Re: Explain the difference between left handed scissors and right handed.

Hello, and thanks very much for a great question!

People often frown or laugh when they hear of the concept of left and 
right-handed scissors, but there is a very definite difference and it's 
all down to a science called ergonomics. Ergonomics is the study of the 
interaction of objects and devices with their users and is responsible for 
the size, shape, and performance of just about every manufactured item 
around us. The size of a steering wheel, the height of a chair, how far 
the bell-push on your front door is from the ground.... All these things 
have been thought about in such a way as to make their use as comfortable 
as possible for their user.

Hold a conventional pair of scissors in your right hand and a piece of 
paper in your left. Open the scissors, line them up with the paper, and 
notice that you can see the inside of the upper blade of the pair of 
scissors. This makes it easy to line up the join of the blades with the 
ruled line you wish to cut along and therefore enhance the accuracy of the 
cut. Now swap hands with the scissors and the paper so that the scissors 
are in your left hand. Line the scissors up against the paper again and 
notice that you now see the outside edge of the upper blade and that it is 
less comfortable and easy to follow your line on the paper. No matter how 
you orientate the scissors, this is always the case. 

A pair of left-handed scissors are made such that the blades are a mirror 
copy of the ones you are holding. Buy a pair (if you need them). Now if 
you repeat the experiment, you will see that the reverse is true and that 
a left hander can cut with all the comfort and accuracy of a right-hander.

But mind the fingers on the other hand!

Cheers!
Justin.