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Spring Swapping


Spring Swapping.

It's not a new concept. Steno users with hobbyist keyboards do this all the time.

Should I?

Should you invest your time, money, and effort into swapping your springs? It depends on your skill level.

If you are a beginner, swapping to lighter springs will probably just frustrate you more. Accuracy is really important. Light springs can help with speed, but it can come at the cost of accuracy. Maybe wait until you start to get better before swapping out your springs.

If you are more advanced, consider swapping your springs. They are a life saver. Your fingers will thank you.

Why?

Why do we swap springs? The simple answer is that it's just easier to press lighter keys.

Switch weights add up cumulatively. Pressing two 60 gram switches with one hand puts 120 grams of force on that hand. This happens because of a phenomena called physics. Lighter springs help alleviate this.

Where to buy

Great. Where can I find light springs? Check out this website under worldwide official partners to find a vendor near you.

Here is some info:

15 gram springs: The lightest you should go for MX switches. Very light, almost too light. Sometimes the switches struggle popping back up reliably. Still not bad though. I got this the first time around and I had to spend some time adjusting to the spring weight. Switches will actuate if you rest your fingers on the keys.

20 gram springs: Recommended by Charley from stenomod.blogspot.com. Not too light, but just light enough. A good middle ground between 35 and 15 grams.

35 gram springs: Default springs in the Uni. Probably the best for beginners. It won't actuate even if you lightly rest your fingers on the board. But it's light enough for your fingers not to get fatigued too quickly.

How to swap your springs

Video by me:


Conclusion

Avid users of steno should definitely consider swapping springs. Beginners, not so much.
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