Do we really even need "fuel socks"?

[jumpsoffrock]

After reading the current thread by IT Cowboy but don't wanna hijack his thread, I have wondered what other folks think about this.
I've watched countless youtube "will it run" videos that have struggled with fuel sock blockages and asked myself.

Do we even need them?
Wouldn't running a $3 inline filter before the pump solve the whole problem?

All of my old vehicles have two filters, one before and after the pump.
I am almost tempted to tear socks off the brand new fuel pickup right out of the box and simply run two filters.


What are your thoughts?