I would think the radial grad would be the most important for my practical purposes.
As for Spot removal...I don't know why LR doesn't have an option to "flatten" or perm this option. As LR has to calculate the info and from posts I have read and experience, this slows down LR significantly. Or just do it in a photo editor like Corel Paint, Gimp, and others...oh, and Photshop I think is able to do this also.
So some architecturral shooters are happy with the straighten tool, and all else is just blahh with a hic-up increase to performance. Cool.
Glen amd Rhossyd, Dreed make some good observations....
Why not have HSL in brush?
Why not have Duplicate brush? (wish we can move the dot it makes so we can work in detail areas around it wouthout changing adjustnent. Slight peeve).
Why not more controls in the specific tools?
As far as the comparison to Capture One, yes maybe they are designed to do like functions, they go about file handling in very different ways. I find LR MUCH easier to work with than how shooting moving and managing files method works in C1.
I wonder if LR can reach the quality C1 does in processing? I have been using LR for some lower resolution demands on subjects I normally use C1 for.... but I find Capture One to hold more detail and "clarity"...significantly more than LR ...Unless there is a processing method that matches C1? (These are files shot in studio, still life, product, that are high detail, high everything. using a digital back). maybe the file format by default limits processors of different brands, or they are simply optimised to process these files much better?
I think for a major upgrade, it should have some quality increase in the most basic job as a raw developer. Or some significant new tool for better processing at the basic level. I can wait for 5.5 or 6 to take advantage of the radial tool added.