A change of url should only have a short term impact so long as redirects are in place.
How do I know? No one really knows for sure. I have had one instance where changing the domain killed a site stone dead and I don't really know why that happened so, yeah, there is always some risk.
I would say if your site is already ranking well for competitive search terms then it would be wise to stick with the current domain. If not then you don't have much to lose and, assuming you agree with the branding advantage, you may as well make the move sooner rather than later.
How do I know? No one really knows for sure. I have had one instance where changing the domain killed a site stone dead and I don't really know why that happened so, yeah, there is always some risk.
I would say if your site is already ranking well for competitive search terms then it would be wise to stick with the current domain. If not then you don't have much to lose and, assuming you agree with the branding advantage, you may as well make the move sooner rather than later.