Esc is the bad one in my view, but I never press it at all while using vim. This comes down to two factors:
- I use "jk", typed quickly, to exit insert mode. Most vim users I know use either this or "jj".
- I have rebound Caps Lock to Ctrl, and in the few situations where I would otherwise hit Esc, I hit Ctrl-C, which causes much less strain. (This is technically different than Esc, but the difference doesn't usually matter; if it's necessary, Ctrl-[ functions exactly the same as Esc.)
- I use "jk", typed quickly, to exit insert mode. Most vim users I know use either this or "jj".
- I have rebound Caps Lock to Ctrl, and in the few situations where I would otherwise hit Esc, I hit Ctrl-C, which causes much less strain. (This is technically different than Esc, but the difference doesn't usually matter; if it's necessary, Ctrl-[ functions exactly the same as Esc.)