Recommendation? Kitchen Knife for Injured Hand

Hondo.3

Hondo.3

Joined
Oct 28, 2005
Messages
1,121
My friend the occupational therapist asked for my help. She has a patient who has suffered an injury, and doesn't have the hand strength and mobility to use a conventional kitchen knife. He would need a knife with a handle perpendicular to the blade so he could grip it like a tonfa or nightstick. One of the keys would be cutting edge directly below the handle so he could use the larger muscles in his arm to chop vegetables.

Does anyone have an idea about an off-the-shelf solution or a custom maker who could tackle the job?
 
An ulu might work,although the handle is not traditionally mounted at a right angle it is directly over the cutting edge.
It would probably not be a big deal to reorient a handle on one of these.
 
I could definitely see an ulu working. Any thoughts on a knife maker that (1) makes ulus and (2) might be willing to do a custom order with a 90 degree angle handle?
 
There's the Maddox knife made specifically for those with grip limitations:
maddox-knife-1.gif

Weeding knives:

70100081-ss-weeding-knife-1.jpg


Paint or Putty scrapers: (Japanese style is a little less flimsy)
645087c6-a1c2-4232-a2de-5b9e258386ad.jpg


Wide air chisels/scrapers:

3780.jpg


Masonry Chisels:

3b2b8c59-7a20-490a-8eed-2505cbe5c3e4_600.jpg


I also seem to remember some sort of harvesting knife that was shaped a lot like a chisel or scraper used for lettuce and cabbage, but couldn't find anything wide enough online.
 
Hondo.3 said:
I could definitely see an ulu working. Any thoughts on a knife maker that (1) makes ulus and (2) might be willing to do a custom order with a 90 degree angle handle?
Click to expand...

Why not go to the knife makers section and ask them?

For money, most craftsman will build anything. But a build this unique, and one that allows someone with an impairment to still enjoy the use of a good knife? That sounds like the makings of a rare meaningful project.
 
Not wanting to take business from local makers .. just curious .. is this kind of what youre looking for ?

https://www.rehabmart.com/product/thandle-rocker-knife-135.html

Use it as inspiration maybe ..
there is other knives for people with hand mobility issues :
https://www.wrightstuff.biz/easi-grip-knives-utensils.html
http://www.hillsmobility.com.au/product/stirex-large-kitchen-knife-ergonomic-handle/
but they dont fit the bill so much of blade right under handle ... tho they might help out in other ways .. dunno , chuckin it out there seeing if it works for you
 
Maddox knife was originally made by Spyderco. It was designed to be a one handed knife for food duty.

When my sister lost the use of her hand due to a wrist injury, I bought her one and she loved. Same with a friend that was paralyzed on the left side by West Nile and he's left handed. It's a proven design.
 
Ulu.
With or without the dished cuttingboard.
I gave one to a friend with Carpl Tunnel, it is her most used knife.
 
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