Left hand discrimination.

Stand Straight

Stand Straight

Joined
Oct 11, 2013
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823
I don’t expect much input to my thread here but hope there will be. I basically want to vent.

In anticipation of viewing the new prototypes from the Amsterdam Meet; other knife shows/events, or for that matter, line-ups from new year’s production models, I allow my heart rate to accelerate with that anticipation only to find that a majority of the ones I find exceptional are machined for right hand carry only. I know…”quit my whining.”

Problem is if I pay the same price for a knife that I can’t access with my left dominant hand, I’m really getting the short end of the stick. Sure I can put a right hand configured knife in my left pocket risking a cut in the event that the blade opens even slightly, or fumble extracting it and turning it to a normal opening position, but that should be unnecessary.

If this were a political or social issue, I would claim an illegal and unfair prejudice. Have lefties marching in the street carrying placards of protest clogging our city’s transportation arteries. But this is the nature of the beast which happens to be economics. We lefties have dealt with the ramification of this beast our entire lives and have naturally adapted to some degree.

We aren’t asking for much. Just give us at least a left hand carry option. I think Patrick Henry said something with sentiments like this once upon a time.
 
Stand Straight said:
(...) If this were a political or social issue, I would claim an illegal and unfair prejudice. Have lefties marching in the street carrying placards of protest clogging our city’s transportation arteries. (...)
Click to expand...

Maybe write to the company and find out if they'd consider doing a lefty run if you could find enough interest for a minimum order? Seems like the task would be no more daunting than organising a massive street protest... . Just a thought. :)

-Brett
 
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I've learned to adapt to the right handed world for the most part. Most RH knives I can deal with as long as they have double studs. CRK does make LH Sebenza's in all flavors. Of course, its a challenge to find them, but they're there.
Some knives I don't even consider because they just won't adapt to a lefty.
 
I am a lefty too, and absolutely love to be-atch about it to the knife manufacturing community. Being left handed is to live with unfair discrimination, and the self righteous others will always whine at us to shut up about it. I refuse to adapt to any degree with knives. My only pricey folders are a 'Benza and a R. Flaherty, both lefties. I would never consider buying a locking knife costing over $100 that was not at least ambidextrous.

Knife makers are in business to make money, and if they don't want mine, ok by me. I only have about 100 too many knives already.

By the way, this should be a social issue. Our hands may number in the minority, but we should not be persecuted as left handed, for like the others, we too are handed, and all hands matter. So make some left handed knives.
 
If the government made knives for its citizens, and didn't make any for lefties, that would be "persecution".

Observing that every knife made by private industry doesn't work for your hands is a complaint that anyone can make. I have yet to hear anyone refer to ESEE's blocky, short and uncomfortable handles as persecution.

It sounds like there are lefty and ambi knives out there. They might be in the minority, but so are lefties, so the number match up pretty well.


It isn't like anyone is having trouble getting through life because their knife, bicycle or corkscrew are right hand dominant.
 
I discriminate against my left hand all the time..

But I know what your saying..I don't think it's intentional at all.
 
Most companies offer at least a few models with a left hand carry model. Sometimes, depending on the model, the clip can only work in one position.

Fact is... the same reason why there are no viruses for Apple computers is the same reason why there aren't more left handed knives.

Apple computers and left handed people make up 10% of the given population of computers and people respectively. It's not very effective for the virus/knife makers to dedicate resources to service such a small percentage.

On the bright side, fixed blade knives (not necessarily the sheaths though) are always ambidextrous.
 
Scurvy092 said:
Most companies offer at least a few models with a left hand carry model. Sometimes, depending on the model, the clip can only work in one position.

Fact is... the same reason why there are no viruses for Apple computers is the same reason why there aren't more left handed knives.

Apple computers and left handed people make up 10% of the given population of computers and people respectively. It's not very effective for the virus/knife makers to dedicate resources to service such a small percentage.

On the bright side, fixed blade knives (not necessarily the sheaths though) are always ambidextrous.
Click to expand...


You're misguided on your Apple virus theory. Amount of user base has nothing to do with a piece of software's inherent vulnerabilities. I work in IT. Microsoft IIS at many points has had way less user base than Apache for web servers yet more vulnerabilities. MAC OSX/BSD has less/zero viruses because it's a more secure platform and harder to write viruses for in comparison to windows that can actually replicate and do anything to the OS. Take Android and IOS as another example. IOS users outspend android users by a very large margin. It is much more profitable for my company to develop for IOS. It would be much more profitable to compromise a users IPhone than android based handset. Yet android has far more malware. It would seem that the 2 major bullshit myths that OSX doesn't have viruses because of market share and that macs cost more for a comparable machine will never die despite obvious evidence to the contrary.

There are less left handed knives because of simple market forces less ppl to sell too. They are unrelated.
 
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Suck it up lefties! You're weird, so you don't have the same rights. How hard is this to understand??

:D
 
I've gotten so used to right handed liner locks, I think a lefty version would just feel weird. But, the lack of left handed sheaths forced me into leather working. Now I have ANOTHER hobby my wife thinks is weird. :)
 
I feel worse for left-handed guitarists than I do for you.

Can't blame them though... they make products for the largest market.
 
As I righty, I can picture the frustration lefty's might feel, as I have enough trouble managing my own dexterity issues, even with everything built in my favor. Although, I recently ordered a small fixed blade. When it came, I discovered that the sheath was built for left side carry. I felt totally robbed. Then I realized that 99% of the time I have a gun on my right hip, so the few work days that I carry a fixed blade, it usually ends up on my left side anyway. Score. I went from deflation to hitting the lottery all within a few minutes of opening the package. ;)

Good luck in your campaign for "equality". :D
 
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Almost every knife would be trivial to make lefty friendly. Simply drill and tap the facing side for a clip. Many knives have ambidextrous studs when they have no lefty clips, and I just find it insulting.
 
They also don't sell size 15 shoes in the average sneaker store. A for-profit company in a reasonably free market society can't be expected to accommodate specifically for statistical minorities. Of course it sucks, but that's the way of the world. In the meantime, slipjoints and lockbacks are in no short supply. And hey, you get to comfortably use those Victorinox linerlocks.
 
Southpaw, and there are plenty of knives that are fully ambi', find them, reward those companies with your dollars, and carry on.
 
As a lefty, just a couple observations...

1. Slip joints generally have a nail nick that is less compatible for lefty usage.
2. I play guitar righty, (and have for 42 years...not that you could tell by my playing ;) ) so my more dexterous hand is actually performing the more difficult job :)
3. Since the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then it is actually the lefty that is in his/her right mind :thumbup:

Just sayin'... :D
 
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