I tend to use Flash if only because I want to make things easier on me. The only games where it was a problem were the Johto games, as you need Flash fairly late in the game; in Blue and Leaf Green I hadn't assembled my full team of six by the time I reached Rock Tunnel and so I had a free slot for a Flash slave. In 4th gen IIRC, it became TM70 and it became easier to get rid of for a superior move.