I still use w3m, for basically an easier, less cluttered text based version of a page. Cuts the cpu goblins found in adverts too. Some sites just won't work for me in a modern browser without at least some blocking.

Personally I find w3m easier on my eyes. I have tried to run with it as my primary, but oddly enough some of the full baked browsers still feel faster. That I can't really figure out! It could be pre-fetching or pre-renders, or some other trick.

I tend to have at least one JS disabled browser, with my own stylesheet to ape something akin to the console browsers.