I would think that helix probably is better because I'm certain that the verb->text object paradigm in vim could be much better. It may in fact make more sense to do the 'text object' first like it seems to do in both helix and kakoune. But is it better enough for me to switch off something that I've used for years now? Only if it sees mass adoption and you see many developers adopting it. Like if you see it in VS Code as an option to use helix bindings, then it is probably safe to consider adopting it.
> Honestly, language servers are a bit of a faff to set up, but that's tooling and it's getting easier and easier to get these installed now. I expect that will continue.
I've been pleasantly surprised with how much better LSP setup in neovim has gotten, as I've transitioned over to the native LSP from CoC, which is also excellent. It's still not pain-free to setup, but it's much easier than it was and I suspect you're right that it'll continue to get easier... though I doubt it'll get anywhere close to how easy VS Code is to use any time soon.