Scythes for left-handed individuals

Of course, we also have a selection of handles and scythe blades for those who prefer to mow with their right hand. Most left-handed individuals end up purchasing a regular right-handed scythe since there are more options available, and it's easier to mow alongside others.

Hammering
It's no problem to hammer a right-handed scythe blade with the hammer in your left hand and vice versa. 

Honing 
If you are going to hone in the manner we teach, which is the fastest, most common, and safest way, it requires holding the honing stone in your right hand for a right-handed scythe. Or with your left hand for a left-handed scythe. Naturally, there are alternative methods to work around this, but we don't have any really effective ways to teach them in our courses or educational videos. As a right-handed person, I have managed to learn how to hone with my left hand reasonably well, despite almost never doing it. Just like peeling potatoes, both hands are working and doing completely different tasks simultaneously – and you might wonder which one is actually doing the more complicated job?? 
A quick, safe, and consistent honing only comes after many, many hours of practice. Regardless of which hand you hold the honing stone in. 

Working Together
It's not at all fun if you're the only one cutting the grass to the right while the others are cutting to the left. Since one of the most important rules in scything is to never cut into uncut grass, the person using a left-handed scythe must start at the opposite corner of the field. 

Available Products
Currently, there is only one length and model of scythe blade available. A Vindbona 70cm. It is very similar to the Hartsthal model. It's a good compromise length, as we usually recommend blades that are 65 or 75 cm long. 
Austrian snaths are always available in left-handed versions, an advantage is that only the handles differ. 

It's clear that there is an advantage. Many also say that being able to work both ways and not letting one side become dominant makes you smarter. Of course, we’re happy to sell more scythes too!
But even I, who work with scythes professionally, don't switch between two scythes. I don't think it affects my body in a way that makes me lopsided. I've asked physiotherapists, masseurs, and chiropractors who've examined me if they can see any abnormal difference in my body due to scything, but they see nothing. Now that I take a left-handed scythe, I can certainly use it, but it feels like a very steep uphill climb before it would become completely natural to my body like the regular scythe is.
In summary, my recommendation is that you should be very dedicated and also use the scythe at least 100 hours a year for it to be worth investing in both. I personally scythe about 300 hours a year.

If you want to buy an entirely Austrian scythe, add a "regular" one to the shopping cart and write a message indicating that it should be a left-handed version. 

If you want to buy a Nordic or Eastern European scythe in a left-handed model, please email us first. The regular sizes are usually available.