well, they are finicky but ultimately can be made to work really, really well.
I have a JTS and noticed a big jump in braking performance when I switched to salmon kool stops. That said, it got more sensitive to toe-in, not less. They also hold their performance much better in the rain, and aren't nearly as messy.
The brakes will never be as immediately grabby as MTB brakes (unless you install some like Specialized has begun doing on the tricross), but I can stop just fine.