Around 90 percent of world’s population is right-handed and of those, the majority hardly notice that many of their everyday products are designed for (and by) people just like them. This means that the remaining ten percent can face daily obstacles that the right-handed community will be utterly oblivious to, from typing on a keyboard to using a can opener or a pair of scissors.
I remember the difficulty that my Ugandan friend Doryn faced when she started picking up Chinese handwriting a few years ago. The fountain and brush pens that are supposed to make Chinese characters look graceful just ended up creating mess as her left hand rubbed across the page and smeared the ink. To add to her frustration, the family’s Chinese housekeeper (and also her language tutor) believed that being left-handed was bad. So every time Doryn was spotted using her “wrong” hand to write, she would be yelled at and corrected.
If I could have my time again, I would give my friend a proper left-handed pen and tell the housekeeper not to challenge her student’s natural preference. While the exact reasons behind a person’s “handedness” are still unproven, it seems that most children are born with a natural tendency.
We are now coming to realize the importance of not attempting to change a child’s dominant hand but to instead work with it, using proper techniques and products. So in light of this, we have put together a list of the top left-handed products for sale in China.
No smudging and scratching
When writing from left to right, the left-handed writer often faces smudged letters, an obstructed view of the writing, bad ink flow and an uncomfortable grip. But there are now specially designed pens with quick-dry ink, a smooth needle tip and a “swan neck” shape that allows left-handed writers to see what they are writing. These are also useful for right-handers practicing traditional Chinese language, which is written from right to left.
Cutting more precisely
One of the most useful products in the left-handed world is scissors with the blades reversed so you can see your cutting line and make a clean incision. Although lefties can make right-handed scissors work for them, it makes a world of difference for kids just learning to cut and for tasks that require greater precision.
Typing more efficiently
On left-handed keyboards the numeric and directional arrow keys are placed on the left hand side, allowing users to make better use of their dominant hand. Right-handed people may also benefit from the keyboards as they more evenly distribute the workload between both hands. This can help prevent and relieve discomfort in the hand or arm.
Happier cooking
If your child develops an interest in cooking, don’t let them be put off by the difficulties of adapting to right-handed utensils and gadgets. They might not realize just how much easier it is to cut things using a left-handed knife. There are a wide range of specially designed left-handed kitchen accessories including measuring cups, knifes, can openers, corkscrews and cookie cutters.
Beyond necessities
As left-handed products get more advanced, designs and products go far beyond basic tools. Many iconic guitar players were left-handed – Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Tony Iommi, Kurt Cobain and many others. Back in the old days, Hendrix would just restring right-handed instruments to play left-handed and many others players followed. Today, there are a wide range of left-handed guitarists from acoustic, acoustic electric to bass electric guitars, with more advanced modifications. In the field of sports, you can even have a whole left-handed golf set.
Where to buy
Most of the products designed for left-handed are available on Amazon and taobao, click here and here for the result.
For more inspiration and left-handed products and gifts, take a look at :
www.zuolishou.com (Chinese)
