When I was in the market for the 2019 model (bought a second hand 2015 instead) I tried the touchbar and really liked what it offered in terms of context aware controls. But I quickly realised I could never incorporate it into my workflow since I use my laptop docked most of the time. Meaning I have an external keyboard, without a touchbar. So all productivity gained by a touchbar would only work when I'm not behind a desk. Making investing into the touchbar useless and leaving it as just a gimmick indeed.