So after viewing maybe one or two pictures on this forum I decided it was high time I stepped out of the stone age and acquired a full-size Swisstool. I've been carrying and using it for a few days and so far I like it a lot, not enough to take sexy pin-up pictures with it frolicking in the surf but well enough.
One thing I have noticed is that from a comfort perspective the handles appear to be designed to be used right-handed. Both sides of each handle are not equally as wide, the knife side is wider to accommodate the width of the blade and the stop on the tang. Although looking at it now the blade layout doesn't make sense for a rightie, wouldn't a right-handed person want the blade on the inside of the handle, toward their body instead of the other way around? Admittedly Victorinox does have some odd design cues, the left-handed liner lock on the OHT as a prime example.
Here's a picture, note how the raised portion of the right handle rests on the pad of the palm, a nice soft spot that can take a lot of pressure before any pain is felt. The raised portion of the left handle rests on the middle joint of the fingers, closer to the overall finger pivot point that, like the other handle, allows more force to be exerted without pain.
When held in the left hand the tool becomes very uncomfortable to use. The left hand juts into the center of the palm and the right handle rests on the last joint of the fingers, an area that has little padding and does not handle sqeezing force well.
There is a very noticeable comfort difference when held in the left hand, after a few seconds of use my hand starts to ache, a first during pliers use. Has anyone else experienced this or are my hands just funny like that?