I honestly believe CT gear's primary purpose is as VANITY GEAR so the loot-restriction makes sense.

Yes, it does allow you to slot-in a little differently in your pre-Coil set... yes, it's an improvement over Darklight... and therefore, yes, it can act as a bridge to AF+1 & Allagan.

However, it is purely temporal in its nature... and likely, in the time that it takes, to only be useful for the sake of covering over a FEW gear-slots in its useful lifespan.

In conclusion, by its very nature, CT gear is practically for Vanity's sake. So I agree with the loot-restriction as a delimiter--it should be an ACHIEVEMENT to earn these sets in their entirety.