Having soft water has both physical benefits and personal benefits. Protecting your pipes, fixtures, and water heater is only an issue if the water is extremely hard. Most homes have moderately hard water that leaves deposits on glasses, shower doors, and your hair and skin. If a person has sensitive skin, or anode by their hair feeling like straw, then no matter how hard the water is, the benefits can change your life.
Uneducated plumbers and water softener dealers who tell people that there is no benefit in removing low level hardness have no idea what the daily benefits soft water provides.
Adding the soft water benefits along with whole house water purification open a new world of advantages.