one reason (of around 3) that I prefer the old blue D-Commands is they don't seem to gather dust, look worn or get dirty so quickly (vs the ES/Black ones).
And honestly, other than 1 or 2 maybe lesser used functions, I can operate my d-command in the *dark* from muscle memory, I know what every button is even without reading labels so that's never been an issue for me (only while you learn it but you can leave the lights on
).
OT but I also genuinely prefer the looks of the blue one, the ES seems like it wasn't thought about design wise like the original, how the text melts away is a good thing for me on the blue as the overal look is a lot smoother, pleasing, less contrasted, less busy. Sure the sky blue colour choice is a bit odd but typically looks grey in low studio light and blends better with the silver fader panels. I love the white surfaces vs the black.
Now had they designed it from the get go to have dark panels I think they would have done a better job, but it seems like they just quickly re-designed it without that same overall cool 'spacey' aesthetic, or cohesive design the original icons had. When I see an ES (which is still mighty cool don't get me wrong it's just colour!) I do find it looks a bit messy and the green leds etc clash a bit with the high contrast black panels. It's just not as 'zen' like when mixing vs old bluey 8-)
bit of side topic there, sorry.
I clean it with a microfibre (like you get for glasses but LARGE) and have used gentle spray cleaners on a fluffy microfibre (just a little applied to the cloth itself) without any harm nor wearing of the text. Just be sure the spray you use is a gentle one without anything that harms plastic etc. If in doubt, use a damp (water) cloth.
Mine doesn't really need cleaning much, again that light design kinda keeps itself clean (unless you spill coffee on it then you deserve what you get for having coffee so close to this beauty!)