It's interesting this is posted in taddys as after all, they do have an "extra" brake over bicycles & thus, greater stopping power
TBH over time I've developed a bit of a serious dislike for V brakes - it's isn't that they're cable actuated, wear rate, or even stopping distance as cables work jus' fine & are very easy to maintain w/simple roadside repair, longevity is drastically improved with just some quality pads, as is stopping distance...
The problems I have with them is drag & weather conditions. Yes, a properly adjusted set of V brakes shouldn't have this problem - but no matter the care, maintenance & attention paid it seems at least one of 'em is always rubbing the rim and irritating the heck outa me & honestly? No matter the quality of the pad they don't work that well in the rain & forget about it when they load up with ice in the winter.
Drum brakes ofc are less susceptible to these issues - but they do suffer "fade" wen they heat up under hard use. They're even worse than V brakes when wet - but you'd hafta submerse the hub to get them wet, so it's kinda a moot point.
Quality disk brakes are in my opinion the way to go & by quality I don't mean thousands of dollars, jus' not the cheapos that come stock on box store bikes as often the inner pad isn't adjustable in any way and drags/squeaks - but even the base model Avid BB5 calipers are really good (adj knob for one pad, cable adj for the other), ofc with a mount ext you can increase rotor size for improved stopping & cooling.
In my opinion, while hydraulics are nice, with slightly better sensitivity & pressure - I just don't see them as worth the bother and expense for such marginal improvements and problematic roadside repair... anyone who's had air/leaks in their car's brake lines knows what I'm talking about lol
Yes, hydraulics are awesome - but don't not get disk brakes 'cause hydraulics are spendy, (quality) cable systems are great