Single Handed vs Switch Handed

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Do you sharpen with the handle only in your dominant hand or do you switch it up?

  • I sharpen both knife faces with the handle in my dominant hand

    Votes: 36 54.5%

  • I sharpen one face with my right hand and one with my left hand

    Votes: 14 21.2%

  • It depends...

    Votes: 16 24.2%

  • You know nobody ever really answers KKF polls, get a life

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    66
  • Poll closed .
stringer

stringer

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So when I sharpen single bevels use my dominant (right) hand to hold the knife for both faces of the blade. I do the bevel and then flip it over and do the flat all with the handle in my right hand. I do it this way because I don't do too much single bevel sharpening do when I do I want the full control of my dominant hand.

However, for double bevel I prefer to switch hands. So I do the right face of the knife with the handle in my right hand and the edge facing me. Then I do the left face with the handle in my left hand and the edge facing me. I do it this way because I find it easier to keep everything apexed throughout my progression if I'm always facing the edge. The handle gets in the way when you need to sharpen the heel otherwise. And my back, neck, and shoulders seem to hurt less when I switch than when I do everything righthanded.

So, I'm just curious what other people do and why.
Please discuss.
Thanks
 
I like to keep things in my dominant hand because I'm used to controlling the handle with my right hand. Then I just got used to the posture of pushing with my left hand. I tried the other way around but I didn't like the feel. But I agree on the handle issue. I dug into one while sharpening a knife a coarse stone.
 
Whatever works for you. I was taught Japanese style decades ago using same hand flip the blade over.

For beginners it is sometimes easier to switch hands the spine is always visible so you can keep it steady and at same height.

I have found that most can learn flipping the knife with spine away from you on one side.
 
I manage to hold a better angle by switching hands, so I usually do that except for when doing alternating single strokes because switching hands between every stroke becomes tedious and I would often unthinkingly gradually increase the angle at this point with all the hand switching.
 
I like flipping so that the swarf is always on my same hand and not on the handle.
 
Just about an annual thread, flippers vs switchers. Always a good read. And you switchers are still wrong.
 
chinacats said:
I like flipping so that the swarf is always on my same hand and not on the handle.
Click to expand...

This is probably the most practical reason to do so. I personally switch hands on double bevel knives and use only my right hand with (right handed) single bevel knives. I guess I would only use my left hand if it were a left-handed single bevel knife. But my technique still sucks with either hand ...
 
For long years I flipped the knife with really good results.

Later I start with switching hands and I got much better results. It seems more natural to me, so I stay with switching.
 
chinacats said:
I like flipping so that the swarf is always on my same hand and not on the handle.
Click to expand...

I always get swarf everywhere no matter what I do. Lol

Knife2meatu said:
I manage to hold a better angle by switching hands, so I usually do that except for when doing alternating single strokes because switching hands between every stroke becomes tedious and I would often unthinkingly gradually increase the angle at this point with all the hand switching.
Click to expand...

This is true. I use only my right hand for that part.
 
Flipping 4 life. I also for some reason start sharpening at the tip when the edge is facing toward me, and start at the heel when the edge is facing away from me.

(Edit: it's true that I do switch when doing extended thinning, just to avoid exacerbating my tennis elbow...)
 
Thinning and wide bevels : Switch hands

Edge sharpening : Right hand only
 
Still new on sharpening but it seems I am getting better results when switching hands compared to flipping.
 
I switch, which IMO reduces any angle sloppiness towards the heel when you'd normally flip.
 
Aaaaaaaaaand in the lead, from the year of 2015 A.D., looking spry with 29 posts despite its age, is

https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/...ands-to-shapen-your-knives.24226/#post-373129

Frustratingly close with 28 posts, but eternally second, from the year of 2016 A.D., is

https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/...-from-you-when-you-sharpen.28487/#post-434861

Aaaaaaaaaaand way behind, is the current thread at 20 posts! Despite its position in the race, this one is a real looker, and is gaining on the others hourly!

¿¿¿¿Which thread will reign supreme????
 
I’ll repeat what I said the last time this subject came up. I think lefties usually have a certain amount of ambidexterity to them, and we are probably prone to be switchers. I grew up playing guitar right handed and batted in baseball as both a right and left handed batter.
 
labor of love said:
I’ll repeat what I said the last time this subject came up. I think lefties usually have a certain amount of ambidexterity to them, and we are probably prone to be switchers. I grew up playing guitar right handed and batted in baseball as both a right and left handed batter.
Click to expand...


Yeah, switching is pretty natural for me too, or I'm a little confused, depending on how you look at it.. I use a knife, throw a baseball, use silverware right handed. I write, bat a baseball, use chopsticks, left handed.
 
stringer said:
Yeah, switching is pretty natural for me too, or I'm a little confused, depending on how you look at it.. I use a knife, throw a baseball, use silverware right handed. I write, bat a baseball, use chopsticks, left handed.
Click to expand...

o_O
 
stringer said:
Yeah, switching is pretty natural for me too, or I'm a little confused, depending on how you look at it.. I use a knife, throw a baseball, use silverware right handed. I write, bat a baseball, use chopsticks, left handed.
Click to expand...
good thing for you you chose the right for using a knife or you'd be screwed for options.
 
valgard said:
good thing for you you chose the right for using a knife or you'd be screwed for options.
Click to expand...

Life is complicated like that.
I golf right handed even though I bat left handed. Left handed clubs were very expensive. My dad had an old set of right handed clubs in the garage and a hack saw already.

Another interesting thing.
If I write "Happy Birthday" on a card then I use I my left hand.
If I write "Happy Birthday" on a cake with a piping bag then I use my right hand.

I was born a switcher.
 
labor of love said:
The aframes guy cuts food with both hands :eek:
Click to expand...

stringer said:
Life is complicated like that.
I golf right handed even though I bat left handed. Left handed clubs were very expensive. My dad had an old set of right handed clubs in the garage and a hack saw already.

Another interesting thing.
If I write "Happy Birthday" on a card then I use I my left hand.
If I write "Happy Birthday" on a cake with a piping bag then I use my right hand.

I was born a switcher.
Click to expand...

Wow. I had to start using my left for various things this past year because of tennis elbow, and it’s been incredibly frustrating. I go out to teach my son how to throw a baseball and he can already do it better than I can. :)

Wonder if there’s any benefit to cutting food with both hands, beyond the double cleaver chop... petty on one side of the cutting board, gyuto on the other, efficient workflow!
 
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