"3yy (vs. select block, right-click -> 'Copy')"

Yeah, but then you're stuck counting lines. Whereas with a mouse, you just click and drag exactly what you want.

"p (vs. right-click > 'Paste')"

This is more difficult if you've copied whole lines but want to paste inside a line or replace text with your paste.

I love me some vim, but I do think it's easy to think we're faster than we are. I wonder if I recorded myself and then watched it if I'd think I was as fast as I feel that I am.

> Yeah, but then you're stuck counting lines.

:set relativenumber

> This is more difficult if you've copied whole lines but want to paste inside a line

I agree, but the case where I want to copy multiple lines and have the first line start in the middle of a line is very rare in the languages I use.

> or replace text with your paste

That's what Visual mode is for. Personally, I find pressing Shift-V then j a few times is usually easier for line selection than acquiring the left line-selection margin or finding the end of the text.

In these cases I wouldn't say it's faster as much as I would consistent and easier. I do find myself having to clean up slight mistakes more often with mousing than I do vim commands.

V[movement]y

As opposed to:

point-click-drag, CMD-X, scroll, point-click, CMD-V

Or for replacing a word at an arbitrary location with other text: scroll, point-double-click, type.

Eschewing a tool for "purity's" sake is not a virtue.