Originally Posted by
BarracksSi
When it comes to braking hard, no, they don't work better. Because of weight transfer, it's much easier to lock up the rear wheel than it is the front; once a tire is skidding, it's not contributing nearly as much braking force. I can brake hard with the front only, then lightly tap the rear lever to skid the rear wheel just for kicks.
For most situations, though, coaster brakes work well enough.
As I posted before, theoretical maximum braking efficiency or, if you prefer, "braking force" is greatly overrated, especially when used as the
only metric/value to evaluate the suitability/practicality/safety of various types of bicycle brakes, especially for children and non competitive cyclists.