Hey ronster - by no means was I dissin the caged system - I just got the impression (wrongly I'm sure
) that your allusion to the system here somehow superseded the need to delve into scale sensibilities. Surely the answer is that both have their place.
I use the caged system often - especially with arpeggio heavy lines but much more as well. As stated economy of movement especially when transitioning from one chord to another and yes of course we're talking about the full boat of notes that represent a particular scale or mode.
One thing I will say is I often think, er well, out of the cage so to speak, though still within the context of chords, scales or modes.
I find maximizing my options pays the highest dividends and helps keep me from getting stale or in ruts.