why do most right-hand scissors not work when used with the left hand?
In: Physics
There are at least three reasons:
1) The handle is shaped for a right-hander, so some (not all) can be painful to use. Many left handed scissors don’t have this shaping, making them almost usable for a right-hander. Some shops will think that having a neutral grip makes it left handed (NO).
2) You need to apply some sideways pressure to keep the blades together. The natural squeezing movement of a lefty opens RH scissors instead of closing them (again, some, mostly cheap, not all).
3) Most importantly: You can’t see the cut line without leaning over the workpiece or twisting it towards you.
None of these makes using RH scissors impossible, just a bit more awkward. If you’re a lefty, the world is just irritatingly badly designed.
The third point has parallels all over. E.g. kettles and jugs where you can’t see the measurements. Rulers and tape measures which you want to hold on the zero or are upside-down. Wristwatches where the side-button gets pressed when you bend your wrist.
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