>> I actually am able to digest the content from all of the comments, simply because I'm forced to devote a few moments more to them than before, rather than jumping to the "Top Votes"

I see your point. But for me, I often don't have time to digest everything. So if I'm going to only read some of the comments, I'd rather quickly find the best ones and read those.

I guess it just depends on your approach to how you consume HN comments. That's probably why this topic is so divisive.