I feel that my bar ends are safer for me than reaching toward the down tube when bike handling/control is an issue. I can keep most of my fingers around the bar while still shifting. This allows me to stand up or deal with potholes while shifting more confidently.

I like the simplicity of maintaining friction shifting for my beater commuter. I do think I've lost a little bit of responsiveness due to the extra cable length. (This is a 1982 Trek 500 that I converted from down tube shifters.) But on a new bike I prefer brifters.