I beg to differ about Dark Commander. The Undead can make a pretty powerful army. As such, some extra attack and initiative doesn't hurt at all
I can say this for a fact, because right now I'm doing a playthrough for fun, just to check them out. Army composition is Black Knights, 2 types of vampires, Necromancers and Tirexes (sacrificial lambs) and Demonologists + Skel Archers in reserve.
Still, I also dislike neatness. As a paladin, I may take it over alchemy, because alchemy simply reduces crystal count needed for spells. Neatness at least adds a few mana points
As a Warrior and as a Mage, I too find it kinda useless. I'd rather pump Absolute balance than Neatness with these classes. Besides, I don't recall destroying items in any of my playthroughs.