RS wrote:
I have a Giant OCR1 road bike that came with generic brakes, probably
Tectro (?). Being used to V-brakes on my beater bike, I thought the
Giant generic brakes were lousy. I put Kook-Stop black pads on them
and they do work noticeably better. But I like having very good and
controllable stopping power. I can get a used but very clean set of
DuraAce 7700 brakes for $70. Will they work noticeabley better? Weight
is not a concern as there is probably very little difference.

If you want better braking the consensus here is to get yourself a set
of Kool-Stop Salmon colored brake pads. At about $10 per caliper its
cheaper than another set of brake calipers, especially if weigh is not
a concern.