The benefit of a ripper versus bucket is obviously that you concentrate force in a small area. I don't see how a ripper would be any more likely than a bucket to stress a BH. Indeed, as you are more likely to tear through a root than get the bucket stuck, it seems a ripper would be easier on the BH. Obviously technique is important but so long as you learn to select the right size root to "muscle", then the ripper should hang up only momentarily before tearing the root. Sometimes the root is too big and needs to be nibbled. When roots are too big the ripper tends to curl the root up. If the ripper has teeth on the cutting edge, those teeth will gouge the root and weaken it. I didn't have teeth cut into my ripper but I did weld on a sharp piece of drilling rod to both front and back of the ripper and these serve the same purpose. The tear out approximately an inch of the root if the root moves against the drilling rod while curling in front or extending along the back of the ripper.
I'd think that teeth would probably work a bit better but the drilling rod does improve the performance of the ripper. Photo shows the new ripper and then the modifications (before repainting). If it did it again, I'd move the front drill rod up about 3-4 inches into the belly of the curve so it will catch the root earlier in the curl.