@pixelpusher Oh man, my favorite thing to do when I try new switches is to see how fast I can type on them! 
@Cloud983 We actually discussed this originally with our contacts at Kailh.
The only difference between S77 (clear stem) and S77-1 (white stem) is the stem material and color. Everything else is identical.
The clear stem is made out of Nylon TMDT, which is transparent. It feels like PC to be honest, you get a slightly less smooth downstroke and a harsher bottom out feel.
If there is interest in the clear stems we can place a group order, but there would need to be significant interest to justify getting 4,000.
Regarding V3, we did not want to even stock the older switches, there were simply too many issues. Many also had problems with how keycaps got jammed, and the occasional wobble. V3 really fixes a lot of the feedback on previous revisions. The LED window is removable as well for further keycap compatibility.