I originally got toe clips to keep my feet from slipping off the pedals in the rain. I had rubber coated crappy stock pedals and they got slippery, and I was wearing pretty flat sneakers.
I eventually switched to SPD clipless, and rode with that for 3 years. Right now I'm back with toe clips and don't really notice much difference.
I'm going to actually switch back to straight platforms soon, even though I have a good set of SPD pedals and good cleats on my shoes. I have some good Wellgo platforms that are good and spiky and they grip my shoes.
With the toe clips, I'm not looking for any "mechanical advantage", I'm just trying to keep my feet on the pedals, so I leave them quite loose. I can step into them in a second with no looking and honestly I can't tell the difference between them and SPDs except I need a different motion to get out.
I'm sure this means that I'd be a horrible racer. I don't care, because I'm not trying to race. I'm just going to work and back.
__________________
Work: the 8 hours that separates bike rides.