It's not even just a case of if it's that much faster (yeah it is - a single click to perform tasks as oposted to navigating menu systems) but it's also just personal preferance.
I like nice buttons - for doing things frequently. When I'm browsing through my images I loved being able to just click on one - click rotate and boom it's fixed instead of having to right click, navigate to Image menu and then select the right one. All of that takes reading and navigating which slows it down quite considerably (relative to a LOT of files being dealt with one by one).
Give the toolbar the power it's been begging for - it's like a ferrari with a 70mph cap put on it - it's always dying to just use it's power and shoot of at 180mph (with me driving!!)
Make it per view scheme and let it have buttons for all the tools.
Then we really can create tagging view schemes etc with the buttons customised for it.
For the CD drive for instance you could have buttons on it for: Update from DB, Submit to DB, Rip CD (I used to have this one - always wanted the other two there - was going to start playing with the menu xml to see if I could have added them manually), Erase CD (for CDRW disc's).
Sure it's all there via right click menu's but alot of people (me and obv. Doof included) who prefer buttons. Also - for new users - buttons scream out: LOOK - I AM A FEATURE - PRESS ME. Whereas right clicks take longer to discover.
The location bar was the closest toolbar to the files and was PERFECT for file tools for going backwards and forwards between files and tools (esp. if moved to below the panes).
It seems pretty clear thou that although some of us loved the toolbar - others (all of JRiver it seems) dont. Make it optional and you have the whole world happy
I know this was long but I've always been hoping the Toolbar was going to be added to with more buttons, per view etc. and that it was just lower down on your list of priorities, instead I find you guys remove it