Left hand discrimination.

[Airborne 1]

I feel for ya man...The Nuns broke me from being a Lefty a long time ago !!




2Panther

 

[toker]

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.

- It's not always that easy when you have different materials on each side. For example, some of the Kershaw framelock knives are tapped for both side carry, but people have found that the screws on not long enough for the G10/steel side of the knife.

I understand that left handed users have limited choices, but you can always have a knife tapped for left handed carry. As a right handed user, I can't stand seeing extra holes tapped in a knife that I'll never use.

 

[DosOne]

Im going to make knives someday and when I do, i will only make left hand knives. And it will be a real sweet design that everyone wanted. I will wait a real long time and then ill make like 5 right hand knives and make MILLIONS!

 

[dkb45]

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.

Look at the modern folder side, though. Most of our options are sub-$200, with the majority being sub-$100 so we are left behind for many models using super steels or cool designs.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

I'm right-handed and not in the least ambidextrous, but I still prefer ambidextrous folders for their versatility. I've messed up my right hand, wrist and arm at various points and that makes one really appreciate tools designed to be used with either hand.

 

[dkb45]

- It's not always that easy when you have different materials on each side. For example, some of the Kershaw framelock knives are tapped for both side carry, but people have found that the screws on not long enough for the G10/steel side of the knife.

I understand that left handed users have limited choices, but you can always have a knife tapped for left handed carry. As a right handed user, I can't stand seeing extra holes tapped in a knife that I'll never use.

Many knives that aren't tapped on the lefty side still have a liner that could be tapped into. The Kershaw issue is actually even easier to fix, because the screws just have to be longer. A marginally thinner scale could also make the same screw work for both sides. Of course some knives like Striders that use a single piece of G10 for the lefty side instead of a liner would have to have inset threads added, and I am not asking for that (but it would be super cool *wink nudge*). Knives like the Hinderer XM models that have a perfect design to be ambidextrous but just aren't are what I am complaining about. The cost increase is marginal, and now you have a design that doesn't isolate a portion of the market, especially because on top of lefties there are also people who carry their knife on their off side. Sure, both parties make up maybe 20% of the market, but isolating part of the market over something so trivial feels a bit insulting.

As for the screw holes, do what a fair amount of modders do and fill the holes in with something, like a glow epoxy. Now the useless holes become a cool accent. A wee bit of tape on the backside while you let it harden in the scale holes will allow the knife to be taken apart in the future. Do not just fill the hole in while the knife is together because it might fuse the scale to the liner!

 

[Krissig12]

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'...

I salute you sir:thumbup:

 

[Insipid Moniker]

- It's not always that easy when you have different materials on each side. For example, some of the Kershaw framelock knives are tapped for both side carry, but people have found that the screws on not long enough for the G10/steel side of the knife.

I understand that left handed users have limited choices, but you can always have a knife tapped for left handed carry. As a right handed user, I can't stand seeing extra holes tapped in a knife that I'll never use.

Wait until you break your arm or injure your right thumb. Then those extra holes will look glorious and beautiful.

 

[Monofletch]

I am right handed. I have been carrying a left handed Spyderco Military for a while....I just like it. It rides just fine in my right pocket!

 

[Jim85IROC]

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.

This. The whole world is right handed. As lefties, we can either piss and moan about it, or just adapt. I've never found something that I was unable to use because of my lefthandedness. Except scissors. Screw righty scissors! Guitars, guns, knives, chainsaws, whatever. I buy what I like and learn how to use it. Almost any knife can be manipulated quickly and easily with the left hand once you get used to it.

 

[Boats]

I might be more pissed off about this issue if lefties weren't essentially covered.

World class frame lock? CRK hooks you up.

Lefty EDC? Too many to list. My current ones are all ambidextrous or lefty, including a Buck Marksman, a lefty Millie, or a Spyderco Endura. Past ones include several different Benchmades, including an AFCK, 610 Rukus, and a 710.

As slip joints are not for rapid deployment, it doesn't matter to me where the nail nick is.

 

[wdh662]

It isn't like anyone is having trouble getting through life because their knife, bicycle or corkscrew are right hand dominant.

Actually left handers have more accidents and on average live about 10 years less than righties due to living in a right handed world. As for my left handedness and knives, like many have said but ambidexterous folders and go with sheath knives. easy to find or make a lefty sheath. Bread knives and rifles on the other hand.....

 

[timberweasel]

Maybe I'll swap the pocket clip on one of my folders for left-hand carry in support of my fellow knife-nuts who happen to be southpaws... because on one hand, I support Knife Rights, and on the other... Lefts!

-Brett

 

[james terrio]

If it makes you feel any better, almost all chisel-ground blades are made backwards, so they don't cut worth a hoot when used in the right hand.

I write and draw LH, but do almost everything else like a "normal" person.

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

Same here.

... left handed people make up 10% of the given population of computers and people respectively. It's not very effective for the 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.

^ This.

Lefty folders are a niche market at best, and I'd be surprised if manu's make much if any profit on them. Ambidextrous... maybe, I don't know. It seems on paper that it wouldn't be that hard, except of course for frame/liner locks... which comprise a pretty huge chunk of the market. If you don't care so much about closing the knife, and can settle for being able to carry and open it left-handed, then yeah it does seem silly to not design and include a convertible opening stud and pocket clip that can be mounted on either side. (tip-up/tip-down, too, for that matter... ).

You will have much better luck convincing fixed-blade manu's and makers to make all their sheaths ambidextrous. Many already do. Having a couple friends/clients who are left-handed, I started pondering about that some time ago. I quickly realized that it doesn't cost any more or add any difficulty to build an ambidextrous fixed-blade "flat" sheath. I do it often for my handmade knives, and pretty much consider it SOP now.

 

[@LeathermanGX]

There's a lefty Umnumzahn in the Exchange right now. Wilson combat star design. $375 is a good price too.