Did the surface go grabby because they were clinchers, or because they were cheap carbon rims?
Clinchers _might_ be a part of the equation but at the same time braking on carbon rims always has had the reputation for being a bit flakey and it’s one of the places companies try and differentiate themselves.
My take is that the problems with clinchers come when you are into the realm of prolonged braking generating heat – not sure it sounds like that was the case for you. I guess I’m suggesting that cheap tub rims may not be a panacea.
FWIW, I’ve got a set of very light Reynolds DV46 tubular wheels on my race bike. Tubs aren’t a big faff to fit in my experience but the potential faff of repairs means I tend to keep them for racing only. Nice to have a sub 1200g set of wheels and but I’m not sure I’ve really experienced a “wow, what a ride” factor from the tubs themselves.
Braking surface fairly worn now and a _tiny_ bit grabby at times, scary when you brake on wet rims, I just take that as par for the course.