What are the best pens for left-handers? Left-handedness is less common than right-handedness, some 10% of the world population are left-handers. Studies found out that left-handed people are more skillful when performing tasks than those who are using their right hands. In many European languages, the word “right” was considered proper or correct.
Throughout the past centuries and at least some of today’s tradition, being left-handed is still considered negative. They have been considered unlucky or even malicious for being different from the right-handed majority.
Every 13th day of August, International Left-Handers Day is held annually. It was founded by Left-Handers Club in 1992. International Left-handers Day is an annual event when left-handers around the world can celebrate their left-handedness and hopefully increase the public awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of being left-handed. Being left-handed is not just having a negative connotation but they also believe that it has an advantage.
Being left-handed is not just common to ordinary people. In fact, some big names in Hollywood have it. Some of the famous individuals that are known left-handed are Leonardo Da Vinci, Lewis Caroll, Albert Einstein, Paul McCartney, and Winston Churchill.
As mentioned, many studies suggest that about 10% of the global population is left-handed. Therefore there is no surprise that the designs of everyday tools and objects seem to be created just for right-handed people, often without realizing the difficulties incurred by left-handed.
Most gadgets, office supplies, cooking supplies, and various other objects are normally made for right handed-folks. Such examples of these are the pens at the bank that are always attached on the right side. Desks with the chair are attached to the right side. The number pad on the keyboard is on the right, so it’s not helpful for lefties. The camera’s buttons are always on the right.
Writing left in a right-handed world is a real challenge. The text flows from left to right. If left-handers follow along with the hand behind the text, it will surely end up making a mess. Smudging and smearing, nibs catching on papers, scratch letters, hand strain, poor ink flow, cramps, and hand fatigue, and covered up writing are some of the problems experienced by left-handers with their writing. There are two essential solutions with these: adopting a good writing position and choosing the right equipment.
Lefties often use a variation of three different hand positions: underwriting, overwriting (hooking), and side writing. Left-handers using italic nibs will naturally produce the opposite angle as right-handed writers. Overwriting is often the result of imitating right-handed writing.
Overwriters hook their hand that causes hand fatigue and smudging. Side writing style keeps the hand in line with the writing. It has the most potential of paper snags and ink smears. It’s a good suggestion for a left-hander to try the underwriting position. Lefties push rather than pull, and that is also causing words to be covered up. So in adopting a good writing position, a leftie should hold the pen far from the point.
By using the right equipment, the result will be a well-written paper and will be caught the reader’s attention even more. It helps to minimize smearing and keeps the hands and pages clean. Left-handed people said it was difficult to find a good pen for everyday writing. Ink drying time is an issue. Smearing is an issue. Smoothness is an issue. But there are pens that are well suited for left-handed people. There are pens that are basically designed for left-handers.
First, are Fountain Pens. Fountain pens are presently a challenge for lefties since nibs are cut the right way. Few brands of this pen produce nibs dedicated to left-handers, which are cut in the opposite direction.
Lamy ranges are available with left-handed nibs. Particularly, the Safari because it has an ergonomic grip, and is an affordable everyday pen that will last.
Platinum Music Nib
This pen produces sublimely smooth writing. This is originally developed for musicians to write sheet music because the nib can cope with being both pushed and pulled.
Second is Ergonomically Designed Pens. This encourages a good writing position.
Lamy Dialog 1
This pen has a distinctive triangular shape that encourages the pen to be held a good distance from the nib.
Yoropen
This pen has a kink in the pen acting as a finger support, providing the visual space for the lefty. The revolutionary Yoropen’s grip can be rotated to allow for a more optimal writing position. This one is also one of the most adjustable pens. It also has finger support. This comes in a disposable version as well as a refillable executive and superior model.
And third is Fast Drying Ink. This is essential to prevent excessive smudging or having a taint in your paper.
Parker Quink
This pen has cartridges and ink in alcohol so that it is fast drying. This is the same as international standard so can also be used in many other opens to (e.g. Faber Castell, Otto Hut, Diplomat, etc.).
However, experts recommend different brands and types of best pens for left-handers. The categories include ballpoint pens, gel pens, rollerball pens, highlighters, fountain pens, fountain pen inks, and calligraphy pens. The eight suggested pens are:
The Uni-Ball Jetstream
This pen is of the best pens for left-handers. It is faster than fast and dries for less than a second. The pen delivers the ink in a gentle glide that requires little pressure, which can be more comfortable for left-handed writers. What’s better with this pen, is that the ink embeds in the paper that causes no muss and fuss if the hand touches it a moment later. It also offers a lot of nice features. It is also attractive and professional looking with its stainless steel accents and embossed grip. The ink is available in three colors: red, blue, or black.
The Stabillo Easy Original Rollerball Pen
Learning to write is hard enough, so this pen was created with children in mind, but adults love this as well. It is designed to fit the left hand. It has a curved tail that lets the pen rest against the hand for easy and comfortable manageability. It has an ergonomic grip so it can be held lightly without strain. The tip comes in both 0.5 and 0.3mm, but the .3 tends to dry faster. It is refillable with black ink although it comes loaded by blue. It is erasable, which is good for kids.
The Pelikan Pelikano
This pen often considered as the best fountain pen. It has an ergonomic rubber grip that promotes right finger placement and the stainless steel nib or the bill of the pen has a little ball at its tip to even out the ink flows and keeps the pen moving easily along. It even has a junior model that fit the young writer’s left hand.
The Zebra Sarasa
Gel pens typically take forever to dry, but not this one. It literally dries up for less than a second. It produces penmanship that is smear-free or having a dirty mark, spot or streak made by touching or rubbing something from the paper.
The Uni-Propus Window Q-Dry Double-Sided Highlighter
This pen is also known as the perfect highlighter for left-handers. It can use to either mark copy or write your own. It’s double-sided, in which one side offers a wide highlighting tip and the other side is a fine tip. It has a little window that allows the left-hander to see what is highlighting.
The Uni-Ball Power Tank
When it comes on writing on a wet paper this pen is heaven. These writers well sideways and upside down, and it’s impervious to temperature. The internal air pressure pushes the ink out. It has a rubber grip that is ideal for lefties and eases hand strain.
The Fisher Bullet Space Pen
This pen is not really designed for left-handers. But its features are good for left-handed writing. Its flow remains constant no matter how the pen was moved across the paper, even pushing it from left to right. And it was technically made for astronauts, it can work upside down and in zero gravity.
By using these pens it is better to use comfortable and fast-drying notebooks. And it was recommended for left-handers to also use helpful accessories like TombowYo-I Pencil Grip Aid and Smudge Guard gloves. Aside from the pens, the said accessories will also help the left-hand to maximize their time in writing and have a good outcome of their work.
