Do They Make Left Handed Chainsaws?
Does anyone make a left handed mini chainsaw given that It has been estimated that 10 – 12 percent of the world’s human population is left handed.
Amazingly this figure seems to be influenced by geographic location, gender and date of birth. There are good reasons for this and you can find out more about the place of lefties in the world here
The bottom line of course is that left handed people make up a pretty small percentage of the potential market for mini chainsaws. That is why there are no specifically designed left handed mini chainsaws or normal size chainsaws for left handed operators!
However…..
Can You Use a Mini Chainsaw Left Handed?
Almost the only feature in Mini chainsaws that make them a pain to operate as a left handed individual is the safety button that many of them have.
This is almost universally positioned on the left side near the trigger that you need to depress to activate the saw.
And you have to depress that button AND pull the trigger at the same time. Its an important safety feature of many mini chainsaws.
This makes perfect sense for a right handed person. You grip the mini saw in your right hand with your index finger on the trigger and then push the button in with your left index finger and pull the trigger. And voila! The chainsaw works.
Not so wonderful for lefties though as the finger and perhaps part of the palm of your left hand are going to cover that switch as you grip the trigger.
Lefties have had to develop a whole lot of Houdini like contortions to get around this sort of set up.
Several Solutions Exist for Lefties Wanting to Buy a Mini Chainsaw
Given that you are unlikely to find a left hand mini chainsaw, you will likely have to tolerate some trade offs in features offered by a mini chainsaw in order to be comfortable operating it left handed.
These might include settling for a normal electrical motor (not brushless), forgoing the safety aspect of that pesky safety button, and settling for a shorter bar length and thus cutting ability.
Solution 1
Choose a mini chainsaw where the safety feature is NOT A BUTTON!
The Tobtos 6-inch mini chainsaw pictured left is one such option – When it is available which unfortunately is not all the time! 🙁
The safety feature is situated on top of the handle and is more a leaver that you need to depress than a button.
This might still need some minor adjustments of the wrist angle but essentially the basic mechanism for getting the mini chainsaw to start cutting is the same for both left handed and right handed people. It is an ambidextrous design! Yay! 🙂
It is still not an absolutely perfect design for a lefty, but its better than the button on the left version!
Solution 2
What About a Safety Button but in a “Neutral” Position
The Dewalt 8 inch mini chainsaw pictured on the left features a safety trigger lock situated in front of the trigger.
That, in theory, makes it as easy to operate with your left hand as it is to use your right hand.
And even if it isn’t 100 percent lefty compatible, the other features are well worth having and should definitely be taken into consideration when making a (left handed) buying decision.
Solution 3
Buy a mini chainsaw with an ambidextrous safety button,
This WORX WG324 20V 5-inch bar mini chainsaw is an unusual mini chainsaw in many respects.
These include:
- It is part of a well known brand of (mostly) traditional chainsaws
- It has a 5-inch bar
- The bar is offset which has some advantages depending on what you want to use it for.
- And for the purposes of this article. It has a safety button that operates from either side of the tool. So know awkward moves needed by left handed people to depress the safety button and pull the trigger at the same time! A simple solution, but at the same time, sadly not very common in mini chainsaws!
Solution 4
Buy a Mini Chainsaw WITHOUT the safety button feature.
This used to be a fairly easy undertaking, especially if you were happy to use a mini chainsaw with a 4-inch bar.
However, as the popularity of these mini chainsaws has soared, so the safety features have improved.
To the point that today it is very difficult to find a mini chainsaw that does not feature a safety button that you have to push in while also activating the trigger.
Of course, most of these are situated to suit right handers!
Solution 5
Suck it up and perform the Houdini like contortions required to operate a mini chainsaw designed for right handed people.
In other words, use the chainsaw left handed anyway! This might sound defeatist but lets face it – you’ve done it all your life with a bunch of other tools and appliances, so why stop now?
One thing to consider here though. If you are going to go this route then you might as well get the best bang for your buck. Get a mini chainsaw that is not going to make life even more miserable using it by not performing like it should!
So investigate thoroughly. Do you need a 4-inch bar, 6-inch bar or 8-inch bar mini chainsaw.
If at all possible, get one with a brushless motor.
Check out chain speed. Its an important measure of any chainsaw’s performance.
F.A.Q (People Also Ask)
1. Are Chainsaws left or right handed?
Chainsaws and mini chainsaws are almost exclusively designed for people who are right handed. There are no
2. Why are there no left handed chain saws and mini chainsaws?
Since only 10-12% of the world’s population is left handed, it doesn’t make economical sense to produce a chainsaw that would be difficult for 90% of your market to use!
3. Is there a best mini chainsaw for left handed people?
Any battery powered mini chainsaw that has it’s safety button placed anywhere other than on the left hand side close to the trigger would be a good choice for a left handed person.
In Conclusion
The world is not particularly kind to left handed people when it comes to appliances and tools.
The absence of a left hand chainsaw in the market is proof of this statement..
However, as we have seen above, that is no reason to get grumpy with the world!
Make a plan with the tips above 🙂