Just wanted to post some info and feedback in case some may be looking for info.
My wife's CLS500 needed new brakes. She constantly complained about wheels getting dirty so i decided to go for Akebono for low dust.
In my research some said they don't bite quite as good as OEM, naturally i was a tad worried since its it was for my wife. So i oped on getting R1 Concepts Elite slotted front and rears hopping to improve the bite between rotors and pads.
At first it seemed like the stopping power wasn't as good as originals but after about a week or two it worked in quite well and stops as good as OEM. Even wife likes it. Rotors look nice as well. Good coating.
The dust seems to be extremely low compared to OEMs even with slotted rotors cutting at the pads.

All in all good buy.

If i don't trade in my S class i'll get the same setup. Except it will have to be drilled as no company makes slotted fronts for the S class Licensing restrictions.

Hope this helps.

Have fun and be safe.

So decided to keep the S class. Going to get a drilled set. Looks like R1 has special holiday pricing going on if anyone is interested.

Thanks for some real World feedback on the Akebono pads, as yourself also wanting to reduce brake dirt build up but also hoping they'd perform as good or better than OEM and also hoping they remain quiet, ie. no squealing.

I've had a brand new full replacement set for my C Coupe put away since I first purchased the car, will get them installed on the next service call

they are certainly quiet. they are not better than oem but after some time i noticed the initial bite is also not as good as OEMs.
the car still stops great, there is just more play/travel in the pedal, its very progressive unlike oems where they bite at first touch of pedal.
Perhaps on a lighter car it wont be as noticeable.

Thanks again for the feedback and what you described does make sense seeing that AFAIK the pad material they've used to reduce dust let off is a harder compound than OEM hence the operational characteristics described.

Looking forward to getting my set on, I've got the AMG upgraded braking package with cross drilled rotors on my C Coupe and the C Coupes are not overly heavy so they should work ok, the OEM's are a real PITA trying to keep clean, even after a short drive after a full clean the wheels are all dirty again LOL