Easy to grab in all conditions. Rubber or plastic insulated from cold. Aluminum style not as durable, but can be refinished with bake-on processes where the rubber would melt. Snags on web gear, digs into back when slung. Even larger than standard metric, Snags on web gear, digs into back when slung.
Forward assist is a dubious value.
On one hand, it allows you to force a defective round into the chamber, or to force a round into a partially obstructed chamber. Now, there are metric guns that have the folding cocking handle, mostly paratrooper models, but this metric folder is rare. You may also have a generic Century Arms receiver that has features of both Inch and Metric features. The folding cocking handle will still fit, however it will not fold flush with the receiver. There are at least three sizes of folding cocking handles.