So I have two bikes that are simultaneously being upgraded for brakes. One is an old Cannondale Crit, a very nice bike but the braking was so-so, and the hoods are shot. No suicide levers on this one. The other is an old Bianchi that has even worse braking and also has suicide levers. With the suicide levers pressed as hard as I could I can still move the rear wheel. On the C'dale I'm putting new calipers, levers, cables, and now decided on cross levers as well, I'll go with Tektro since they make the Cane Creek levers too. It'll be a really nice setup on a bike that is worth it. On the Bianchi, I'm going to recommend that we try replacing the pads with Kool Stop salmon and call it a day. It just isn't worth spending the money on an old steel frame with CroMo on the main tubes only, and steel rims.
For a road bike the Tektro RL340 or 341 short reach are hard to beat price-wise. The cross levers I'm getting are the Tektro RL720. I went with Centaur dual pivot calipers because I'm a Campy guy and they are cheaper than 105. Don't forget new cables and housing, and I always like Jagwire, plus they come in colors.