So tired of cutting myself - left handed kitchen knives?

[Lady Florida.]

I'm so tired of cutting myself during food prep because I have to cut towards me in order to use the knife and have it actually cut well. Anyone know of a good set of kitchen knives that are also beveled properly to cut left handed? Bill @Spy Car IIRC you're not left handed but I was hoping you might have a suggestion. There are too many choices that come up in a search and too many mixed reviews when I do look at a certain set. Hoping The Hive can help save my fingers. 

[Jann in TX]

My husband is left handed and has no trouble with our Cutco knives... I got mine off of ebay...

[Arcadia]

I use my santoku knives with either hand for food prep without issues. I am ambidextrous.

[gardenmom5]

My daughter has never had an issue with her knives.  (for all I know, neither has my dsil).

I would suggest quality knives - knives shouldn't favor one side or the other.   

do you actually sharpen your own knives?  do you buy serrated knives that you can't sharpen?

we have old chicago cultery (with the walnut handles), and some wusthof's I really like.  the henkels are whatever.  dh sharpens them himself.  the bevel is the same on both sides.  

 

eta: you're more likely to cut yourself if your knives are dull, because they're working so much harder to cut and they're more likely to slip.

Edited April 1, 2021 by gardenmom5

[fairfarmhand]

As a lefty, I have never had problems with knives unless they were dull. I use very sharp rada knives.

[marbel]

I had no idea that knives were right- or left-handed. 

Look into Kevlar gloves for protection when cutting (if you don't find knives that work well for you). I am left-handed and I do cut myself, but only when I am moving too fast or using poor technique.  Note I am not accusing anyone else of poor technique. Just saying that there are lots of reasons people cut themselves with knives.. and kevlar gloves are very helpful. 

[Lady Florida.]

Yes we sharpen our knives. For those who are wondering, also yes knives can favor right handed people. Quote from the article, bolding mine. My chef's knife is fine but a chef's knife doesn't do everything. Other knives are needed and I want ones that are left hand friendly.

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/left-handed-cook

"While most kitchen tools can be operated ambilaterally, the ones that are, by definition, unilateral are always designed for righties by default.

I also think my fellow lefties should be aware that not all knives are designed to be left-compatible. Some knife makers, like Shun, design their handles to be gripped specifically in the right hand (although, to be fair, I think you can special order a left-handed handle from Shun). But even if the handle is neutral, the blades of some specialty Japanese knives are “single bevel,” meaning sharpened only on one side. Typically, because most people cut from the right side, the left side of the blade is flat while the right side is sharpened at a fairly steep angle. Most chef’s knives are sharpened 50/50, or the same angle on both sides, but it’s worth being on the lookout for knives where lefties need not apply."

Edited April 2, 2021 by Lady Florida.

[Lady Florida.]

34 minutes ago, marbel said:

I had no idea that knives were right- or left-handed. 

Look into Kevlar gloves for protection when cutting (if you don't find knives that work well for you). I am left-handed and I do cut myself, but only when I am moving too fast or using poor technique.  Note I am not accusing anyone else of poor technique. Just saying that there are lots of reasons people cut themselves with knives.. and kevlar gloves are very helpful. 

I have the gloves. I want a knife that I can use to cut away from my right hand and not towards it. A proper bevel will allow that. Mine say they're 50/50 but I don't think they are. I think they favor the righty. 

1 hour ago, gardenmom5 said:

 

  do you buy serrated knives that you can't sharpen?

 

Ugh. Don't even get me started on serrated knives. I don't bother with them. 

[Arcadia]

11 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

 

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/left-handed-cook

"I also think my fellow lefties should be aware that not all knives are designed to be left-compatible. Some knife makers, like Shun, design their handles to be gripped specifically in the right hand (although, to be fair, I think you can special order a left-handed handle from Shun). But even if the handle is neutral, the blades of some specialty Japanese knives are “single bevel,” meaning sharpened only on one side."

 

3 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

. A proper bevel will allow that. Mine say they're 50/50 but I don't think they are. I think they favor the righty. 

Do you have a Zwilling outlet store? I do find some cleavers favor the right when I try their samples. I mainly tried the cleavers because I was looking for two (normal and small size).

[Tanaqui]

Quote

I would suggest quality knives - knives shouldn't favor one side or the other.   

European style knives don't. Japanese style knives do.

[Wildcat]

I swear, the things I learn on this site! I never thought about left/right handles or single/double sided bevel, but now that I know there is such a thing, it makes sense as to why I (a lefty) find some knives uncomfortable and hard to use.

OP, I have used the cheap multi-colored knives from Costco (around $20 for a set of eight various knives or something like that) for years without issue.

 

[Lady Florida.]

1 hour ago, Wildcat said:

I swear, the things I learn on this site! I never thought about left/right handles or single/double sided bevel, but now that I know there is such a thing, it makes sense as to why I (a lefty) find some knives uncomfortable and hard to use.

OP, I have used the cheap multi-colored knives from Costco (around $20 for a set of eight various knives or something like that) for years without issue.

 

And scissors. We've been led to believe if the handles are comfortable for us lefties then they can be used to cut accurately by us. Not true. The blade on scissors matters too. I do have good left handed scissors that allow me to cut accurately. Try using so called ambidextrous scissors to cut exactly on a line and you'll see what I mean. It's especially important if you sew and want to cut a pattern correctly. 

End of rant. Back to my knife search. 😄

[Spy Car]

What about trying to find a single-edged Japanese knife (or two) that are ground for lefties?

I would imagine that trying to fillet with a wrong handed knife (or even 50/50) would be among the most vexing tasks, so a left-handed sashimi knife might be a nice add.

Not sure what you have and what your needs are? Doubt I'd buy a "set," but would look at your collection, think of your "needs," then fill in with speciality knives that make you happy.

Bill

[Spy Car]

 

I know nothing about the website Honcho knives, and sorry that this post looks like spam, but they offer a wide range of single-edged Japanese knives ground for left-handers. 

Bill

 

MH-AMS-H0-200LYanagiba(Sashimi)200mm (7.9in.)322mm (12.7in.)117gSingle edged

MH-AMS-H0-240LYanagiba(Sashimi)240mm (9.4in.)365mm (14.4in.)139gSingle edged

MH-AMS-H0-270LYanagiba(Sashimi)270mm (10.6in.)410mm (16.1in.)172gSingle edged

MH-AMS-H1-200LTakohiki(Sashimi)200mm (7.9in.)321mm (12.6in.)106gSingle edged

MH-AMS-H1-240LTakohiki(Sashimi)240mm (9.4in.)366mm (14.4in.)121gSingle edged

MH-AMS-H2-120LDeba Knife120mm (4.7in.)242mm (9.5in.)131gSingle edged

MH-AMS-H2-135LDeba Knife135mm (5.3in.)252mm (9.9in.)183gSingle edged

MH-AMS-H2-150LDeba Knife150mm (5.9in.)275mm (10.8in.)217gSingle edged

MH-AMS-H2-165LDeba Knife165mm (6.5in.)285mm (11.2in.)225gSingle edged

MH-AMS-H2-180LDeba Knife180mm (7.1in.)310mm (12.2in.)275gSingle edged

MH-AMS-H2-210LDeba Knife210mm (8.3in.)340mm (13.4in.)412gSingle edged

MH-AMS-H8-165LUsuba(Vegetable)165mm (6.5in.)295mm (11.6in.)176gSingle edged

Edited April 2, 2021 by Spy Car

[Lady Florida.]

Thanks Bill. I know a set isn't the way to go so I need to look at what I want and choose the knives that best fit. I'm the only lefty in the house so we won't be getting rid of our current knives, just adding to them.

[Spy Car]

3 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

Thanks Bill. I know a set isn't the way to go so I need to look at what I want and choose the knives that best fit. I'm the only lefty in the house so we won't be getting rid of our current knives, just adding to them.

I'd think about which tasks/jobs are most unsatisfactory at the moment and aim at fixing the big problems first.

A few well-chosen selections should make food prep more enjoyable.

Bill

[Wildcat]

1 hour ago, Lady Florida. said:

And scissors. We've been led to believe if the handles are comfortable for us lefties then they can be used to cut accurately by us. Not true. The blade on scissors matters too. I do have good left handed scissors that allow me to cut accurately. Try using so called ambidextrous scissors to cut exactly on a line and you'll see what I mean. It's especially important if you sew and want to cut a pattern correctly. 

End of rant. Back to my knife search. 😄

Word. I feel lucky to have been sort of forced into learning to cut with my right hand in the 5th grade, even though it didn't feel lucky at the time. That was the year the school 'magically' ran out of funds to buy leftie scissors (this was mid-70s when schools still supplied things like scissors, paper, pencils, and one box of 8 crayons for each student) and our small town had no where to buy them, so it was either learn to cut like a right-handed person or sit there during art doing nothing, so learn I did. Art was my favorite subject and I wasn't going to miss that!   Like you, I tried the ambidextrous ones and they were a joke.

I just realized, though, that I use regular scissors and cut (really well!) with my right hand, but if I use a roller wheel (or even a pizza cutter), I use my left. Huh.

It's hard being left-handed in a world where things are designed for righties. Don't even get me started on irons with the cords coming off the side as opposed to straight out the back. Or ladles with only one pour spout. Or slanted spatulas where the slant is all wrong for me. Or, or, or.... LOL.

Good luck with your knife search!

[Arcadia]

35 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

 I know a set isn't the way to go so I need to look at what I want and choose the knives that best fit.

Which tasks gives you the most problems? For me it is getting nice thin slices of radishes /fish/meat. So I only need to invest in a sashimi knife and a Chinese/Japanese cleaver. 

1 hour ago, Lady Florida. said:

. Try using so called ambidextrous scissors to cut exactly on a line and you'll see what I mean. It's especially important if you sew and want to cut a pattern correctly. 

 

3 minutes ago, Wildcat said:

Word. I feel lucky to have been sort of forced into learning to cut with my right hand in the 5th grade, even though it didn't feel lucky at the time. That was the year the school 'magically' ran out of funds to buy leftie scissors (this was mid-70s when schools still supplied things like scissors, paper, pencils, and one box of 8 crayons for each student) and our small town had no where to buy them, so it was either learn to cut like a right-handed person or sit there during art doing nothing, so learn I did.

Art was okay. I could use a blade/penknife instead of scissors. Cutting cloth for home economics class was when I just use my right hand (or bring home and let my aunts do the cloth cutting). 

[Spy Car]

A "price is right" ($32) left-handed sashimi knife:

Bill

https://www.amazon.com/Mercer-Culinary-Collection-Handed-Sashimi/dp/B00DT1XRMK/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=left%2Bhanded%2Bknives&qid=1617385627&s=home-garden&sr=1-6&th=1

[Spy Car]

A lefty Deba for $42:

https://www.amazon.com/CUTLERY-Narihira-Knife-Left-handed-FC-83/dp/B009VV3X7Q/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=left%2Bhanded%2Bknives&qid=1617385929&s=home-garden&sr=1-4

Edited April 2, 2021 by Spy Car

[happi duck]

2 hours ago, Wildcat said:

Word. I feel lucky to have been sort of forced into learning to cut with my right hand in the 5th grade, even though it didn't feel lucky at the time. That was the year the school 'magically' ran out of funds to buy leftie scissors (this was mid-70s when schools still supplied things like scissors, paper, pencils, and one box of 8 crayons for each student) and our small town had no where to buy them, so it was either learn to cut like a right-handed person or sit there during art doing nothing, so learn I did. Art was my favorite subject and I wasn't going to miss that!   Like you, I tried the ambidextrous ones and they were a joke.

I just realized, though, that I use regular scissors and cut (really well!) with my right hand, but if I use a roller wheel (or even a pizza cutter), I use my left. Huh.

It's hard being left-handed in a world where things are designed for righties. Don't even get me started on irons with the cords coming off the side as opposed to straight out the back. Or ladles with only one pour spout. Or slanted spatulas where the slant is all wrong for me. Or, or, or.... LOL.

Good luck with your knife search!

I'm a lefty but I learned to do a bunch of stuff righty out of necessity too!

[Lady Florida.]

3 hours ago, Wildcat said:

Word. I feel lucky to have been sort of forced into learning to cut with my right hand in the 5th grade, even though it didn't feel lucky at the time. That was the year the school 'magically' ran out of funds to buy leftie scissors (this was mid-70s when schools still supplied things like scissors, paper, pencils, and one box of 8 crayons for each student) and our small town had no where to buy them, so it was either learn to cut like a right-handed person or sit there during art doing nothing, so learn I did. Art was my favorite subject and I wasn't going to miss that!   Like you, I tried the ambidextrous ones and they were a joke.

 

They didn't do left handed scissors in my 1960s Catholic school. There were a few in the public school once I was put in ps due to lack of tuition money, but not many. A few of my high school classrooms had left handed desks and if there was another lefty in your class it was a matter of who got to class first. I remember the first time I saw a left handed spiral notebook at the college bookstore and was so excited. 

3 hours ago, Spy Car said:

A "price is right" ($32) left-handed sashimi knife:

Bill

https://www.amazon.com/Mercer-Culinary-Collection-Handed-Sashimi/dp/B00DT1XRMK/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=left%2Bhanded%2Bknives&qid=1617385627&s=home-garden&sr=1-6&th=1

 

3 hours ago, Spy Car said:

A lefty Deba for $42:

https://www.amazon.com/CUTLERY-Narihira-Knife-Left-handed-FC-83/dp/B009VV3X7Q/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=left%2Bhanded%2Bknives&qid=1617385929&s=home-garden&sr=1-4

Thanks Bill. We haven't bought knives in so long that even with a search I'm not familiar with most of the brands. I could get some that look great online and are crap when they arrive. 

57 minutes ago, happi duck said:

I'm a lefty but I learned to do a bunch of stuff righty out of necessity too!

I wonder what makes some lefties more able to do stuff right handed. Did some learn out of necessity or are some more ambidextrous than others? I'm very left handed. I'm terrible at softball/baseball because I both throw AND catch left handed. I have to catch the ball with the mitt on my left hand, take it off, and throw it. By that time a runner is halfway home. 😄 I knit true left handed, play guitar and crochet. The one thing I don't do left handed ironically given the the topic of this thread, is cut my food on my plate. I do European style and cut my food with my right hand and use my fork in my left to eat with. That's probably because knives cut better right handed so that's one of those adjustments to a right handed society things. 

I do think my FOO contributed to how very left handed I am. My aunt is naturally left handed but was forced in school to be right handed back when that was common. My mother saw how it affected her kid sister and with both my brother and me she handed everything to us in the middle when we were babies and let us choose which hand to use. Once she learned I was in fact left handed she encouraged me to do as much with my left as possible in a right handed world. That might be why I'm not good with my right hand. 

3 hours ago, Arcadia said:

Which tasks gives you the most problems? For me it is getting nice thin slices of radishes /fish/meat. So I only need to invest in a sashimi knife and a Chinese/Japanese cleaver. 

Slicing anything thin gives me problems but I have the most trouble when trying to trim fat off meat such as a roast. 

[rocassie]

We have a set of Simply Calphalon.  DH is a left and I am a right.  Looking at the knit set, the handles are simple and symmetrical (no grips, indentations for thumbs, etc.)  Also the blades appear to be the same on both sides for the exception of the serrated utlity knife.  Our knife sharpener allows for the knifes to be sharpened either edge.  DH usually does the sharpening as he is better at getting both sides.  Hopefully you find something that works well for you.

[Arcadia]

52 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

 

I wonder what makes some lefties more able to do stuff right handed. Did some learn out of necessity or are some more ambidextrous than others?

...

Slicing anything thin gives me problems but I have the most trouble when trying to trim fat off meat such as a roast. 

My teens are right handed but can be ambidextrous. I was born left handed and learn to be ambidextrous. My husband is purely right handed.

I end up trimming fat off meat with kitchen scissors. 

[Lady Florida.]

4 hours ago, Arcadia said:

 

I end up trimming fat off meat with kitchen scissors. 

I never thought of that. Will have to try it.