I personally do my editing like this:
Use the brightness/lightness in RGB (first tool set) and bring that to about what I like
Then I use the contrast slider to bring it closer to the overall contrast
Then I use the curves below to get the black end to be as dark as I want it to, and then boost the brightness further using the curve still.
Sometimes I change the brightness slider and/or the contrast one, based on whether I think the effect is too strong, or too weak. I do it like I do cooking, mostly according to taste 