(Disclaimer:) Well I'm not really qualified to say - as I hurdled Qwerty for Dvorak so can't comment on switching layouts.

I'd first measure your WPM.  I believed that I was once a fast hunt and pecker, but looking back on it I merely perceived I was fast.  If your speed is anything above 80WPM I wouldn't have thought you'd have much cause to change.  It sounds like whatever you are doing works for you.  Having said that it's easy to crave more speed.  I can remember thinking that I'd be glad to type comfortably at 40WPM now I'm waiting for the day I average at 100WPM!

My immediate thoughts would be that it could be quite destructive to change.  I've toyed with the idea of learning to touch type Qwerty purely for convenience, but my heart's not really in it, and when I do try it's slow progress.  From my experience speed isn't attained quickly - it's more a case of gradual progression that's gained through repetitive typing.

I was convinced when I started to touch type - that I'd never break 40wpm - I plateaued, but you gradually edge forward, as you burn words and bi-grams into your brain.  Progress is slow and speed creeps up on you.  Practicing typing the same words again and again, results in easier keying, and gradual speed gains.  By switching I'd have thought that you'd have to relearn hours upon hours of learned muscle memory.

Because you experience no pain /discomfort and proclaim that you are fast - you might be better to focus your attention on software writing aids.  Something like keyboard shortcuts or predictive text etc.  Or just wear a smug smile as you while away all your saved time on another fun task.  You could even treat yourself to a better keyboard in recognition of your adeptness.

I'd give loads to be in your position - being fast, not having physical issues, and not worrying about typing - it sounds heavenly.  Focusing on Colemak or another layout - may just put your brain in a bad space - you'll start noticing what you're doing and might end up obsessing and disturbing yourself over it.

For typing speed measurement, please go to hi-games.net to try the standard 2 minute test for a few times to get the fastest session.

Colemak will give you comfort, not speed. My Colemak speed is only 5-7wpm faster than Qwerty speed, but the comfort is easily and clearly felt.

I agree. For pure speed gain, you can try to type 1000 or 2000 common words again and again and get perhaps 5wpm faster. You don't have to change the layout at all.

You can buy a mechanical keyboard, it definitely help your speed since you can type lighter and faster.

Mechanical keyboard keys require you to type only 2mm to register. On contrary, normal keyboard keys require 4mm.

Mechanical keyboard keys are lighter, from 45-55g to press. Normal keyboard is 60-70g.

For more information, here is the Mechanical keyboard Guide
http://www.overclock.net/t/491752/mecha … guide/0_20

I'm curious, what changed your mind about the Apple keyboards? 

I go back and forth between an Apple keyboard (I have a wired one that I sometimes use on my desktop, plus I have a MacBook Pro) and a Microsoft Ergonomic Natural 4000 which replaced my much-loved original Microsoft Natural keyboard.  I've been kind of looking at the DAS Keyboard Model S...I remember my old IBM Model M fondly and always did like a "clicky" keyboard, but would prefer one that's not so loud.

Once you touch type on a mechanical keyboard for a week, you will not come back. Your fingers feel massaged all over and you can type for longer time.

For light touch and less clicky, you can try brown switches (DAS Pro Silent, ie Model S).

You know, if you're loath to DIVE into Colemak why not try WADING a little instead? The water's lovely! ;)

In my 'Big Bag Of Tricks' topic and other places on these forums I've described my Tarmak layouts, that let you change 3-4 keys at a time and end up with the full Colemak! You'll gradually get better key placements with respect to letter frequency at least. The first steps are the most important ones in this aspect so you should gain something even with the simplest Tarmak layouts (Tarmak 1 and 2 each put 3 important new keys in place on the right and left hand, respectively). However, things like hand alternation/rolling and digraph optimisation won't be fully in place until the last step (full Colemak).

It's been tried by at least one satisfied user (Ezuk) and if you're mildly interested in Colemak but not quite willing to do a great leap now and/or loathe to sacrifice a lot of speed right now it should provide you with a way to ease into goodness!

Let me know if you need any help.

Addendum: On the question of whether Colemak would be worth it and increase your speed: I think it should. Every user I've seen have experienced a speed gain, although it's uncertain how much of that stems from Colemak itself and how much stems from the training you'll inevitably get while switching. The gain in comfort and feel of typing flow is in my opinion uncontroversial however. I think you will find it to your liking as you get used to Colemak, even if you don't experience ergonomic problems!

In terms of productivity and comfort, also look into other improvements (again, see my 'Big Bag' topic): Wide or at least Angle ergonomic key placement mods, Extend mods etc. For me I think the Extend mod does as much as Colemak and maybe more in terms of workflow gain.

I realize this is an old topic, just curious to know: how did you get on, Eric?  Are you using Colemak?

I switched to Colemak maybe about 2-3'ish weeks ago and I'm really enjoying it.  I'm now typing at around mid-30s WPM.  It's definitely a step back from my ad-hock style of typing QWERTY but it's been steadily getting more fun than frustrating.

At the advice of another member on this forum I switched my layout to Colemak and removed QWERTY as an option so it would be less tempting to toggle when I start to feel impatient with my speed.  So far its helped me.