I made an IC using 20 feet of 3/8" OD soft copper tubing (utility grade) last week. I used it on Sunday to cool down a 5 gallon batch. I didn't have enough tubing/line to run to/from the sink, so I left the chiller soaking in StarSan while the boil finished. I pulled it out of the sanitizer, gave it a moment to drip the excess off, then placed it into my wort. Connected up the remaining fittings for the feed water and was good to go. I did stir the wort with the same spoon I was using while it was boiling, during the chill-down. Took under 15 minutes (closer to 10) to cool down to below 70F. I'm going to get some more tubing and a few other fittings so that I can place the IC into the boiling wort and still have the water to/from the sink. Once I do that, I'll also have about 18.5'-19' of copper inside the wort for the cooling.
Since I've only used my chiller once, I cannot say anything about stuff getting stuck to it. I will say, it came out of the wort cleaner than it went in (or has more shine on it).
If you decide to make your own IC, I would suggest getting either some high temp tubing to go at the pot side, or the fiberglass reinforced tubing (such as from Lowe's)... With what comes out of the hot end of the IC, the tubing won't have any issue (barely warm to the touch on the outside of the tubing, at less than 6" from the end of the copper). The reinforced tubing also has the advantage of being stiffer so less chance of it kinking on you. I'm planning on using that for both the feed and drain ends of my IC. Simple SS tubing (worm screw) clamps are all you need to connect the tubing on either end.
I am thinking about getting another 10' of copper to make a pre-chiller for the summer months. IF the tap water gets too warm to chill the wort within a reasonable amount of time. Although, I suspect that the tap water in this section of MA won't get above about 70-75F so it shouldn't be much of an issue.
Pro's: Can be a DIY project without much issue at all. Effective cooling as long as you're aware of what you need to properly use it. Faster/easier than the other chilling methods I've used. Also requires no cleaning of internal parts between brews (I would be concerned about something being left inside either a CFC or plate chiller). I'm cooking on a gas stove right now, so the IC works great. I would imagine that when you go from 5 to 10 gallon batch size (if using different pots) you could easily make a second IC to go inside/outside the other one's coils. Split the feed water source to supply both (not that difficult to do) and then just drain.
Con's: Boil kettle/pot needs to be larger than copper coil. If not making your own, you need to get one that works best for your batch size.
You also have a range of different copper coil sizes to work with (if you DIY)... While I wouldn't use the 1/4", you could. You can go up to 1/2" if you wish.
Ultimately, I see it as an item that is more personal choice, and what goes best with your setup. Ask a dozen different home brewers and I bet you'll find people using every possible method.