Hopefully the innevitable Fellcross 2 will address the grip situation, and bring it in line with the excellent upper :-)
No they're not that bad really; several of our juniors wear them. They are a bit exciting on wet slab and rock but, as others have said, most fell shoes are. I don't rate them for steep grass or mud descents either, not compared to the mudclaw anyway. Not done ALS so don't know what the route's like.
I love that phrase, perhaps if you added "my dear boy " on to the end, you could make it sound even more patronising!
tbh I doubt adidas care what the brownlee brothers wear for fell running; they sponsor them for their tv exposure, I doubt they'll be making special shoes just so they can win bottles of beer at the weekend! They'll get the shoes for free but that's probably it.
If I had free shoes, I'd probably wear them too (although I'd wear the swoops down the pub; see above!)
I had a worn (on the sole) pair of wave harriers resoled recently, by the good folk of Lancashire Shoe Repairs. It cost twenty quid, and I now have the grippiest, and comfiest, shoes I have ever run in. All my other shoes are walshes which I also rate highly (if they can stop my vast bulk from slipping they must be good!), and I don't know how long the new sole will last but hey, for twenty quid they're a bargain!
The only down side for me was that it involved dealings with the dark side, over the border...