How much faster does a mechanical keyboard make you?

[ACertainPassingUser]

If you want to see how fast it can be, you can check the leaderboards for Monkey type here :

Monkeytype | A minimalistic, customizable typing test

The most customizable typing test website with a minimal design and a ton of features. Test yourself in various modes, track your progress and improve your speed.

monkeytype.com

These were the "daily" leaderboards which reflect the plausible scores of most people cpuld achieve daily, rather than all-time leaderboard that can contain the highest score possible.

Top 150-200 usually reach around 130-160wpm

How 130wpm looked :

How 150wpm looked :

The very skilled ones can reach 170-190wpm

170wpm :

190wpm is where "fast typing" seems really fast and near "superhuman" :

https://youtu.be/yspMjL3IrNw?si=QQkv5Rck0dr_B8pO

But 190-200 can be practiced with enough months and dedications.

The top skilled people of fast typer are around 230-250+ wpm tho.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtube.com

-------------------------------------------------------------
By the way, many of the fast typer are not using mechanical keyboard.

Some of them even uses Apple Magic keyboard, Laptop keyboard, or even standard membrane office keyboard.

If it's just about "fast typing", you can use other keyboard. Mechanical keyboard is not necessary.

But, Mechanical keyboard is way more comfortable to type for prolonged typing period, than membrane keyboard which is kinda hard and uncomfortable.

Majority of the highest speed typer are using meechanical keyboard, because most of them don't like the pain of Membrane/laptop keyboard. Therefore youre on the right path for getting one.

Its like choosing casual shoe vs sport shoe for running tracks. Yes you technically can use casual shoe, but you'll prefer running shoe for the obvious comfortability features.

 

[Ai-chan]

The advantage of mechanical keyboard over membrane keyboard is basically:

1. Durability. You can beat your friend with a mechanical keyboard and it will still mostly be intact.
2. Typing sound. The typing sound on mechanical keyboards are more clear and profound, allowing your to enter into a focused state easier. That's why some writing composers artificially include typing sounds.
3. Increased writing speed. This is because mechanical keyboards allow multiple inputs at the same time. Membrane keyboards also can do this, but to a lesser extend, causing some of your key inputs to not register if you type too fast. But this advantage matters little unless you can type like 5 characters per second.

 

[LightHikari]

It's not about the speed... It's about the CLICKITY CLICK.

No truer words were ever spoken. I can only type on mechanical keyboard for the aura it grants me.

 

[Seaspecter]

Unfortunately, my writing speed is limited by my creativity and not my equipment.

 

[xizl]

I have a mechanical keyboard but I’ve been finding myself using the MacBook way more

 

[bulmabriefs144]

I’ve always written on a pillow with a computer on top of that. Never had a desk or mechanical keyboard but I ordered one but it’s going to take a while to arrive.

Just so I know what to expect when it comes to productivity, how have these changes affected your writing pace?

Ugh. I have a new computer where the keys are actually slightly closer than the last. It's creating a nuisance both on typing speed, and typing accuracy. When I try to type o, half the time I hit the i button.

 

[FRWriter]

Is writing speed really an issue?

In my honest opinion, it's almost never about how fast you can write something, but more about what you are gonna write.

Even if I could write twice as fast, I don't think my overall speed would increase by more than 5 or 10%.

 

[Author_Riceball]

Is writing speed really an issue?

yeah. I only write at 50-60 WPM.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Oh wait - I guess it depends on which limb(s) the cybernetic keyboard replaces.

 

[Mortrexo]

Overrated. While writing a novel, you are not speed-writing. A mechanical keyboard is usually harder on the fingers over time, at least in my experience. A soft membrane keyboard will help your fingers in the long run. You can easily achieve 80 wpm, which is more than enough to write novels, while writing on a membrane keyboard.

 

[Juia_Darkcrest]

It boosted my word count from 400 words and hour to 800 near instantly when I switched from phone to keyboard.

That's an interesting way to describe your two finger 'hunt and peck' method of typing :)

 

[Representing_Tromba]

That's an interesting way to describe your two finger 'hunt and peck' method of typing :)

LOL. It becomes a skill the more you learn to chicken peck. I am now at 83 words and minute on average for my typing speed.

 

[DismaiNaim]

Am I old or something? You said "mechanical keyboard" and my first reaction is "wth is that?"

Then I realized you were talking about a typewriter. But why would you want to write on one of those? Those keys jam all the time if you're fast, you have to buy those ink ribbons, and feeding paper manually, just seems like a lot of work. Plus if you need to make edits you have to re-type that whole page.

Then again, there's that deeply satisfying clackity-clack as you type and the smell of fresh ink on paper, plus you can sit back with a cup of coffee and a cat on your lap and read the paper version of your draft without surrendering your firstborn to Hewlett Packard.

To each their own, I suppose.

 

[Author_Riceball]

While writing a novel, you are not speed-writing.

I am lol