I don't understand the price differential between the Samson and the Switchcraft.

I already have some quarter inch cables.

Using Sweetwater pricing, it looks like SwitchCraft would cost me 1,228 without the parts to make the snake work. Those parts are an additional 769.

The Samson solution enabling me to route everything i want will cost between 330 and 360... Nicer cables for the 360 price... This doesn't include a snake.

Lots of 16 channel snake solutions exist for less than 769. For example, two of these would only cost 260.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MT8XFXM20

I can't imagine I would often use the patch bay to route Mic 1 to Mic pre 3 for example. I just don't need that.

Maybe if i had more racks of stuff spread around the house it might make sense.

I like the idea of db25 cables bc they look tidy. And maybe light?

Additionally, routing Mic pres with phantom through a patch bay seems dangerous because changing the patch with phantom enabled could damage both the interface and the Mic.

Maybe it would be valuable to switch between two studios in the control room. But i don't have two studios or a control room. I have one space.

Directly connecting the mics to the preamps is clearly safer and simpler given my setup.

I'm an old military "Tech Controller" that had racks of patch panels for analog and digital so I thought I needed a TRS patch panel when I set up my rack.  As I found out I never needed it and sold it.  I do have an XLR jack strip that I use to connect to the 8 analog mic/instrument inputs on my MOTU 896Mk3 Hybrid and in/out connections for my two mike preamps that I can "patch" into the MOTU.  I guess that could be considered a patch panel.
 

I do think it will be useful for me. I don't really have to have it. I've been managing for decades. It is a nice-to-have.

I have a dbx PB-48. It must be more than 20 years old. I still use it although not as much as I did 15 - 20 years ago. It's racked on top which is shoulder height when I'm sitting at my DAW.

gswitz
I do think it will be useful for me. I don't really have to have it. I've been managing for decades. It is a nice-to-have.

If that's the case then go used. I have a really hard time buying anything brand new nowadays. So much lightly used stuff available for so much cheaper. Especially something like a patchbay where a new one with a full warranty really doesn't do much for you... I mean it's not like they are going to blow a power supply or a chip goes out on them or something.
 
On the other hand, unless you are constantly plugging and unplugging stuff in and out of your outboard gear and interface, then you really don't need one. I only have one piece of outboard gear that I use these days (a nice two-channel tube mic-pre) and I have a 16-input interface with 8 XLR/mic pre's so stuff just gets left plugged-in most of the time so my dbx PB48 is sitting in my rack unused (along with a couple other devices I have no need of anymore.)
 

I pulled the trigger on the Samson. :-) 
 
Thanks to everyone for all the help!!

yes, I have the samson.  VERY versatile.  I like the Normal, half normal and thru operation switches.  I've had it for several years and I've changed the configuration several times.

Kev999
The Neutrik NYS-SPP-L1 is surprisingly good value. I only paid $110 for mine. Here is the official description:
http://www.neutrik.com/en/products/audio/patch-panels/1/4-patch-panel/nys-spp-l1

Larry Crane (TapeOp) agrees with you:
 
https://tapeop.com/reviews/gear/39/nys-spp-l-14-patchbay/
 
 

SF_Green

Kev999
The Neutrik NYS-SPP-L1 is surprisingly good value. I only paid $110 for mine. Here is the official description:
http://www.neutrik.com/en/products/audio/patch-panels/1/4-patch-panel/nys-spp-l1

Larry Crane (TapeOp) agrees with you:
https://tapeop.com/reviews/gear/39/nys-spp-l-14-patchbay/

 
Good to know.

I agree with him about TT too, i.e. TT would be preferable over ¼" jack, but decent TT patchbays are not very affordable.