HANDEDNESS: A Left Perspective on Knives

Southpaws make up only about 10% of the world’s population and few manufacturers go out of their way to produce products intended for left-handed use. Knives are no exception – there are countless designs from across the industry that come configured for right-handed carry only. Will Huslig, a 24-year old knife enthusiast from Texas illuminates the perspective of left-handed knife people everywhere.

Left Handed Knives Are Hard to Find
If a knife doesn’t have a left-handed carry option, Huslig isn’t comfortable buying it for everyday use. “I usually base my decision on if the clip has a tip-up lefty option for an EDC model,” Huslig says. “I immediately swap the clip before even attempting to carry a new blade.” And finding knives that he likes that meet that requirement isn’t easy. “I really want a Marfione Sigil or a Strider SnG with a lefty option in particular,” he says. “The SnG lefty has been made, but is impossible to find without trading an arm and a leg.”

Finding left-handed fixed blades isn’t any easier because most production sheaths are set up for right handed carry. Huslig did mentioned one system that worked for him, a now-discontinued model from Ontario Knife Company: “I had particular luck with my Ontario Afghan‘s ambidextrous sheath.”

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Nobody Wants Your Left-Handed Knives
Not only are lefty-friendly knives harder to find, they’re harder to sell. If Huslig decides to sell a knife from his collection, having swapped the clip to the left-handed side will cost him. “It is almost impossible to get full trade value down the road due to the surface scratches a right-handed user would find after switching the clip back to the right side,” reported Huslig.

What Works Best?
Since Huslig got his first knife, a small Victorinox keychain model from his grandfather when he was six years old, he’s figured out what works best for him. “Liner locks are hit and miss and lock-backs are awkward for all users with an EDC purpose in mind,” he says. “The most ambidextrous option has got to be the Benchmade AXIS system.” But Huslig’s personal favorite these days are out-the-front knives, an ambidextrous design that recently became broadly legal to carry in his home state of Texas. “I am in love with the work of Anthony Marfione. The Executive Scarab, Troodon, and Ultratech have the top 3 places in my rotation. They are a seamless fit for both lefty and righty users and [it’s] extremely easy to switch between [them].”

Huslig acknowledges that it can be frustrating to be left handed in a right handed world. “Imagine going to a [guitar] convention at Dallas Convention Center and only having the ability to handle 4 models in an entire day in a room of 25,000 guitars. Unless you are left-handed, you will never realize the struggle of having pencil lead or ink streaks across your hand and on papers, how terrible spiral notebooks are, how hard it is to find good knives, guitars, golf clubs, etc.”

Knife featured in image: Microtech Scarab