Why is that left-handed?
It is not always clear why some of our products are left-handed
and what benefits left-handers receive from using them rather than
the usual right-handed versions. Here we explain what it is all
about. We are continuing to add information to this page, and if
there are particular items you would like us to include more
details on,
email us at
ideas@anythingleft-handed.co.uk
Scissors
The blades on left-handed scissors are set so that, whichever
way up you hold them, the left blade is always on top. This means
that the cutting action of the left hand pushes the blades together
to give a smooth cut the whole length of the blades and also that a
left-hander has a clear view of the cutting line.
When a left-hander uses right-handed scissors, they have to push
the thumb and index finger together in an unnatural way to make the
scissors cut, causing marks on the hand and eventually callouses.
Also, they have to look over the top blade, which obscures the
cutting line. With properly designed left-handed scissors these
problems do not arise, as your natural cutting action matches that
of the scissors. Just hold the scissors straight and naturally and
do not try to twist the blades. After a short time, you will be
completely comfortable with your new scissors and wonder how you
put up with misusing right-handed scissors for so long! All our
scissors are fully left-handed with blades reversed and left hand
moulded grips.
A word of warning! As we have explained, it is not possible to make
"ambidextrous scissors", although many manufacturers claim their
scissors are "universal" or "suitable for left and right hand use".
This only refers to the handles, which have not been moulded to fit
the right hand knuckle, but they have no advantage for left-handers
whatsoever. Rather than buy them, you might be better writing a
strongly worded complaint to the manufacturer! (see our FAQ section
for more info.)
LEFT-HANDED SCISSORS
With the blades reversed so the left blade is on top, you can see
the cutting line and the blades have a proper cutting action when
squeezed together. The grips are moulded to fit comfortably around
the thumb joint.
|
RIGHT-HANDED SCISSORS
The top blade covers the cutting line so you usually end up cutting
inside it. The blades are pushed apart by the left handed squeezing
movement and the paper bends between the blades. Also, the handle
shape is very uncomfortable and leaves marks on the left thumb
|
Mug
 |
We have a selection of mugs - some with slogans and
images printed so they can be seen by the drinker when held in the
left hand (unlike normal slogans!) and a range of "Ugly Mugs"
(shown here) which have a "face" protruding from one side, making
it impossible to drink from this mug if you hold it in the right
hand! |
Clocks and Watches
 |
Left-handers are very good at reversing images in
our heads, and as children often do it unintentionally - writing
backwards or "mirror writing" which they can read effortlessly.
Although not exclusively a left-handed phenomenon, the ability to
read a backwards clock face is easier for us than the majority.
They also make great gifts - for people who want to see time run
backwards! |
Knives
If you always cut bread slices that start off wafer thin and end
up as doorstop wedges, it is probably because of the bread knife
you use. A right-handed knife has the serrations on the left side
of the blade, so that they counteract the natural twisting motion
of the hand to give a straight cut. A left-hander has problems with
these knives as the effect of the hand twisting and the serrations
combine to give a curved cut. All of our left-handed knives have
the serrations n the right side of the blade to avoid this
problem.
THE RIGHT WAY
The serrations are on the right side of the blade to counterbalance
the natural twisting motion of the left hand, thus giving a
straight cut.
|
THE WRONG WAY
The serrations on a normal bread knife exaggerate the natural
twisting motion of the left hand leading to a curved slice and an
overhanging loaf.
|
Grapefruit knife
| |
The blade is serrated so that when the knife is
held in the left hand, the grapefruit can be cut in an
anti-clockwise direction, towards you. |
Pastry fork
| |
This stainless steel fork has the flat edge
reversed, so you can slice off and spear a mouth-sized piece
elegantly in one movement, without spinning the fork round to do
so. |
Pastry slice
| |
As you hold the pastry fork, the
serration is along the right edge, so you can cut, then slide under
the slice and serve in one easy movement, with your left hand. |
Peeler
|
The best motion for peeling vegetables is to move the peeler
towards the body. This is not possible with a right-handed peeler
held in the left hand as the cutting edge is facing the wrong way.
For this reason, many left-handers have developed a technique for
peeling vegetables moving the peeler away from the body, and have
the scraped knuckles to prove it!
Our peelers are either fully left-handed or double-edged so they
can be used in either direction.
|
Tin opener
|
|
No more spills! A left-handed tin opener is held in
the right hand and the rotary handle turned away from you with the
left hand, on the left side of the tin - allowing left-handers to
use their stronger and more comfortable hand. |
|
| Using a left-handed opener gives more comfort &
control. |
|
Positioning is awkward when using a right-handed
opener. |
Corkscrew
| |
A left-handed corkscrew has a screw which turns
anti-clockwise - a natural motion for a left-hander. The waiter's
corkscrews also have a small-bladed knife for removing the foil
from the bottles. |
Fish slice
| |
Slices, turners and spatulas all have an edge
angled correctly for left-handers to stir and flip with ease. |
Ladle
| |
Our ladles have lips on the right of the bowl (as
you hold it) to facilitate easy and accurate pouring from the
left. |
Saucepan
 |
Anyone trying to pour from a traditional milk pan using their
left hand knows that it can not only be awkward but downright
dangerous, as you have to pour backwards, as in this picture.
Our non-stick milk pan has the pouring lip on the right (as you
hold it) so left-handers can pour in the correct direction.
|
Secateurs
| |
There are two types of secateur blades: anvil and
bypass. It is the bypass secateurs (which have a cutting action
similar to a scissor) that particularly benefit from a left-handed
design. With the blades reversed and hand grips comfortably
positioned for left-hand use, the cut is clean and sharp - vital to
prevent damage to the plant and possible infection. Among our range
are the Felco Pruning Shears, considered to be the best in the
world. The Felco Pruning Shear with Revolving Handle was recently
tested in "The Independent" newspaper who stated "These are
brilliant shears, for professionals and keen amateurs alike, which
really could last a lifetime". |
Sickle
| |
Sickles are still favoured by many gardeners to
tackle awkward, overgrown land, and with the blade sharpened on the
reverse edge, this left-handed version allows the left-to-right
cutting action to slice through vegetation easily. |
Scythe
| |
The blade arch is reversed on this traditional
scythe to allow a steady, rhythmic cutting action when leading with
the left hand. |
Measuring tape
| |
Left-handers usually hold the measure in their left hand and
pull with the right, but the numbers are always upside down! That's
why our range of measuring tapes have the scale (in imperial and
metric) running from right to left. Our range includes a
dressmakers tape, 3m retractable and 7.5m heavy duty steel
retractable measure.
|
Craft knives
 |
The blade on a craft knife is
extremely sharp, so the correct design and a comfortable secure
grip in the left-hand is absolutely vital. Our craft knives have a
trapezoid shaped blade with a dual edge so it can be easily set up
before use to work for a left-hander, and the blade position
changed for a right-hander if required. Our Safety Retractable
Blade uses the left thumb to push out the blade for use, but the
pressure whilst cutting keep the blade out without any further use
of the thumb. Once the blade is lifted from the cutting surface,
the blade automatically retracts back into the handle. The
auto-locking craft knife has the same shaped blade, but can be
locked into 5 different cutting positions. Comfortable non-slip
rubber grip makes these knives strong, accurate and comfortable to
use. Both are ideal for cutting paper, cardboard, carpet and all
arts & crafts.
CAUTION: Blade extremely sharp. Handle with care. Keep out of reach
of children. |
Plasterer's float
 |
A plasterers float needs to move smoothly in one direction,
normally from right-to-left for a right-hander, and has the
feathered cutouts on the trailing edge and top edge.
This is completely useless for a left-hander moving the float
from left-to-right so ours is made back-to front, with the trailing
edges on the top and the left.
|
Fountain pen
| |
"How can a pen be left-handed?" is a question we hear all
the time. Well, writing with a fountain pen can be a real problem
for left-handers, as we are pushing the pen across the page rather
than pulling it, which leads to difficulty with ink flow and the
possibility of the nib digging into the paper. The problem is
greatly alleviated by the use of a left-handed nib. Most of our
pens have a rounded ball on the end of the nib that is machined to
give smooth ink flow writing left-handed from almost any angle.
Nibs are either fine or medium as stated in the product
descriptions. Some people prefer a wider nib to produce italic
script and will like our italic/oblique nib pens.
It is important to remember, however, that handwriting position
is just as important as a well designed pen. For help with common
handwriting problems, see our Handwriting Factsheet.
|
Calligraphy pen
| |
Our range of Calligraphy Sets have left-hand
interchangeable nibs in a range of widths, to enable you to develop
your skills and express your ideas through beautiful calligraphic
designs. |
Pencil
| |
Apart from the Handhugger pencils (see
below) our pencils are traditional, apart from one important
difference .... the slogan on them (Left-Handers Do It Right!) is
printed the other way up so you can read it in your left
hand!! |
Ruler
 |
A real asset for drawing precise measurements,
because our rulers are scaled from right to left, which is the
direction we have to draw a line, so the nib doesn't jar on the
paper and our hand doesn't cover the measurements - simple! |
Pencil sharpener
| |
The advantages of a left-handed sharpener are that
the pencil remains held in the left hand and is turned away from
you in the natural, anti-clockwise motion .... and the shavings
fall away from the body and not in your lap! |
Hand Hugger triangular pens
| |
Handhuggers are a great innovation by Berol, as
they help small children develop a good "tripod" grip. They are
pens and pencils with over-sized triangular shaped barrels which
are easier for little hands to manoeuvre and grip. They are
suitable for all children, but are particularly useful for
encouraging left-handers to hold the pencil correctly - between the
first two fingers and resting on the third - which they often find
difficult to do. (See our Handwriting Factsheet for more tips on helping
children with their writing). |
Pencil grips
| |
As with the "Handhugger" pencils above, pencil
grips slide over traditional sized pencils to encourage children to
hold the pen between the first three fingers rather than gripping
it tight in a fist or curling their arm into a "hook". It can also
be positioned accurately on the pencil to position the hand at the
correct distance from the point. |
Notepad
| |
We designed this as the perfect telephone jotter
pad, as it is glued down the right edge for easy removal of sheets
whilst writing with the left hand. |
Ring binder
| |
Students often complain because the ring binder in
folders is just where they need their hand to go to write! The
solution is a ring binder with the binding on the right side of
the A4 writing pad - well away from your left hand when taking
notes. It takes a standard A4 pad, put in back page first, so the
margin is on the right, but the holes are on the left -
simple!
We are currently looking for a supplier for this item. If you know where we can get them, please let us know using the form on our Find New Items page |
Conference folder
| |
When you open up this folder, you will find the A4
lined pad on the left side, with the pen holder to the left of it.
This makes taking notes so much easier, especially during seminars
or exhibitions as you can write comfortably on your lap or standing
up without the contents of the opposite side falling all over the
floor!The right side is fitted with sleeves to hold loose papers,
brochures and business cards. |
Address book
| |
Left-handers tend to hold books in their right hand
and thumb the pages with their left, which is why the little
address book has become such a firm favourite! It opens in reverse
and has the alphabetic index cut on the right edge, to select with
your left thumb, open then write all in one easy movement - no more
fumbling on the phone!
We are currently looking for a supplier for this item. If you know where we can get them, please let us know using the form on our Find New Items page |
Golf clubs
| |
The angled faces on golf clubs have to face in the
direction of the swing or a disastrous result will follow! A
left-handed golfer swings the club from left-to-right and needs to
have specially made golf clubs with the face angles reversed in
order to get the ball off the floor. |
Baseball Mit
| |
A left-handed thrower needs the catching mit on the
right-hand, so it needs to be designed to fit, with the padding in
all the correct places. |
Guitar
| |
A truly left-handed guitar not only has the strings reversed but
all other parts as well, to produce an acceptable tone. However
this is an expensive option and one which becomes more important
the more advanced your playing becomes. Anything Left-Handed have
chosen a Fender Acoustic Guitar to include in their range, as it is
not only a beautiful instrument, but an ideal starter guitar at a
realistic price.
Few music shops have a good selection of left-handed guitars,
but here are some that do:-
Lefties Guitars (Holiday Music Ltd) tel: 020 8556 3000
Peter Cook's Guitar World - Tel: 020 8840 1244
Teaching a left-hander to play need not be an arduous task. Sit
the left-handed pupil opposite the right-handed teacher so it is
like looking at a mirror - a simple and effective way to learn.
Sadly, we have heard of some teachers actually refusing to teach
left-handed guitar! If you are under pressure to "conform" to
right-handed playing, we would advise you change your teacher, not
your playing preference! You may end up being a competent right
handed player, but think how fantastic you would have been using
your natural hand!
Left-handed guitar books, tutorial and chord sheet provide
information on playing position, tuning and chords.
|
Music
| |
A few years ago, two left-handed professional rock
musicians, Tot Taylor and Mick Bass produced a "reverse" keyboard
with the notes ascending from the right - a more natural direction
for them to play. They set about composing music that felt and
sounded great to play, and the result is the album "Music for the
Left-Handed". |
Boomerang
 |
Anything Left-Handed stock a range of left-handed
boomerangs and they are an item that always leads to great hilarity
- from right and left-handers alike. However, they are very
different to the right-handed versions, indeed they have to be
designed completely backwards or they would dive into the floor
rather than flying! But first, why does a boomerang "boomerang" at
all? |
Each arm of a boomerang is shaped like the wing of an aeroplane,
with a rounded leading edge and a sharpened trailing edge. The
upper edge is longer than the lower edge which leads to a low
pressure area above the wing (as originally established by a
scientist called Bernoulli who had this principle named after him).
Therefore, as it rotates, the boomerang produces a lifting force
called "aerodynamic lift". A spinning boomerang acts as a gyroscope
and the combination of the aerodynamic lift and the gyroscopic
effect produces an effect called "precession" which determines the
flight path of the boomerang. Overall, these effects make for a
very stable and accurate flying object, which is why it gained its
popularity as a hunting weapon. The boomerang now enjoys general
popularity and is used in fiercely contested competitions
throughout the world.
A typical boomerang flight can last 8 to 10 seconds and the
boomerang may travel 30m out and back in a curved flight pattern.
The boomerang travels at about 60 mph and spins at about 10
revolutions per second (600 rpm).
The shape of the "wings" of the boomerang is critical and, if a
right-handed boomerang is thrown with the left hand, the leading
and trailing edges are reversed and it produces negative lift -
causing it to hit the floor very quickly! A specially designed
left-handed boomerang avoids this problem. The Skyrider boomerang
is suitable for older children and adults, whilst the Trailblazer
(pictured) is a long-range weighted boomerang for more experienced
throwers.
Playing cards
| |
Traditional playing cards only have the number on
two diagonal corners, which become covered up when cards are fanned
in the left hand! "Left-hand friendly" playing cards have the
number on all four corners, so that everyone can play! |
Swiss army knife
| |
Pocket knives have "thumb-nail" machinings in the
blades to make it easy to open the blades from the body of the
knife. A left-handed pocket knife has the machinings on the other
side of the blade so that you can hold the body of the knife in the
left hand ready for use and open the blade with the right thumb.
More advanced knives like the Swiss army knives also have things
like scissors, corkscrews and nail files built in and these also
need to be made left-handed (scissor blades reversed, corkscrew
motion anti-clockwise and nail file machining on the other side of
the blade).
We are currently looking for a supplier for this item. If you know where we can get them, please let us know using the form on our Find New Items page |
|
View Basket
US Visitors click here
Left Handed Shop 
