I tend to agree, except I'll add that the amount of force needed to lock the brakes --that is, how hard and how far you have to move the lever-- is an important factor. This is especially important for a rider with small and relatively weak hands, such as my 9YO daughter. It seems she needs especially strong brakes on her bike despite the fact that she weighs very little.
fair point. For the record, there are a number of "short reach" levers that are out there which might be of use to her - like the excellent small version of the tektro levers. pretty cheap too, about 25 bucks and verrry nice. I use these and my little grabbers are happy.