Reddit without RES (also uBlock Origin) is reddit that's only 50-75% usable. Though I would also say old.reddit is infinitely superior to the newer reddit interface as well.
I agree - I mostly was using Reddit on mobile for years for this reason (using Reddit is Fun on android) because I was too lazy to setup RES on desktop. Once I got a proper config setup + constant redirect to old.reddit.com (was already using Ublock) the site is a millions times better even without logging in. And of course even if you make a throwaway username and do a little subreddit subscription customization that makes it even better.