Happy Left-Handers Day: What to buy for the special lefty in your life

Lori Grisham | USA TODAY Network

Happy International Left-Handers Day! Every year on Aug. 13 southpaws of the world unite to celebrate their lefty-ness.

Left-handed people make up roughly 10% of the population, but that doesn't mean they have to live in a right-handed world. Companies have made all kinds of products specifically for lefties.

"This is my favorite day of the year," Meschel Farrar, the director of operations at Lefty's the Left Hand Store, told USA TODAY Network. Lefty's is based in San Francisco, but also has operations in Florida and sells its products onlne.

Farrar shared some top customer favorites with USA TODAY Network. Here they are, in no particular order:

Left-handed pens

Writing as a lefty can be tricky because your hand covers up what you've already written and your words can get smudged, according to Farrar.

"Pens are the top-seller in the store and that's because they have fast-drying ink so that you don't get smudges on your hands," Farrar said. Some left-handed pens, like the Maped Visio, also have a "hooked neck" that allow users to see what they are writing.

The company also sells pencils with thicker lead that reduces smudging, a problem cleverly captured in an Instagram video shared on the company's account.

Measuring cup

Lefty's measuring cup makes it easier for lefties who like to cook and bake.

"A lefty usually has to turn the cup around in their hand (to read the measurements), but we printed it so you can read it easily without having to turn it weird in your hand," Farrar said.

Corkscrew

Many lefties adapt to opening wine by turning the bottle and holding the corkscrew still. A lefty corkscrew has the threading going the opposite direction allowing people to turn it with their left hand.

"Anyone that enjoys wine is interested in our corkscrew," Farrar said.

Spiral notebooks

Notebooks traditionally have the spiral on the left side and that gets in the way for lefties, often causing them to adapt by writing with a "crook" in their wrist.

"It's annoying sometimes," Farrar said about writing with a regular spiral notebook. "You end up with an indent up and down your arm." A left-handed spiral notebook puts the binding on the right side, leaving lefty writers with better access to the page.

Drippy mugs

"You can call it righty payback," Farrar said. The mug has a hole on one side and if it's used by a right-handed person, the beverage will drip through the hole. "A lot of people get it as a gag gift," she said.

Left-handed scissors

A classic. Left-handed scissors have the top blade on the left side allowing users to make cleaner, more accurate cuts. Gardeners can get the same results now with left-handed pruning sheers.

Can openers

This opener made specifically for lefties, allows users to hold the opener with their right hand and turn it forward using their left.

See photos of famous lefties

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