Review: Lefty's: The Left-Handed Store

Reviewer: Jackie Snider

Central California is my family’s favorite vacation area. Whenever we go, we always make time to head into San Francisco and become tourists for the day. The best place to do that is Pier 39! One of my first stops there is Lefty’s. Lefty’s is retailer of left-hander specific products. It opened its doors, the first time, in 1978 as the country’s first store to cater to left-handers.
 

As a left-hander, you normally have to make do with everyday products that are made with right-hander dynamics. It’s kind of hard to understand if you have not dealt with it. Many everyday items from scissors, can-openers, notebooks, measuring cups and everything in between, are often backwards to a left-hander. Lefty’s has all of these, as well as many novelty items available.

I was sent the Deluxe Leather Portfolio Gift Set.  It included  the deluxe Padfolio with Yoropen, Left-Handed Calendar, Left-Handed Scissors and Left-Handed Mousepad.  It was like Christmas in my mailbox the day it arrived!  This set retails for $100 when purchased all together.

 The padfolio is pebbled leather on the outside and soft paisley fabric lined inside. It zips all the way around, and when opened the 50-page legal pad is on the left! 

On the right are three slots for loose-leaf paper and a business card slot. In the center is a penholder and comes with their YuroPen. I have loved using this! 

I’m a little unsure if it’s the pen or the writing pad being on the left side, or maybe even a mix of the two, but my writing is neat for the first time in my life, and it is straight across! Left-handers are notorious for our slanted writing. We often have to turn a notebook sideways to create the left side that this provides. 

This padfolio makes me feel very professional. They have similar ones that even hold a tablet inside. I’m a big fan of this padfolio and carry it nearly everywhere I go! If purchased alone, it retails $68.
 

The YoroPen with black ink that came with it is wonderful! It has a triangular grip that can be rotated and comfortably used by both left and right-handers ergonomically. It has a hooked neck design, which is ideal for a few reasons. Firstly, it prevents hand smudging that is synonymous with lefties. 

Left-hander’s glide across the words that are already written, causing ink smudges on the sides of our hands. The way this pen is held stops that from occurring. 

Another amazing attribute is that I can finally see what I am writing! Again, the hook places your hand in way that it is up off the paper, no longer blocking your words. It took a little getting used to the first few minutes but after that, I found it very comfortable and beyond practical. 

The pen comes with one ink refill, which is nice because it is odd-shaped and would be hard to find otherwise. I practiced taking it apart to see how hard it was to refill, and it is a lot easier than I thought it would be! Purchased alone it retails for $14.95.
 

The next item was something I’ve desperately needed! Left-handed scissors! Growing up, both of my parents were left-handed. Out of four children in the house, I was the only lefty. Which means whenever my mom’s expensive scissors went missing, there was no question that I was the culprit. However I never took the time to buy my own pair, so for many years I’ve been stuck with right-hander scissors whenever I need them. 

To a lefty, normal scissors are backwards oriented. They include a large hole for your fingers, and a smaller hole for thumb. If you flip them, the blades are upside down and don’t cut well. Usually you end up flipping your wrist, causing uncomfortable hand cramps. These scissors are my favorite colors, red and black as an added perk. I am so happy to finally own a pair! Bought alone they retail for $11.95

The next two items are novelty, but I loved having them! The first was a mouse pad with great artwork of the San Francisco bridge and one of my favorite sayings- “I may be left-handed, but I’m always right!”
Unfortunately I just use the track pad on my laptop so I have no use for its intended purpose. However, It’s so pretty I’m just going to hang it up on the wall!
 

The last item is a 2014 Left-Handed day-to-day calendar. While it has no specific uses as a left-hander, it is filled with lefty facts, stories and even daily birthdays. It has a kickstand and sits perfectly on my desk. The only downside is that I have to wait a whole month to be able to use it! This calendar retails for $17.50.


I absolutely love everything this store sells. Every time I have gone to the store to shop I end up buying a ton of gifts for my mom, and nothing for myself. I have bought my mom a spiral notebook among other things; the spiral is on the opposite side, with the pages oriented appropriately. 

Another fun item I’ve purchased as a gift, that I hope to own one day is their left-handers coffee mug! It’s wonderful; it has a small hole at the top of one side of the cup. So if a righty tries to use it, their drink would spill out of the hole onto them before reaching there mouths. Left-handers only!


Lefty’s has three locations including Pier 39 in San Francisco, Downtown Disney in FL and another location in Florida. However, all products can be found on their online store as well.


Lefty's on Facebook
Lefty's San Francisco Website 

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This post was originally posted at WAHM Review and is being cross posted here by the original author.  I received no monetary compensation for this review, however I was provided with the product for free for purposes of review.  All opinions are my own. Click here see our full disclosure policy.