All true, but I don't consider most of your points detrimental. Also the winch is actually aligned with the frame rails, not below them.
I wanted to maintain the stock look, approach angle and minimize the weight that was adding forward of the front wheels. Weight that is cantilevered out in front of the wheels is very detrimental to steering and handling. I called DOI and talked to the designer, Defeliece. He designed the bumper/winch for a SEMA show truck that 4 wheeler magazine did for GM. GM engineers reviewed the plans and although they didn't provide approval they also didn't suggest/require any changes either. DOI intentionally kept the winch in line with the tow hooks to eliminate bending moments which could bend the frame. If you don't do this you must re-enforce the frame, which adds weight. I talked to Defeliece and he said the Warn XD9000 was the only winch that they mounted in the bumper so I choose that winch and it fit perfectly. I didn't want a bigger winch than 9,000 lbs because 9,000 is big enough for a 6,000 vehicle and I wanted to minimize weight. He also rotated the winch base so that the base is pointing forward into the structure of the bumper. This eliminates shear stress in the bolts (every mechanical engineer knows bolts are never supposed to be loaded in shear but it is done so often that non-engineers think it is OK) the only downside is the bolt heads are visible in the front. He rotated the winch within the mount so you can access the reversing level and he hid the connector for the hand control inside the grille.
To reduce weight even further and to make the line easier to feed back onto the winch, I went with synthetic winch line. This saved about 18 lbs if I remember correctly and it is much easier to feed. This helps a lot since access/visibility of the drum is restricted. I also went with an aluminum Hawes Fairlead to avoid pinching the winch line, reduce the front protrusion and improve visibility of the drum.
I mounted a new license plate frame just above the Hawes Fairlead so it is out of the way of the winch and doesn’t block air flow through the radiator.
The build quality of the DOI was great and there were no problems with installation.
Personally, I like the looks of the DOI bumper and I wouldn't change it. I only use my winch when I get stuck, so I use it very rarely (O, I haven't used it yet except to test it). Therefore, way compromise looks and handling to improve usability of something that is rarely used. That said you do have to be very careful when rewinding the winch.
Here are some pictures of my bumper and winch.
