Yeah exactly. So if I'm editing text that is somehow quasi fixed width like a table cell but doesn't fit the classic vim definition of a word or a neatly delim

Yeah exactly. So if I'm editing text that is somehow quasi fixed width like a table cell but doesn't fit the classic vim definition of a word or a neatly delimited thing that I can use ci/ca with. So for example this morning I was editing cells in a latex array. They are delimited by "&" and each one is some sort of equation that doesn't fit a normal vim word definition. R to the rescue. If I need more characters than are there in the cell then I go <esc>I to carry on but this morning, R was perfect. I never toggle insert mode with an ins key because I got in the habit of using minimalist keyboards with weird custom mappings that didn't have that key (or not that readily available) often.