A little fun here. Some of the best stoppers I have ever had were mismatched sidepulls of unknown type (one visibly bent) set up with nothing special cables and probably Koolstop pads. Cost me $5 and $10 from a used calipers box. Tektro levers. On a bike that hit the road with $105 spent (inc frame) and parts on hand. On my Mooney, the bike I would tour on, I have had the OEM Shimano cantis off an early '80s Miyata tourer for the past 20 years. Every time I ride that bike, I am reminded those are serious brakes.

This is not to belittle the importance of brakes. But in my view, the important things are to stay away from the bad ones and be diligent on set-up and maintenance. That and be smart about the ride. Before that 10 mile descent, make sure everything is in order, you have lots of brake pad and the positioning is good, cables are in good shape, bolts are tight. On the descent: as much speed as is prudent and alternate brakes when braking hard for long periods. Let some air out of the tires before you start down. (I blew out a sew-up descending Mt Washington and had to wait for the rim to cool so I could touch it years ago. I have some idea of what is involved here.)

Ben