Tektro brakes are crap, at least the base ones are. Their lack of stopping ability is NOT the pads.. its the fact they flex like crazy. I can bottom out the lever easily when they're properly adjusted. Riding even a moderately steep downhill at slow speeds is scary. I replaced the front one with an Ultegra brake on my Raleigh Rush Hour, it make all the difference in the world (I kept the rear as its flexy/mushy nature is perfect for the rear).

That said, the SRAM Force brakes look almost identical to the cheap Tektros, so I suspect its due to the pot metal they used, not the design itself.