Best multitool for lefties?

[Ryo Saeba]

I'm wondering what works best left handed folks? I've always enjoyed watching my brothers frustration when he borrows my wingman or buck Xtract since they're both pretty awkward for a southpaw to use.

Are there any tools that that work well left handed or can be modded to leftie friendly?

[Grant Lamontagne]

The LM OHT is not a bad choice.  All of the tools on it are one handed operating but whet they don't tell you is that due to placement on tool, half of them are right handed accessible and the other half are left hand accessible.

Def

Sent from my smurfing hunk of techno sorcery

[Ryo Saeba]

I was thinking about that but can you move the tools around so that the plain edge blade is the main blade for left hand use?

[AimlessWanderer]

The 108mm Victorinox SAKs seem to be biased more towards left handed use - certainly for knife and lock placement. I'm not a leftie, but this place is over run with them  so there's be plenty of opinions coming soon 

[Aloha]

I'm a lefty and have found the well worked in tools on my Surge/Wave work fine.  I use my middle finger to open the PE knife then reach over with my thumb to fully open it.  I also think the non OHO LMs ( Rebar, ST300/200/original/, PST etc ) are not biased towards lefties or the oddball righties  .

I do have to admit tho I'm ambidextrous and can manage using the scissors with my right pretty well on all tools.

The Swisstool also is non lefty or righty biased.       

[Lynn LeFey]

Most work pretty well left handed.

The Victorinox One-Hand Trekker seems almost custom made for left handers. It's the first REALLY comfortable OHO blade I've had. I assume this is the same along the entire 111mm line that have one-hand opening blades.

While it takes a tad more effort, I agree with Aloha about the Wave. If the tension on the blade pivot screw is correct, it's not too difficult to open it left handed. Mine works fine, if not quite as fast as for right handers.

There are LOTS of tools that don't much favor one handedness, but I find OHO blades and Scissors are two areas where you DO notice it.

EDIT: While it's not an MT, I also found Spyderco knives very left-hand friendly. They seem fully ambidextrous.

[Chako]

I would suggest a Buck X-Tract. Can be used both handed, and everything only needs one to access it.

[neillcurrie]

I would suggest a Buck X-Tract. Can be used both handed, and everything only needs one to access it.

I was surprised that you said that.
I went and checked mine out: how do you open the blade left-handed? Other tools on it are manageable left handed, but not that.

[Chako]

I don't seem to have any problems with opening the knife blade. 

[Syncop8r]

I would suggest a Buck X-Tract. Can be used both handed, and everything only needs one to access it.

I've always enjoyed watching my brothers frustration when he borrows my wingman or buck Xtract since they're both pretty awkward for a southpaw to use.

[Higgins617]

I'm a lefty, but I always use my right hand to open knives, after you do it a few times it becomes just as easy as it would be lefty.

[Chako]

Yeah...no idea what the issue is. I can easily open the blade with the first finger of my left hand.

[Cupboard]

You must have better luck than me, my X-Tract is my most difficult knife to open even for a right hander!
I have no problems opening my Wave or Skeletool left handed or using a 111mm SAK right handed.

The other approach is to use something like a Rebar that isn't OHO so it makes no difference if you're right, left or anything else handed.

[Corwyn]

The 108mm Victorinox SAKs seem to be biased more towards left handed use

^^ 111 mm ^^

[pietervn]

G'Day,

Another Lefty here.

I have swapped some of the older LM's blades around to try and suite all of us in our right mind.  The problem though is that the nail nick is usually against another tool or against the scales, making it more difficult to open. The result was I just swapped them back.

I have learned to open knife blades with my right hand, and just swap the tool to my left hand, you quickly get used to it.

I'd love to have a lefty Surge or Charge, please Uncle Tim?

Cheers,

Pete

[Yalius]

The Kershaw Funxions are 100% one-handable sinister...

[AimlessWanderer]

The 108mm Victorinox SAKs seem to be biased more towards left handed use

^^ 111 mm ^^

  Yes, sorry - a bit of a brain fart there 

[Gareth]

Another leftie checking in. 

TBH, other than the 111mm Victorinox knives others have already mentioned I can't think of a specific one that is out and out better for a leftie.   I did try and adapt a Sidekick to a left handed opener (swapping the saw and blade), but it's not a direct switch.

Personally I just tend to use my middle finger like this:



I've never had any issue that I can remember with any MT that isn't OHO.  So the likes of a Victorinox Spirit, Leatherman Rebar, Gerber MP400 or MP600 etc etc are all perfectly OK for either hand.

[dks]

there you go:

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php?topic=43012.25



    

 

[Aloha]

@Gareth thats exactly how I open my Wave and Surge  great demonstration.

[av8r1]

I'm a southpaw, and I have no problem with my Skeletool.  I stow the tool in my right hip pocket and often end up swapping the tool into my left hand as part of the opening process.

Sometimes I do have to open the blade with my left hand.  You use your index finger in the thumb hole to push the blade open.  The Skeletool is ideal for this among Leatherman's offerings for this because the thumb hole is much larger than those on the Wave or Wingman.

[Grant Lamontagne]

The folks at Leatherman once told me that the difficulty with making left handed tools was due to the amount of work involved in grinding the blade ends "backwards" so they open on the opposite side.   It doesn't sound like much, but apparently it's not as easy as, say not cutting an OH opening hole.

Def

Sent from my smurfing hunk of techno sorcery

[zoidberg]

The folks at Leatherman once told me that the difficulty with making left handed tools was due to the amount of work involved in grinding the blade ends "backwards" so they open on the opposite side.   It doesn't sound like much, but apparently it's not as easy as, say not cutting an OH opening hole.

Def

Sent from my smurfing hunk of techno sorcery

Because it isn't.  I happened across this file which will go into a lefty build.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I'm not arguing, I'm just telling you all what I was told.  My questions was basically posed as "Why isn't there a left handed OH Leatherman model, but there are special models for for Denmark?"  It occurred to me that lefties worldwide would be a bigger market than Denmark (no offense to anyone in Denmark) but apparently not enough to justify the extra effort involved to grind blades the other way.

Def

[zoidberg]

I'm not arguing, I'm just telling you all what I was told.  My questions was basically posed as "Why isn't there a left handed OH Leatherman model, but there are special models for for Denmark?"  It occurred to me that lefties worldwide would be a bigger market than Denmark (no offense to anyone in Denmark) but apparently not enough to justify the extra effort involved to grind blades the other way.

Def

I get that. I do wonder sometimes why companies do things though. Like earlier today I was looking at the serrated blades on different tools. The SwissTool and Surge have the grind on the same side but place the blades on the opposite sides of the handle. The MP600 has the grind on the other side, when compared with the Rebar again the blades are on opposite sides of the handle. We know why can openers are placed where they are but why aren't the chisel blades on the SwissTool and Spirit put in the same place on the other handle.

[AimlessWanderer]

I gave my left handed Father a left handed Wenger SAK for his birthday this evening ... then sat there watching him struggle to open and close everything right handed 

[Gareth]

I do like the idea of getting a left handed Wenger, but I suspect I'd find it just as tricky as your Father does

[AimlessWanderer]

Well, the poor bugger has been forced to work many household items right handed for nearly 65 years, so I completely understand. Still funny though