Norbs and I have discussed this stuff at some length (I too am a Mech Eng by degree, if not by trade).
There is a lot of theoretical discussion about the benefits of bigger edges in terms of torque as well, but frankly most of it is rubbish, and big edges are really a fashion thing.
I agree, I have a few big edged bats (Around 33mm+), and the ones which performed the best for me are the ones without concaving. Made me go for the decision to just go relatively small edges, around 20-25mm with no concaving and a good spine height. Only benefit big edges will have is that you will get a wider sweetspot, assuming there is no concaving, but with the disadvantage of a heavier bat, therefore slower bat speed and compromised pick up. I'm using heavier bats now, so it doesn't matter a huge amount, but they really aren't needed IMO.
Ofsetting may be something I want to look into a little more. It will be very interesting to see how offsetting the edges performs. Yes, all the technical reasons for it are on the blog, but I've yet to use or see a bat with an offset edge in flesh!