[g-wizz]

I use to wonder the same thing myself before I started using Vim.

Now I'm not a Vim expert but if I had to sum up the benefits, I would say that it allows you to keep your hands on the keyboard _and_ your fingers on the home row the entire time when programming. It's a subtle usability benefit that means that I can use more of my cognitive resources on the programming logic when I don't have to take my eyes off the screen to find the mouse, reach for the mouse, bring my eyes back to the screen, use the mouse and place my hands back on the keyboard. This is a bigger distraction than it sounds.

I know most editors have keyboard shortcuts but for me the user experience is just not the same as Vim's and I didn't fully appreciate this until I was reasonably proficient at using it.

Edit: formatting