I don’t object to a shock buffer in a full sized 1911, as it has enough excess slide over run that it won’t affect reliability and it can allow a standard weight spring in cases where a heavier spring would otherwise be needed - with the downsides that come with a heavier spring.
That however is not the case with a commander or officer sized frame. In a commander a shock buffer will shorten the slide over run to the point where it can start to cause reliability issues, and in an officer frame 1911 it reduces the slide over run to basically nothing.
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Proper selection of the recoil spring, and replacement when they wear out, are far more important to being with, and a shock buffer should be considered only after those factors are addressed.
It’s important to remember there is no free lunch. It’s popular to install an extra strength recoil spring, but unless you are shooting truly heavy +P loads it’s going to do more harm than good. When it is not needed to prevent the slide from battering the frame in recoil, there is no benefit to it. Worse, that heavier weight spring will increase the velocity of the slide then it goes back into battery and that will also batter the frame, and do it in an area that was never designed for a heavier spring.
You want a spring that is just heavy enough to prevent the slide from rebounding off the frame (which is caused by excessive slide velocity in recoil and also results in excessive slide velocity going back into battery). That rebound will produce a sharper metallic feel to the recoil. If you have that, you either need a new recoil spring or a stronger one (and try the new one first, they can wear out in as little as 800 rounds).
That metallic impact with excessive recoil velocity and a standard weight spring is where the shock buffers originally came into play. The shock buffer prevented the rebound and battering without putting excessive stress on the locking system when the slide comes back into battery.
If the shock buffer wasn’t enough with the standard weight spring it became evident when you got that metallic feel again in 100 or so rounds when the slide quickly ate it’s way through the shock buffer. If the buffer is getting torn up, then you need to go a pound or two higher on the spring weight.
In short, while they are not as prevalent as they used to be, they are still a potential benefit on a full length 1911 and are a good second step (after replacing the original spring with a new factory weight spring) before going to a heavier recoil spring, which should only be done if you are still getting slide rebound.
