Despite being a Vi/Vim user for over two decades when I switched to using Emacs, I learned the default key bindings and never looked back. It was a choice that worked well for me and I’ve never regretted it. That’s why I’m always puzzled by the frequent and loud complaints about those key bindings. One user even asked the Emacs subreddit why people use the default bindings.
Some people prefer the Vim bindings because they’re easier on the hands. Others, like Xah Lee, have completely different bindings for efficiency reasons. I understand and accept all that but I don’t understand why people think the default binding are ridiculous and make no sense.
Over at the Emacs subreddit, c17g makes the case that the defaults make perfect sense and follow an easy to understand scheme. His post strikes me as well reasoned and convincing. Others will, I’m sure, disagree but if your complaint is that the bindings are too long and hard to understand, then c17g has a cogent counter argument.
Of course, if your complaint is that the bindings aggravate your RSI then your problem is chording and one of the Vi emulation packages is certainly a better bet. If you’re like Lee and want to minimize your lifetime keystrokes, you should take a look at Fly Keys and see if they work for you.
As usual, Emacs doesn’t force any particular way of doing things on us so we can all have it our way.