setting record levels into ProTools with the intent of mixing in ProTools

[Felix]

i'd like to start another thread on this topic.
on one side, it makes sense to record at the level that keeps the track fader and master fader at zero. however, this recquires recording tracks at a much lower level than is typically recommended with respect to taking advantage of the most bits. to keep my faders at zero, i must record with the meters on my Apogee showing -10 to -14 dbFS. the Digi manual states: "Adjust the input signal to register as high as possible on your input meter without triggering the clipping indicator. If the input level is too low, you will not take full advantage of the dynamic range of your ProTools system." this is hardly the first time i've encountered this advice. in fact, up until lately, i've understood it to be the 'golden rule'. my apogee even has soft clip feature to avoid clipping when pushing the limits. if i was mixing with a console, this would all be fine. but within ProTools, either A- all the faders must lowered considerably if recorded at such levels or B- lower the Master Fader. with A, i introduce a lot of additional signal processing to every one of the channels which is never a good thing. with B- the mix bus is being overloaded (even worse than A).
first of all, if anything i've said so far is wrong...keep in mind i don't claim to be an expert on this, hence, this post.
so, in short, am i correct in sacrificing my "dynamic range" by recording with lower levels for the sake of keeping the master fader and all, or most of, the other faders at zero? so far, this seems to be working better for me.
if i must change tracks levels, i alter the final plug-in's level(if a plug-in is even on an insert). is it better to record at full levels and use plug-ins to reduce the levels?
i would like to hear other peoples thoughts on this. it would be nice to hear from digi also.
(just don't tell me to get a console cause that just isn't an option.)