Why are blades ground on the left side?

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Xacto

Joined
Jan 31, 2002
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I'm looking for a good user knife, probably a MT Socom Elite or Emerson PSARK but something bothers me... most knives seem to be built for left-handed people, and I'm right handed.

With blade serrations, chisel grinds, and one-sided sharpened blades, it seems logical to put these on the other (right-hand) side of the knife. When shaving or sharpening a stick, the blade seems awkward in the right hand. I mean, you wouldn't use a carpenter's chisel upside-down, right?

Why do they do this? Am I missing something?

:confused:
 
They do it for the sake of appearance in photographs. And it's a lousy practice.
Knives are typically pictured from the left side, so knife companies put their serrations and such on the left side when they should properly be on the right-hand side. Knife companies have some BS excuse for putting the serrations and such on the left side of the blade, but it's just a BS excuse for compromising performance and function for the sake of appearance and marketing. Sort of "Form over function".

In conclusion: Serrations and chisel grinds quite properly belong on the right-hand side of the blade, not on the left side, and I expect all knife companies to adopt this correct practice forthwith.

So there.
 
Thanks Marty for the logic. That does seem the best reason I've heard. I'm not sure if it says more about the knife companies or the people being marketed to...

I'd think Emerson/Microtech products would be more "function than form" with the military and police/rescue supposedly being such a big influence on their design.
 
I dunno... To me it seems to make sense that the serrations are facing me when I'm holding it in my right hand. I can see what I'm doing better that way.
 
AG Russel is the only one I've seen where the bevel is on the proper side, but I forget which knife.

It's for marketing as well as looks, since most users are right handed they would admire their knives by holding them in the right hand.
 
A similar question came up in the Spyderco forum. Sal said that he wanted the serrations to cut 'away' from the user. A while ago Spyderco made some left-handed only models that actually had the serrations ground on the other side.

Sounds like a bit of a conspiracy theory to say that most knife companies grind their knives a certain way because of the photographs that will later be taken of them. Frankly, I don't buy it due to some of the companies who still continue the practice of grinding on this side. After all, since when does Ernie care what you think his knives look like?

Do you really believe that some of the more function oriented companies would rather grind their knife a certain way than to just flip the knife over for the picture?
 
Sharpening is a factor too. If the edge is on the left, easier for most to figure out the right angle. At least I think that logic works.
 
I still think marty's got the best logic, however illogical or conspiracy-oriented it seems. Hell, look at everything else marketed for form over function nowadays. This could even spill over into politics...


Do any right-handed people here buy left-handed model blades because they want the chisel/serrations/edge on the other side?

:confused:
 
Do you really believe that some of the more function oriented companies would rather grind their knife a certain way than to just flip the knife over for the picture?
Click to expand...


Yes!

Think of the private/public sides of knives. Most people are righties, so you look at the LEFT side of the knife while you cut. Who wants to look at some flat, featurless side when you can stare at a nice hollow grind ow some neat-o serrations. Put a right ground knife and a left ground knife on a table and have 100 knife users walk by, and I'll bet what little cahs I have that most will pickup and stare longer at the knife that is ground on the left side. A knife user who wants 100% utility, which doesn't include aesthetic appreciation, isn't going to pic this knife up. But most of us do care about these aesthetic issues. Just look at the people who get a scratch on their knife from sharpening and their world comes to an end!

Forumite samhell made an interesting observation as well that I suspect bears some weight. Having ground out a few knives myself, and being a righty, I can tell you that grinding chisel ground knives with the grind on the left side is easier for righties than grinding them on the right side. So, Righties need grinds on the right side, but righties grind bevels on the left side easier than on the right side. Sure knife makers train their hands to be much more ambidexterous, but this does take a while to do. I wouldn'tbe surprised if many moons ago Mr. Emerson made 2 blanks for the famous CQC-6 model, ground one on the left side, and one on the right, and made a quick decision about which was easier to produce. Just to clarify, I haven't inquired about this at all, but this question arose from 2 hobby makers chatting one day.

Also, you have to be careful about what you mean when you say the knife is ground on the "wrong" side. For utility work that involves cutting away from yourself, righties want bevels on the right side. For work that involves cutting toward yourself, righties want left bevels. So actually, for fighters a knife ground on the left side is probably best, as inside slashes are much more natural and powerful to do than outside slashes! And for stabs, it probably doesn't matter too much if the bevel is on the right or left. So any knife user could actually have uses for right and left beveled knives, depending on the work they do.
 
most blades sold are symmetrically ground (hollow, flat, convex) and it does not matter what hand is dominant.

chisel grind being the major exception. I don't prefer chisel ground blades and even as a lefty I don't use them.

my wife has some japanese chef's knives and they are chisel ground on the left side. The advantage there is in chopping. the flat side is against your knuckles and the the action of the chisel grind pushes the food away from you.... enhancing ease of chopping and protecting your fingers at the same time.

as far as serrations go I do not like them on knives and have never noticed what side they were on!
 
As a left-hander, I have no complaints.:D
Although if they put those clips on the correct side at the Spyderco factory it would be nice as it would save me the 30 seconds it takes me to flip them over.;)
Who'd have thought, for once, being a lefty is a GOOD thing.:D
~Ashley~
ps. I don't even like liner locks so we are not even gonna go there.
 
I make quite a few chisel grinds and use the right side for right hand users.I also find that they make quite usable grinds for utility knives.Dave
 
Hey..

Good Question...

An Answer.....

It's Our (Lefties) Revenge for all those frigging folders made only for right handed people.... :D

ttyle

Eric...
 
Would it be so very hard to just change the point of view from where knife photographs are taken (at least for blades with serrations or a chisel grind)?
 
Quiet Storm:

You could do that, but it doesn't look as good. Many, many, many knife pics are of the left side of the knife, because regardless of the grind, that is the side that righties look at. Sure you could flip the knife around and take pics of the right side, but it doesn't look "right." And I think this is for 2 related reasons. As said already, righties look at the left side of a knife (of any object held in one hand) so there is this mental connection with seeing the left side of the knife. Also, knives photographed with the handle to the right (left side of knife) look like I could reach in, grab the handle, and start cutting. And the view of the knife wouldn't change (I'd still see that side of the knife that drew me in.) If you take pics of the right side of the knife (handle to the elft), I'd have to reach in across my body and "rotate" that knife, and I'd be looking at a different side now. All of this perspective stuff may sound like mumbo jumbo, but there is a lot of psychology behind knife pics.

I wonder if Terrill has seen this thread...
 
What you all are saying is a bunch of BS.

My Emersons work great in the right hand, they are sharp and strong and have never disappointed me yet.

Many of Ernie's knives were designed to meet the specs of the navy SEALs who specifically asked for them, and if they ever gave a damn about which side the grind was on, they would have told him, and he would have complied.
 
I tried to resist but couldn't do it. This topic has bugged me for ages. Incorrectly ground chisel edges are the product of makers and companies being to damn lazy to educate the public, and the public being ignorant morons. The chisel grind was developed and refined hundreds of years ago. To reverse it and completely stuff up the theory behind it, just to satisfy the perceptions of an uneducated market place, is nothing short of pathetic. Two wrongs do not make a right. We are not doing ourselves any favors and in the long run destroying the reputation of a trully usefull blade design. Get it right or go home. I feel better now, regards, Peter.
 
Hey..

But Peter..

They aren't ground incorrectly...Being a lefty I find them perfectly fine..:)
What you have to do is find a righty chisel ground knife...:)

There are some makers who do grind on the right side..Jeff Diotte and Brian Tighe are two that I know of...

ttyle

Eric...
 
Emerson does address this in his FAQ. Basically, he dismissively notes that "we do not cut many tomatoes" and then admits that the choice of left-side grind is based on appearance, not any functional difference. (He claims that in tests of what they consider typical usage of his knives it doesn't make a difference.)


(Addendum: also add Phill Hartsfield to the list of makers who put the chisel grind on the right side)
 
Its not about flipping the knife over for the photo.They rarely show the knife in photos from the clip or right side.Always the clipless side.Looks better cleaner lines etc.But the blade looks better from the ground side hence,left side grind right side clip.
 
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