Good post. I'm a huge FG knot fan, having used it for bass luring and on the boat. It's possible to tie it in a rocking tub, but as you say, it quickly gets hard to make a good job of it. On dry land however it's quite simple.
The thing that puts me off using a tying tool is that it's yet another bit of kit to take out with you, and if you forget or lose it you can't tie new knots during a session.