Posttal - most of your advice mimicked mine, except for your advice to never use a cap wrench to tighten the filter.
Filter manufacturers always specify tightening specs, and for good reason. The specs are either specified in torque or number of turns after gasket contact. It makes no difference whether you tighten to these specs by hand or by using a filter cap wrench. The result is the same. If you read the information on filter boxes, some manufacturers even recommend using a filter wrench to tighten the filter.
Tightening specs can also vary from 2/3 of a turn to 2 full turns. Generally, the filter will turn relatively easily until the spec is achieved. If a "never" is to be used then it should be said to "never" fail to tighten to the manufacturer's specs.
The proper advice to give is to follow the tightening specs of the filter manufacturer. People often tend to think that it is OK to tighten by hand and not tighten very much at all so that it will be easier to remove the filter. This can and has resulted in leaks, and the filters loosening and dumping all the oil with disasterous results. As I already mentioned, you can most often tighten by hand using a rubber glove to the proper specs - but it is easier to do it with a cap wrench. Note the specs, mark the filter housing or cap tool so that you know how much to turn the filter to achieve the specs.
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