Emacs is not really "modeless". Key-chords are kind of modes. Transients are kind of modes. Major and minor... well, just modes.

> What keeps me from using vi derivatives

That's correct. There's no such thing as "vim-mode". Every single Vim extension is full of glaring inconsistencies and shortcomings. Not a single VSCode extension, not IdeaVim for IntelliJ, not Sublime ones — none of them are really full-fledged vim integrations. Emacs one is the notable exception. Evil mode in fact is so good, it never feels like an afterthought, it feels like it was baked into the design of the editor from the get-go. It works extremely well. Emacs in fact can vim better than (Neo)vim.