Why Are Lefties Forgotten By Most Makers?

I have found most knives to be ambidextrous. The problem, IMHO anyways, is when serrations are added. I think serrations are usually too short/not enough of them to be of any real use & can make a knife left or right handed, at least for me anyways. Serrations, are mostly for left handers. The flat side or unsharpened side or back side should always be on the opposite side of the hand of knife, meaning: a right handed knife should have the flat unsharpened side on the left side of blade (looking down at the spine, tip away from you). I only have one knife (out of 50+) that has serrations done right. It is the Buck Silver Creek Bait knife. The serrations are on the top of the spine & travel almost the full length. So, you have your choice to use the straight blade or the serrated blade. When a right handed person flips the handle upside down, the serrations are perfect for a right hander like me. Most all mass produced makers seem to ignore things like that. But i really like that Buck.
 
Lefty here too.

It really is a right handed world. I use a right computer mouse, use a scissors right handed, shave with either equally, right handed guns, and by virtue of most of the knife market a right handed knife.....agreed its not that big a deal though.

I was in an arm restrictor once for a long while. I became a pretty proficient right handed writer pretty quickly. But I was 17. These days who knows.

I usually wear a knife in back right pocket also.
 
I bought a left hand satin finish Military last year, along with another right hander, in all black. I carry them both since I am ambidextrous.



 
TwinStick said:
I have found most knives to be ambidextrous. The problem, IMHO anyways, is when serrations are added. I think serrations are usually too short/not enough of them to be of any real use & can make a knife left or right handed, at least for me anyways. Serrations, are mostly for left handers. The flat side or unsharpened side or back side should always be on the opposite side of the hand of knife, meaning: a right handed knife should have the flat unsharpened side on the left side of blade (looking down at the spine, tip away from you). I only have one knife (out of 50+) that has serrations done right. It is the Buck Silver Creek Bait knife. The serrations are on the top of the spine & travel almost the full length. So, you have your choice to use the straight blade or the serrated blade. When a right handed person flips the handle upside down, the serrations are perfect for a right hander like me. Most all mass produced makers seem to ignore things like that. But i really like that Buck.
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The Mission Knives MPF has the serrations correct for a right hander.

 
I carried and operated right hand knives for a few years before I got deep enough to get a lefty - what a revelation. While I can still use righties with ease- lefty CRK and Military changed my view. Now, I look for custom lefties - not easy - but can be found. Usually they come up and I missed them - but if you plan on using/carrying a knife, and are left handed (even somewhat ambidextrous) there is no comparison to a good lefty in my view. Plus why would I spend big $ on something made for people who are less creative and more obtuse? Now I would not spend more than $100 on a knife that is not at least lefty friendly, and not more than a 250 on one build specifically for 'my kind.' But the longer I am into this, the more I long for custom Lefties.
 
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The simplest solution is more knives with rear mounted bayonet clips. They ride SUPER low, which many of us nuts love, and are generally fully ambidextrous, or can be made such for little cost.

Also, knives can be made tip up ambidextrous, instead of tip up and down right. Companies could also offer low cost drilling and tapping. I wouldn't mind paying an extra $10-15 to get a knife that I really like tapped for lefty without the warranty being voided. Or just make tapping not void your warranty.
 
BenR.T. said:
I kid, some of my stag handle knives fit a left or right hand better.
I think fixed blades are a good example of makers catering to both left and right handed users though. If you think about it, a molded pistol grip is designed for either a right or left handed user. I think the same could apply to fixed blade knife handles, but is rarely seen.
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I was just messing with you, Ben.

Back in the '90s Bagwell had a couple of knives that he said were right and left hand specific. There were some that believed they just warped during heat treat.
 
I am a left handed but I have adapted to use most things with my right so I am pretty ambidextrous now. Knives have never been an issue and to be honest lefty knifes do look funny to me (as well as rifles). So IMO lefty only knifes aren't really that necessary especially when so many of us have adapted.
 
Since getting my lefty Military last year, I find myself, when I do carry only one knife, carrying the lefty version. It always confuses me when I see guy with a handgun on his right hip. Flashlight in close proximity to gun, knife clipped to right pocket, cell phone on right side somewhere. Very unbalanced, knife and flashlight should be on the opposite side of the gun. How do you draw a gun and flashlight from the same side with the same hand? And if you have a gun in your right hand, and someone is trying to disarm you, how do you draw your knife if your hand is busy? You draw lefty knife with left hand and use it to slash at the arm of the idiot trying to disarm you. Good luck if your knife is on your right side.

Prior to having the left Military, I carried r/h knives on my left side, and just turned my wrist 180 degrees clockwise when drawing the knife, so that my index finger was on the inside of the knife and my thumb on the outside, placing your hand in the proper position to open the knife correctly. No longer have to do that with a proper left hand knife.

I hope manufacturers like Spyderco, continue to offer up left hand versions of their popular knives. Or at least knives that are ambidextrous friendly. I've taught myself to become a left hand knife user in the last few years. No going back now.
 
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