to drive off oxygen from it then cooling to strike temp, using brewtan-b, using Campden tablets as an O2 scavenger, getting copper out of the brewing process entirely to avoid Fenton reactions, purging lines, using a mash cap and, where possible, a lauter cap. All this is designed to avoid oxidation of malt flavors.
Personally, I think anything you can do to eliminate oxygen from the brewing equation, with the exception of oxygenating the wort after the boil and at pitch, is a good thing. While I'd never argue anyone should intentionally oxidize their wort before the boil, I doubt it matters much at all if one's sweet wort splashes into the boil kettle. The damage has been done at that point.
**********
Before I started doing LODO, I wanted to find a few beers done that way so I could find out of it was worth the effort, which is considerable. Alas, none to be found. So I took it upon myself to adopt LODO techniques to see for myself, knowing it was going to take some time, and money, to do it. Big learning curve, at least for me.
One early indication I was on the right track was the change in flavor of the sweet wort. Done with LODO techniques, it's sweeter-tasting and more flavorful.
One thing this does is make malt flavors pop. So much so, in fact, that I've had to adjust my recipes to account for this. I make a dark lager with chocolate malt and chocolate wheat, and those flavors were too much. I had to scale back. I brew a Rye ale that has 3# of rye malt and 4 oz of flaked rye. The rye flavors were already dominant in this beer, but done under LODO conditions, wow. Almost too much. I haven't decided yet whether to adjust that recipe for this or not.
I have produced some astounding beers doing this process, but the effect is mostly apparent in the lighter beers. I've brewed a Czech pilsner with LODO that is just unbelievable in the flavors that are released. Here's the funny thing: I don't care for it all that much. But I've had others, including one buddy who has an incredible palate, just rave about it.
I'm trying to figure out a trip to Germany to taste what is sometimes called the "It" factor in German beers. I want to see what they produce, and compare it to what I can do.
********
LODO is supposed to help with long-term packaging. My LODO beers are still excellent after a few months in the keg, though they do tend to fade a bit. I'm not using pure CO2 to carbonate with, and there is O2 in that CO2, so there's some oxidation going on post-boil.
*******
Is it worth it? I'm still going through the process of determining that. It's a thing, but the question is whether the beer is better enough to justify the futzing around that attends LODO brewing. Only people who have tasted the result can have an informed opinion on it. But I do miss the days of the simplicity of BIAB, I really do.
I'm close to doing a brew my old BIAB way to see how big a difference this produces. I'll do BIAB and my Bigmouth Bubbler fermenter, in a ferm chamber, as opposed to my RIMS system and Spike CF10 unitank fermenter.
And I'll see.
*******
To OP: I wouldn't be particularly worried about how your wort makes it into the boil kettle. Oh, I'd avoid splashing it as a general rule, but it's not going to matter all that much, certainly not enough to worry about.
