I think this is less cut and dried than is perhaps being presented. How long are your arms, what are your goals/why are you doing the bench, etc?
For me personally, I think if you aren't training for a competition then there is room to do what is comfortable. Personally, I find bringing the bar to about 1" off my chest gives me good strength and mass gains, and spares my shoulders, and allows me to make better progress moving the bar through a more constant path. Since I'm not training to compete in powerlifting, this form suits my goals. If it failed to, or became less effective over time, then ROM is one of the things you can play around with to try to kick start the lift again.
For me personally, I think if you aren't training for a competition then there is room to do what is comfortable. Personally, I find bringing the bar to about 1" off my chest gives me good strength and mass gains, and spares my shoulders, and allows me to make better progress moving the bar through a more constant path. Since I'm not training to compete in powerlifting, this form suits my goals. If it failed to, or became less effective over time, then ROM is one of the things you can play around with to try to kick start the lift again.