“South paws” often feel left behind. Much of the world is designed for the majority of people who are right-handed. All kinds of tools and implements can be made for left-hand use though. There are left-handed gardeners, and there are also left-handed garden tools available if you find the standard tools more difficult to use.
Why Look for Left-Handed Garden Tools?
If you are a leftie gardener living in a right-handed world, you have probably adapted well. Not just gardening, but all kinds of everyday items are generally designed from the perspective of someone who is right-handed.
You may not even notice that there is a greater challenge for you when using certain garden tools. When you get a good left-handed tool though, you’ll feel and see the difference. A tool that is designed for the way you move will get the job done more efficiently and provide better results.
Using the correct tool may also reduce pain. Working with a tool not designed for your type of movement can put stress and pressure on certain muscles, joints, and nerves. With all the time you spend working in the garden, these can add up and cause significant discomfort.
What Makes Tools for Lefties Different?
Left-handed tools, whether for the garden or not, are designed differently from most tools. Take scissors and shears, for example. Handles of many shears have different sizes on each side: one for the thumb and one for the rest of the fingers.
To accommodate this, you will have to cram your fingers into the smaller thumbhole or turn the shears upside down. This makes cutting more difficult because of how the blades are arranged.
Garden Tools for Left Handers
Shears are among the most important garden tools for anyone. Therefore, if you only buy one left-handed tool, make it this one. Your cutting and trimming will be so much easier, you can make cleaner cuts, and you’ll suffer less discomfort in your hands.
Some other leftie tools you can find include:
- Garden hoes with a different angle, making breaking up soil easier
- Utility knives designed to be worked with the left hand
- Weeding tools, making pulling weeds up by the root easier and more effective