Essentially I agree with you. It just takes a few seconds to tweak a photo and improve it quite dramatically, as in this example. I think the CS PRO sharpening tool does give a better sharpening effect than one can get with PS CS alone (assuming you don't go through 8 or 10 steps and spend several minutes). The NIK brilliance filter (NIK Color eFex Pro V2) does have the advantage of automatically setting up a layer, quick mask and puts you automatically in the mode to selectively paint in the effect you want where you want it. And the time for this is generally only a few seconds. Without the filter, I often just do a curves adjustment layer and then paint using the quick mask it gives you.
Here is an example of the CSPro filter in comparison to an image before sharpening, and a PS CS unsharp Mask, and the CSPro filter.
What do you think? By the way, I would normally only sharpen the eyes on a photo like this and do a bit of softening of the skin. These digital cameras really show everything, don't they?
And, finally, thanks for your comments.
Cheers,
rfs