# Knife for lefty?



## Greyhound (Oct 23, 2008)

I have a benchmade with the axis lock. Good knife. Just wondering if there are any other manufactuers that produce anything similar or as good. :shrug:


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## BIGIRON (Oct 23, 2008)

SAK Trekker -- the liner lock is "backwards" for us rightys, so you might like it......


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## Oddjob (Oct 23, 2008)

IIRC my Spyderco Delica was ambidextrose. It had holes on both sides of the knife for left or right sided clip and tip up or tip down carry.


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## AMRaider (Oct 23, 2008)

They are bit more expensive than most Benchmades, but Chris Reeve makes left handed Sebenzas (in addition to right handed). The framelock and clip are both made for left handed use and carry (tip up). They are top quality knives made from top quality materials (S30V and 6Al-4V). I must warn you though, if you do get a Sebenza, it will not be your last .


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## mahoney (Oct 24, 2008)

The Spyderco ball lock knives, like the D'Allara, are ambidextrous. The D'Allara is a good solid knife easily equal to the Benchmade Griptillian IMO, but it is a bigger knife when folded than the Griptillian.


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## Greyhound (Oct 24, 2008)

Awesome. Thanks everyone. I will check all these out.:thanks:


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## Chronos (Oct 24, 2008)

I know that Strider has made a few of their knives in left-handed setups too.:thumbsup:


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## Greyhound (Oct 24, 2008)

AMRaider said:


> They are bit more expensive than most Benchmades, but Chris Reeve makes left handed Sebenzas (in addition to right handed). The framelock and clip are both made for left handed use and carry (tip up). They are top quality knives made from top quality materials (S30V and 6Al-4V). I must warn you though, if you do get a Sebenza, it will not be your last .


 
Wow those are expensive. Any good deals to be had on these? Cheaper at one dealer vs another?


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## AMRaider (Oct 24, 2008)

Generally, from a dealer, you won't find one new for less than MSRP. If you are looking for a user, it might be better to pick one up 2nd hand.


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## carrot (Oct 25, 2008)

Most Spyderco's are ambidexterous (frontlock, midlock, ball lock).


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## jbosman1013 (Oct 27, 2008)

Spyderco flat ground G-10 endura.

I like the look of benchmades but after a axis lock failure and crapy eurgonomics I have taken my knife purchases else where.







I'am also a lefty.


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## guyg (Oct 27, 2008)

Chris Reeve is worth the money. It is worth saving for.


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## tx101 (Oct 29, 2008)

Save up and buy yourself a lefty Sebbie
Thats what I did






I paid full UK retail price for this, that means more than double the price of
what I would have paid if I had brought it in the US .... and I have no regrets.

Most types of locking mechanism can be used by a Southpaw, however
the biggest problem I found was the thumb stud. If the knife only had a
thumb stud on one side, it was very difficult to open. The knife must have 
studs on both sides of the blade or have a opening hole like Spydercos for
a southpaw to open.


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## Greyhound (Oct 30, 2008)

jbosman1013 said:


> Spyderco flat ground G-10 endura.
> 
> I like the look of benchmades but after a axis lock failure and crapy eurgonomics I have taken my knife purchases else where.
> 
> ...


 
Is that clip reversable? 

Oh, how did the axis lock fail? I heard examples of blades braking before the locks. Just wondering what part failed on you?


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## jbosman1013 (Nov 2, 2008)

The clip is 4 way, tip up, tip down left/right. The lock failed because it was not properly fitted from the factory but I did not know this and almost lost a finger.


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## RA40 (Nov 2, 2008)

What was the situation where the lock failed?


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## Outdoors Fanatic (Nov 14, 2008)

guyg said:


> Chris Reeve is worth the money. It is worth saving for.


Not for a hard use knife.


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## RA40 (Nov 16, 2008)

There is always a true custom/handmade.


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## wquiles (Nov 18, 2008)

RA40 said:


> What was the situation where the lock failed?



+1 I would like to know more as well. I have been using Axis lock Benchmades since they came out, and I have yet to experience "any" problem with the mechanism. 

Back on topic, knife for a lefty: For the last 5 years I have used both a Benchmade Presidio (with custom scales replacing the Al scales), and a small Sebie left-handed that I feel has an intrinsic stronger lock, but in terms of ergonomics and safety, I still prefer the ease of opening "and" closing that the Axis lock gives me. Closing a Sebenza single handed is definitely "not" as safe as with an Axis lock :shakehead That being said, I am trying to find an used large classic Sebenza :devil:

Will


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## sailingdog (Nov 19, 2008)

I'd get this one.
http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=108

:naughty:


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## kevin_d'marie (Nov 21, 2008)

How about knives from CRKT?

Not as good as benchmade or spyderco but makes good beater knives.


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## carrot (Nov 21, 2008)

Aren't almost all CRKT knives liner locks, which are right-handed? Come to think of it I'm not aware of any CRKT that are lefty-friendly.


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## wquiles (Nov 21, 2008)

carrot said:


> Aren't almost all CRKT knives liner locks, which are right-handed? Come to think of it I'm not aware of any CRKT that are lefty-friendly.



Besides that, one of my problems with CRKT knifes is the steel - once you buy a knife with a premium steel (BG-42, 154cm, S30V), you don't want anything less 

Will


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## kevin_d'marie (Nov 22, 2008)

True that wquiles

crkt needs to step it up a bit.


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## jp2515 (Nov 23, 2008)

Another Lefty here. I've come to accept using RH knives. Usually I hold the knife with my left and flip open the blade with my right. Not perfect but that's the way I've always done it. Just imagine if a right hander asks you to use your lefty knife?


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## mossyoak (Nov 23, 2008)

I'm a lefty and have had the same problem you have. The best thing I've found is the axis lock and the spyderco lockback being a close second. But I'm fairly adaptable as my sng was a righthanded model


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## schiesz (Nov 23, 2008)

Outdoors Fanatic said:


> Not for a hard use knife.



Sebenza not a hard use knife? If its not, then please tell me what is.


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## Ignoramus (Nov 23, 2008)

Outdoors Fanatic said:


> Not for a hard use knife.



I gotta disagree with this statement. The Sebenza is very well made and can do whatever you ask of a hard use folder. I'm not even a fan of the knife, the style doesn't appeal to me. It certainly looks more like a gents knife I'll give you that. The only real difference compared to say a Strider is the blade grind. 

Striders come with way thicker grinds so the blades themselves might be harder to break, but that shouldn't really be a concern on a folder. The weakest points on a folder generally speaking will be the lock, pivot pin and the blade stop- all of which should be just as strong on the Sebenza as any Strider. 

The only thing that might be considered weak*er* (not weak) on the practical level is the tip.

All this aside, to address the OP's question there are many knives which are ambidextrous and work well for lefties. SOG has the Arc Lock and Cold Steel has the Ultra Lock, both of which are very similar to the Axis Lock. Both companies pay royalties to Benchmade to use them IIRC. Spyderco has a bunch of designs that are ambidextrous. Most knives that have ambi locks also have pocket clips which can be switched for the lefty.


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## schiesz (Nov 23, 2008)

Also, to address the OP's question, you can check out some customs from southpaw-knives.com. Ira makes some really nice customs for lefties for great prices. I've considered quite a few of his for my wrong-handed brother. So far i'm not convinced he'd really appriciate it enough, so the best i've gotten him at this point is a left-handed CRKT mirage (Yes, CRKT has made a few left-handed knives, but I don't think any of them have been in production for more than a few years).


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## Outdoors Fanatic (Nov 24, 2008)

schiesz said:


> Sebenza not a hard use knife? If its not, then please tell me what is.


Zero Tolerance, hands down.


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## schiesz (Nov 24, 2008)

Outdoors Fanatic said:


> Zero Tolerance, hands down.



And what factors let you arrive at the decision that Zero Tolerance is a "Hard Use" knife, and a sebenza is not? I'd be very interested in the tests and/or reasoning that led to that opinion. Do you own both brands?

Also, i'm not intimately familiar with any of the ZT folders, but aren't they all right handed liner or frame locks? That's fine for me, but not for the OP. Personally, I feel that the sebenza will stand up to any other knives, not just left handed ones, but since thats what the OP is looking for, I don't see much help caused by stating that a knife that isn't available for them is in some way better than a knife that is available for them.


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## Elliot (Nov 24, 2008)

*Kershaw - Ken Onion Assisted* opening line - I'm lefty and have at least one of each. The assist is located right smack dab top middle. They open just as fast as any of my automatic knives. Another in a similar line is the JUNKYARD DOG II G-10 COMPOSITE Blade, very hi tech, but the blade is too big for a spring assist (still opens very fast and easy.) 

They hold the patent on the composite blades. A nice conversion starter for a mass produced item. Prices go from $30 to $60. Maybe $10 more in a B&M store.

PS: I use that nano lube stuff that I bought in the cpf market place.


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## Outdoors Fanatic (Nov 24, 2008)

schiesz said:


> And what factors let you arrive at the decision that Zero Tolerance is a "Hard Use" knife, and a sebenza is not? I'd be very interested in the tests and/or reasoning that led to that opinion. Do you own both brands?
> 
> Also, i'm not intimately familiar with any of the ZT folders, but aren't they all right handed liner or frame locks? That's fine for me, but not for the OP. Personally, I feel that the sebenza will stand up to any other knives, not just left handed ones, but since thats what the OP is looking for, I don't see much help caused by stating that a knife that isn't available for them is in some way better than a knife that is available for them.


You can see the tests and reviews at Blade Forums, Knife Tests and Cutlery Science. Some Chris Reeves knives with S30V blades suffer of some kind of heat-treatment issue and have failed miserably (broken, chipped) under mild abuse-- including fixed blade knives supposedly made for the Special Forces Operators. While they are fine knives with fantastic fit and finish, they are not hard-use tools by any means.

Yes, I own a ZT0300 and I beat the hell out it. I traded my Sebenza for a Busse, now that's a hard-use knife!


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## schiesz (Nov 24, 2008)

I am on bladeforums pretty much daily, and have been searching knife tests (no folder tests that I could find) and i'm still not quite sure what you are talking about. Breaking a knife by hammering it into concrete or batoning into a railroad track aren't exactly in the realm of things I worry about with my knives. I remember seeing one report of someone batoning with their sebenza, then later that day a screw fell out of the handle. If these are the basis of declaring a sebenza unfit under mild abuse, we can agree to disagree.

There was a micro-chipping issue known with S30V, but that's hardly considered "failed miserably" in my book. I can't really even comment on the S30V since none of my sebenzas use that steel, but i've never even seen a report of a failed blade on a sebenza of any steel.

Sure, any Busse is a hard use knife, but its not a folder, and I didn't even see the OP mention he was going to be really hard on it. 

To be completely fair, I don't have any ZT knives. I'm sure they are tough. I'm sure they can take abuse, possibly much more than a sebenza. I have had some tough looking knives too (Carillo and Coogler), but I don't think they are stronger than a sebenza by any measurable amount. 

So, Back on topic:

The question here is about a left handed folder. If you were left handed and looking for a folder, what would you choose?

If I could spend the money, i'd choose the sebenza. If not, i'd probably look into one of Ira's customs that I linked above. And if I wanted to go cheaper than that, i'd get a lockback or axis lock that's ambidextrious.

The toughest use that my knives ever see is batoning, and I can do that with my sebenza (available left handed), bucks (lockback), spyderco (lockback), or mini grip (axis) without much worry. My large sebenza is the only one that I will really wail on, just because the others aren't really big enough to be good for the task. I have no fear of using the large sebenza for anything, and it has never let me down. My old Buck 110s get beat on sometimes, but I try not to really hit it hard when batoning because I know the blade pivot is brass (or nickel silver on a few) and not the strongest thing around.

If you really need a strong knife for these tough tasks, i'd suggest a fixed blade.


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## jzmtl (Nov 24, 2008)

I think it's very much unrealistic to suggest sebenza to someone who's looking for knives. It's like suggest a spy 007 to a newbie looking for pocketable flashlights. It's very much in the boutique category for collectors who buy into that sort of thing, not the other 99% of the population where much cheaper solutions work just as well if not better.


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## wquiles (Nov 24, 2008)

jzmtl said:


> I think it's very much unrealistic to suggest sebenza to someone who's looking for knives. It's like suggest a spy 007 to a newbie looking for pocketable flashlights. It's very much in the boutique category for collectors who buy into that sort of thing, not the other 99% of the population where much cheaper solutions work just as well if not better.



That is a very good point - not everyone is ready/willing to pay for a Sebenza. Everyone at the office who sees my Small Sebenza is marveled by it, "until" they ask how much was it :devil:

For the money, for a lefty, it is hard to beat a good Benchmade with the Axis lock (I own 3 of them!!!) 

Will


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## schiesz (Nov 24, 2008)

jzmtl said:


> I think it's very much unrealistic to suggest sebenza to someone who's looking for knives.



I totally agree. The OP said they had a Benchmade axis lock and wanted to know if there is anything else that is as good. For a lefty, its slim pick'ins to meet those requirements.


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## Art Vandelay (Nov 24, 2008)

Many of the new Spyderco knives have 4 way clips (Tip up, Tip down, left, right). Most of the new Spydercos are good for the left handed and even better for the ambidextrous.


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## Greyhound (Nov 24, 2008)

I am gonna look at the spydercos now. Have picked up several benchmades now. Love them. 

BTW- if anyone knows where I can find a model hk14200, please let me know. All the 20+ vendors that I have called that advertise it in stock on line, do not have it.


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## jzmtl (Nov 24, 2008)

Spydercos are often love/hate, you either love the shape or hate them. I was in the latter camp, but now in former.


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## tx101 (Nov 25, 2008)

I had this knife until recently (gave it to another lefty CPFer)












Its an old style Benchmade AFCK .... left handed :devil:


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## Greyhound (Nov 25, 2008)

do you know what model that is?


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## tx101 (Nov 26, 2008)

I believe it is a Model 800 AFCK


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## mossyoak (Nov 26, 2008)

Outdoors Fanatic said:


> Zero Tolerance, hands down.



It's an over built prybar that been sharpened I would take a chris reeve over a zero tolerance for hard cutting anyday the seb is way more thought out and better built


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## Outdoors Fanatic (Nov 26, 2008)

mossyoak said:


> It's an over built prybar that been sharpened I would take a chris reeve over a zero tolerance for hard cutting anyday the seb is way more thought out and better built


That's so ghey bro... I take you'd also get a sissy overornamented "gentleman knife" over a Busse.


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## schiesz (Nov 26, 2008)

Outdoors Fanatic said:


> That's so ghey bro... I take you'd also get a sissy overornamented "gentleman knife" over a Busse.



I think you will find that Mossy's opinion is going to be pretty standard for most people that know a thing or two about knives. :shrug: Sebenza's are the standard other high end production folding knives are judged against. I rarely see anyone who has bad things to say about them. Maybe that they cost too much. Maybe they prefer something else, but i've never heard anyone call a sebenza a _sissy overornamented "gentleman knife"_. I guess there is always someone who prefers to call people names.

And I hate to keep mentioning it, but this thread is about LEFT HANDED knives and you haven't mentioned one yet.


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## mossyoak (Nov 26, 2008)

Outdoors Fanatic said:


> That's so ghey bro... I take you'd also get a sissy overornamented "gentleman knife" over a Busse.



Damn straight I would. And I would have traded my SnG for a lefty any day of the week.


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## carrot (Nov 27, 2008)

Outdoors Fanatic said:


> That's so ghey bro... I take you'd also get a sissy overornamented "gentleman knife" over a Busse.


There's no reason my "sissy gentleman's knife" can't hang with the big guys.






However, I will never buy a folder to do a fixed blade's job.



.


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## mossyoak (Nov 27, 2008)

I really don't see why you say that its overornamented anyways. I have seen a lot more superfluous stuff on busse's and ZT's than I have ever seen on a sebenza unless you get a custom. Everything on a Seb has its place and reason for being. 
Explain to me tigar striping and flamed titanium... They don't serve a true purpose except to look badass. Which they do with flying colors.


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## philip heap (Dec 23, 2008)

I've made do with conventional Reeve's for 15 years.
largest (third) finger can engage with the thumb stud and open the knife.
tried a lefty 21 small seb last week.
It felt like coming home.
If you can get a dedicated lefty, do so.
If not, I'd rather have a right handed Reeve than any other folder.


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