Let me tell you my recent brake story: I have been complaining about brakes for years. For me it seemed weird -- push the pedal and don't get much. Push a little harder and suddenly you go through the windshield. I've had shops tell me it's my imagination, that the brakes are in great shape, that it's the booster, that this is normal for drum brakes, etc., etc. One day someone told me my brake lights aren't working. I replaced the switch, but didn't fix it. But I also noticed the fluid looked like molasses. Long story shorter, new brakes -- cylinders, shows, flushed out the fluid (rear was clogged entirely), rebuilt the master. No leaks, so the booster is fine. Also, the lines are stainless steel so they stayed. Huge improvement, but there was still a little grabby-ness after driving awhile. Later I had the car serviced again, for something else, and the shop said they were on the fence before about the flex hoses, but now they'd like to replace them. That made the difference.
For hard brakes, indeed I would recommend changing the hoses. I would also recommend replacing the lines, if original. You can buy stainless steel now. Next thing, booster can cause this. There is a place in Ft. Lauderdale that rebuilds these; I'm sure there are other locations as well. Don't buy from a catalog store; they have them rebuilt and mark them up.
