The Takeaway:
1. Our Pick: Brawler Speedsafe Folding Pocket Knife
2. Runner-Up: Chicago EDC Pocket Knife by Spyderco
3. Also Great: Multifunctional Pocket Knife by Blizetec
A good pocket knife is a standby item to carry regardless of where you live. Not only is it your go-to tool for odd-cutting tasks, but it’s also your last measure in self-defense. This makes an easy-to-operate pocket knife that you can carry wherever you wish essential.
However, as many left-handed people have encountered, finding a good quality left-handed pocket knife is often easier said than done. Sure, you could make do with any old knife and learn to fumble it open with your right hand as you’ve done with numerous other tools that weren’t designed with left-handed users in mind. But it makes far more sense that when you purchase your next knife, you get one that meets your needs.
To that end, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best ambidextrous and left-handed pocket knives. This distinction is found in simple details such as dual thumb studs or a repositionable belt clip that really contribute to basic usability for left-handed users.
Our top pick is the Brawler by Kershaw Knives. Keep reading to see if you agree with us.
Our Pick: Brawler Speedsafe Folding Ambidextrous Pocket Knife by Kershaw
The Kershaw 1990X Brawler left-handed pocket knife was designed with ultimate usability in mind, as seen throughout the careful modifications to its otherwise fairly standard design.
The blade style is based upon a tanto style yet features a swaged and sharpened spine to provide you with an even more effective tool for piercing. The blade edge is clean and straight, making for an excellent edge for cutting, slicing, and baring down while cutting through tougher objects.
While the blade length is just 3 inches, this allows it to meet daily carry laws in some locations better. The blade is also made of Martensitic steel, renowned for its strength, great edge retention and corrosion resistance, and yet surprisingly easy sharpening. It also has a black oxide coating that further increases the corrosion resistance and protects the blade.
Closed, it measures just 4.1 inches with an overall weight of 3.9 ounces. The handle is made of glass-filled nylon and is distinctly shaped to fit your hand comfortably. It has a dropped heel and is slightly angled, with texturization along both sides. It also features jimping where the handle meets the blade to provide better traction when performing fine-detailed tasks.
Why it’s a great knife?
What contributes to this being a great left-handed pocket knife is that it features dual thumb studs along the base of the blade. This allows this knife to be opened with either the right or left hand and with either the thumb or the index finger.
The belt clip is also removable and can be positioned on either side of the handle so that the knife is positioned point up or down — that’s four positions total.
Other great features of this knife include the clever design of the flipper, becoming a finger guard to offer extra protection while working. It also has a spring-assisted open that enables SpeedSafe for quick deployment. Pull back on the flipper with any finger or even your thumb to release the blade for an easy one-handed opening.
Runner-Up: Chicago EDC Right or Left-Handed Pocket Knife by Spyderco
This compact pocket knife was designed to specifically meet the everyday carry laws of Chicago and other metropolitan locations that require a pocket knife to have a blade of no more than 2 inches in length. But don’t let that blade length fool you! This feisty knife can hold its own compared to larger left-handed pocket knives.
The Chicago G-10 Plain Edge Knife blade is made of 440C stainless steel. This particular alloy has higher amounts of chromium, making it incredibly corrosion-resistant and providing great hardness. Yet, this steel is still fairly easy to sharpen, even if you’ve never sharpened a knife before.
The blade features a drop point, but given the shorter length, it has a leaf-like appearance. There is a hole at the base of the blade, near the handle, rather than a thumb stud, which allows you to easily open this pocket knife with either hand by pushing your thumb into the hole and then rotating your thumb to open the knife.
The handle is made of skeletonized liners and G-10 scales, a type of fiberglass that is favored for knife handles as it is impervious to water, oil, and some acids. The handle features two finger grooves and a dropped heel for an ergonomic design that allows you to use this knife comfortably.
While it’s not a spring-assisted pocket knife, the Michael Walker LinerLock holds the knife securely open and keeps the knife from opening in your pocket. The pocket clip can be repositioned to either side of the handle and is extra long to clip this knife deep within your pocket.
Also Great: Multifunctional Ambidextrous Pocket Knife by Blizetec
This is a multifunction pocket knife that boasts 14 different functions. This extreme versatility in a pocket knife makes it incredibly useful as an everyday carry and allows it to be used comfortably by right or left-handed users.
The design is based on the classic style of the Swiss Army knife, and each blade and attachment is made of 420J2 stainless steel. This particular steel has a great balance among everything you want in a knife blade: easy to sharpen, good edge retention and corrosion resistance, and durable.
The Ambidextrous Pocket Knife blade is a standard drop point with a clean edge (as you would expect with a multifunction pocket knife) and measures just 2.5 inches long -making it a lawful everyday carry in most locations, including many metropolitan areas.
The handle is made of anodized aluminum and measures 3.74 inches when closed. With the blade out, this left-handed pocket knife measures 6.2 inches. The total weight is 4.26 ounces.
This pocket knife does not have a belt clip. However, it does have both a safety hook attachment (so you could clip it to a belt loop or even your keychain) and it comes with a nylon sheath with a belt loop.
The included functions of this pocket knife are as follows: knife blade, safety hook, leather punch, Phillips screwdriver, nail file with nail cleaner tip, thread loop, corkscrew, bottle opener with standard screwdriver head, can opener, saw, fish scaler, and scissors.
Honorable Mention: Drifter Knife by Columbia River Knife & Tool
The Drifter is a solid pocket knife with a great price that makes it an easy consideration for your everyday carry pocket knife.
Features and Specifications
The blade is made of 8Cr14MoV Martensitic steel, known for its great corrosion resistance, toughness, and excellent edge retention. It’s 2.875 inches long, while the handle measures 3.25 inches.
The handle is also made of stainless steel (specifically 2Cr13,) giving this pocket knife a bit of heft and a solid hand feels. The handle is also finished with flat titanium nitride, allowing the handle to be screen printed or engraved.
The blade has a swaged drop point that gives it a good point for fine tasks and piercing. A slight belly on the blade allows this knife to be used as a hunting knife. Dual thumb studs at the base of the blade allow this pocket knife to be opened with your right or left hand easily.
This knife has an open length of 6.5 inches and weighs just 3.2 ounces. It does have a belt clip located on the reverse side. This knife is part of a series, and you can find this same style of knife in larger sizes, with G-10 scales on the handle and even with a half-serrated blade edge. Each knife boasts the same quality of craftsmanship, comfortable left-handed use, and great price.
Final Thoughts on Left-Handed Pocket Knife Review
Each of the knives we reviewed above will work great for someone looking for left-handed pocket knives. But, we had to select one for the best left-handed pocket knife.
Ultimately, the Brawler by Kershaw Knives was an easy choice thanks to the ambidextrous opening and a belt clip that could be easily repositioned in four different ways. This allows you to personalize the basic functionality of this knife, which determines the likelihood of you getting your money’s worth out of a knife and whether or not it becomes your go-to knife.
We’d also like to give a special shout-out to Spyderco’s Chicago. Despite its size, the Chicago is one heck of a knife with a great blade and a design that makes it not only truly functional but puts it in a league of its own.
Reference and Resources
- Kershaw, Official Brand Website.
- Spyderco, Official Brand Website.
- BlizeTec, Official Brand Website.
- CRKT, Official Brand Website.
- Self-Defense Overview, FindLaw.
- Choosing a Knife, No Nonsense Self-Defense.