No, I don't want his mopey ass in my party!

[Skyblade]

I don't know why people think the Scimitar is so good weapon for AP growth.
2 slots x 3 = 6 slots worth of AP
The Dragoon lance has 8 slots, so even at x1 you are still getting 33% more AP.
And if you take something like the Javelin:
5 slots x 2 = 10 slots worth of AP

If going for pure net AP growth, then yes. If you want to work on a particular, high cost materia, though, it's quite nice.