I am a rather average hobbyist, not the type of top notch scaper who creates a new tank regularly.
I have no place to give my fish and shrimp a home, for weeks, safe from an ammonia peak.
If I would rescape my current tank, I would prefer to make that a 1-2 day exercise using my plants, mature filter, hardscape and perhaps some old soil mixed into the new soil to avoid a too lengthy and too dramatic restart and provide a safe home for fish and shrimp. I would still do daily big water change for the first 2 weeks.
I love aquasoils with their mechnical properties (grains), color and especially high CEC that works so well to complement water column dosing.
(Of course there is a solution for me, I just need to pre-soak the new aqua soil for a few weeks, before tank rescape)
From this forum, I get the feeling I am not alone. And then we have some (perhaps many) beginning enthusiasts, who get a serious set back in their new hobby during the first weeks, as they do not yet realise what is the proper start up process with aquasoils. I hate to admit, but when I set up my first high tech tank several fish did not survive my ignorance.
Would it really be that expensive for the manufacturers to pre-soak a production batch for a few weeks in water, and serve a significant number of hobbyists? Their products are great, but should they come with an unnecessary challenge to the user?