Key Takeaways
- A better keyboard won’t make you type faster; proper typing technique is the most important for typing speed and accuracy.
- Mechanical keyboards can slightly improve typing speed, but only if you’re already a very fast typist.
- Get a nice mechanical keyboard for comfort and durability, even though it won’t boost productivity significantly.
Improving your typing speed is one of the best ways to save time in the office, especially if you primarily deal with text files. Learning the correct typing technique is essential, but could upgrading to a better keyboard provide an immediate advantage in typing speed?
A Better Keyboard Won’t Make You a Faster Typist
Just like how a high-quality frying pan won’t make you a better chef, a good keyboard won’t make you a faster typist. I type at speeds of well over 100 WPM, and I did some A/B testing with my laptop keyboard and my Cherry MX Brown-equipped Corsair K70. Surprisingly, I got nearly the same accuracy and speed of around 115 WPM with either keyboard on TypingTest.
If you want to type fast, you must first learn how to touch type. On standard QWERTY keyboards, you have small bumps on the F and J keys; that’s where your index fingers go. Allow your other fingers to hover above the keys adjacent to F and J, ready to move freely and press keys independently.
If you have always wondered how people can type without ever having to look down at their keyboards, it’s because they orient themselves thanks to the bumps and know where the other keys are in relation to the F and J keys. There isn’t a rigid rule set for which finger presses which key; just focus on memorizing where each letter is roughly located on the keyboard.
Once you get used to proper typing positions, practice typing on some of these websites. My personal favorite is TypeRacer because you race against other players, and competition is a powerful motivator. I learned to type fast in MMORPG games and MOBAs, where you have to communicate with your team effectively but don’t have more than a few seconds to type a message.
Keyboard Specs That Affect Typing Speed
Let’s go back to our frying pan analogy; a better frying pan doesn’t make better chefs, but it helps great chefs sear a steak more evenly to achieve a better crust. So, once you learn how to type fast, a better keyboard can help you type slightly faster because it won’t limit your skills.
Various keyboard specs affect typing speed, but for me, the most important one is ergonomics. Your wrists should be in a neutral position to prevent chronic pain and improve endurance. If your keyboard is propped up on its legs, your wrists have to bend at a slight angle. So, fold them down and try to float your wrists above the keyboard when you type.
Also, make sure that your keyboard has a layout with all the keys you use regularly. If you do a lot of number crunching, a number pad will objectively make you type numbers faster. My colleague Goran swears by low-profile mechanical keyboards for faster, more comfortable typing.
Mechanical keyboards have several advantages over membrane models that affect typing speed. Two of the most important specs are actuation force and point. The actuation force tells you how much force you need to apply for the keystroke to register, and the actuation point is the point at which the keystroke is registered.
A lower actuation point and force result in less effort needed to press a key. A tactile bump that some switches have can also help you feel when the key has been registered, but it’s not necessary. Once you get used to a keyboard with “fast” switches, you’ll develop muscle memory that allows you to type quickly while exerting minimal pressure.
The last thing I want to mention is keyboard chatter. This is when a key registers a single press as multiple keystrokes, resulting in double-typed letters. Chatter most often happens with old mechanical keyboards because the contacts inside the switches get dirty or corrode over time.
Low-quality switches suffer from chatter more often. Thankfully, you can often fix this issue yourself by pouring isopropyl alcohol into the switch and pressing it repeatedly. Alternatively, replace the entire switch if it’s too far gone.
You Should Get a Nice Keyboard Anyway
Even though a nice mechanical keyboard won’t improve your productivity (at least not by much), you should still get one. Lubed mechanical switches with a satisfying “thocky” click are an absolute joy to type on; don’t deny yourself that pleasure. They’re also far more durable and can easily last a full decade. You can find a wide selection of phenomenal mechanical keyboards for well under $100, like the Keychron V3 and the Royal Kludge RK84. Have fun typing!
