Lefty-friendly Traditional?

As Fausto noted earlier in this thread, quite a few of the traditional mainland European patterns lack a nail-nick altogether, as indeed do friction folders the world over, and Butterfly Knives of course :)

 
Jack Black said:
As a right-hander, I haven't found my left-handed NAAFI Knife any more awkward to deal with than any of the Jacks I have with the pen behind the main blade, such as my Case Texas Jack or Charlow or with Stockman patterns. Many of my beloved Army Clasp Knives also have the nail nick on the lefty side.
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Again, it isn't about awkwardness or difficulty. I've never had any difficulty opening any knife. Some of them - primarily jacks - have to be transferred to my dominant hand after opening. It has absolutely nothing to do with difficulty it's about having something dedicated for one's dexterity. It's nice to have a knife adapt to you every now and then, than always adapting to the knife. The fact remains, if these knives came left-handed in the proportion they now come right handed, there would be a new "why are all my knives backwards?" thread posted everyday.

No lefty has difficulty with a pocket knife. We can walk and chew gum at the same time.
 
Cassander said:
No lefty has difficulty with a pocket knife. We can walk and chew gum at the same time.
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I don't think that's confined to the left-handed among us! :) The point I was making is that all of us have to adapt to different pocket knives and think before we open them. I don't have to think anymore about opening my left-handed knives than opening my right-handed knives, maybe that would be different if I only had a few knives. There do seem to be a number of left-handed designs, and I would have thought this particularly relevant with single-blade knives or jacks where the nail-nicks are on the same side. For me, I think it would be more of an issue with a sheath knife, but I take your point about it being nice to have something as personal as a pocket-knife designed just how you like it.
 
If the knife can be plucked open, the nick gives a nice purchase for my right index finger to grasp.
 
JB in SC said:
If the knife can be plucked open, the nick gives a nice purchase for my right index finger to grasp.
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Yes it does. But there really is no arguing that the nick is intended for and works better with a thumb. It's really not even debatable. What's wrong with all these "shut up, don't rock the boat" lefties!?! Stand up and demand to be counted. 👊
 
Cassander said:
Yes it does. But there really is no arguing that the nick is intended for and works better with a thumb. It's really not even debatable. What's wrong with all these "shut up, don't rock the boat" lefties!?! Stand up and demand to be counted. 👊
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Indeed. This was a depressig thread. There are a couple more of them too.
 
As a righty I must admit that it didn't cross my mind until I read this. I'm sorry you're being hard done by lefties!



I have to ask, one of my favourite and most carried patterns is the congress. How would you lefticise it?

:p

Paul
 
That's actually pretty ambidextrous. When you get up to 3+ blades it becomes far less of an issue. It really just singles and jacks that I'm personally talking about.
 
I'm a lefty. Never noticed that being a problem with any traditional folder. Fixed blade s are another matter --- and then it's the sheaths.

I have multi-blade knives with different blades pivoting on the same end of the knife but having nail nicks on different sides of the blades. The peanut in my pocket is such. Is it a left or right handed knifes?

To open the peanuts main clip blade I hold the knife in my left hand and open the blade with my right. To open the pen blade I do the same. In one case, blade edge is up. In the other case, the blade edge is down. That would be the same if I held the knife in my right hand and opened the blades with my left --- in one case, blade edge is up while in the other case, the blade edge is down.


akadave2 said:
Im a lefty...but there are still things I do "Right". One is shoot and the other is open knives.
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Everyone one should shoot based on their eye dominance. I'm cross dominate -- left handed but right eye dominate so I shoot right-handed. Doesn't matter with traditional knives excepting for fixed blade sheaths.
 
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And this is why the next slipjoint I make is going to have a left handed notch. I carry my knife in my left pocket, open by holding blade up then flipping the knife over. If I had a mill I'd do a Scagel inspired hole rather than a nick.

When Glenn does my EO tl29, that will just be pinchable, so no problems with an EO.

Btw, I'm right eye dominant. I shoot, basket ball, and golf right handed. Putt, throw and catch left handed. Also, I crochet right and left handed. Shut up, stop snickering.
 
Yea, a lot of lefties have a degree of ambidexterity. For instance, I'm left handed when throwing, writing, using a knife, tennis. But I'm right handed when shooting hoops, batting, fishing, or during two-handed tennis forehands.

You can probably guess I'm not very good at tennis.

I shoot a pistol lefty but a rifle righty. I should probably be doing both right handed cause I believe I'm right eye dominant.
 
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