You're right, the REPLACE will add a small amount of work to the server which might be unnoticeable in most cases. However, you shouldn't want to add unnecessary work to the server and if you ever have a comma in your values, you might end up with an additional carriage return.
I am running tests on my personal, non-networked laptop first. Staying away from servers. Trying to understand what I am exploring, learning as I go.
That's a great habit.
I have to say that I'm impressed on how you managed to adapt the code and understand it. Most newbies aren't capable (or willing) to do it.