I use brifters on my "good bikes," but friction bar-ends on my heavier rain bike. Saved money and weight. Cable breakage is about the same either way. The bar ends never wear out, either, so it's money saving forever, at least for me in this life. No upgrades necessary, ever. And sometimes it's fun to slam through the gears in either direction.
The only real disadvantage is that I can't shift while standing, but that's no big deal because I usually know what the gear will be before I get up, and I can always sit for an instant and shift, anyway. Otherwise I usually have some warning that a shift is coming and I can just drop a hand back to the lever and wait for it. I like bar ends better than downtube because I can have both hands on the bars. I ride brevets on a brifter bike, though. It's a little confusing for a few minutes when switching bikes.