I've done some thinking on this since seeing this posted on Discord. I'm glad it got posted to the forums, otherwise it would have been forever lost in the fog of chat.
At first I was okay with this idea, because it seems interesting and exactly like trading anything else.
However, now I realize I disagree with this on foundational principle.
One's frame is one's own creation. We, the player, spend our time collecting materials and tweaking our choices to make something personal. The frame, its abilities and its weapons are things we research and commit to.
I refuse to condone a feature where other people trick out their frame, then loan it out for someone to farm for them while they go to work. I refuse to accept any possibility that a group of people will amass their personal wealth by investing in one frame that they pass between one another. I refuse to stand idly by while my hard-earned money spend on the cosmetics I have unique to me is insulted by someone renting them to go streaking in.
There are strong reasons for soulbound equipment; one is to force each person to earn what they use. I understand crafting unbound items, and trading mechanisms. There is, in this sense, a way for in-game wealthy players to anoint a newcomer with good gear. However, I speak against completely unbound trading.
One of the most fun things about Firefall was, for me, discovering interesting combinations of abilities and exploring play-styles. People are going to write guides, and people who hate having fun will follow those guides. The very last thing I would want to happen is a feature that devolves that into people purchasing or renting a pre-built omniframe. I simply do not want to play a game with that feature or with users of that feature.
I don't think I have to parry the "you hate fun what's the harm?" lines of thought, because I simply cannot see this feature existing in a game where players can create multiple omniframes for themselves. That, to me, doesn't speak to the idea of borrowing them.
