Why doesn't Kershaw or ZT currently make any lefty friendly knives..........

C

clockman

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Jan 14, 2009
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Why doesn't KAI currently make any lefty or ambidextrous knives ? Spyyderco & BM both do. Roughly 10% of the people in the world are

lefties but not many knives are ambidextrous or left side lock release. I think KAI is missing a market they could be making $$ in.

I know KAI makes several models that are flippers and AO but the lock releases on the right side.

I know a lot of lefties adapt but they adapt because the have too!

I'm not left handed btw.
 
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The same can be said for a ton of stuff that's not lefty-friendly. Ever tried opening a blade on a Swiss Army Knife with your left hand? It's awkward at best. At least the flipper speedsafe design is ambidextrous. There just aren't many lefty friendly folding knives out there. I wish there were more because I recently bought a Spyderco Military lefty version because it was a lefty knife. I love it. There are a ton of knives that I want to buy but won't because they only have a right-handed thumbstud or they're just not designed for lefties to use. Even a lot of the custom knife makers on here offer right handed sheaths but don't bother to offer a left handed sheath for their fixed blades. It's a problem in the knife world and beyond. Most people are right handed so they just don't care.
 
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I actually think the liner or frame lock is reasonably ambidextrous. All you have to do is push your left index fingertip into the frame to disengage the lockbar while simultaneously pushing with your thumb. Move your finger out of the way and shift it behind to spine to close it. It's simple.

Something like a right hand only 1911 or revolver is a lot unfriendlier to southpaws.
 
A lot of my liner locks I can easily close by inverting it so the blade is up and using my thumb to disengage the liner. Then I just use my index finger to close it. Works pretty well...
 
I'm left-handed and have had less problems with Kershaw/ZT knives than any other brand. I personally think Buck is terrible for having left-hand friendly knives.
 
Nifelheim said:
Would you guys pardon my ignorance and tell me what is this knife? I friggin' love that blade... :eek:
Click to expand...

Ditto

and I feel that its not necessarily the liner/frame lock deal, but more so the ergonomics knives inherently have towards a right handed person. how many have tried opening a knife via thumbstud when its right next to the scale? its rather uncomfortable unless one has small hands.
 
That knife is an old left-handed Mini Task.

As to the original poster's question - I would say that Kershaw/ZT makes a lot of lefty friendly knives - we just don't make any fully left-handed knives.

The majority of the knives in the ZT line feature pocket clips that can be mounted tip-up/tip-down on the right or left side. The Kershaw line is a little thinner in lefty friendly products, but a lot of the new products feature clips that can be mounted on the left or right side. We're working on it, and being a lefty myself, I keep it in mind. Check out the Knockout, Echelon, Piston, Brawler, Burst, Cryo, Zing SS, and Kuro - all lefty friendly.

If you're looking for a fully left-handed knife (ie., dedicated left handed mechanism) it's not likely to happen - despite what we lefties may think, the sustained sales numbers just aren't there.
 
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