Zipper Direction

[Carnivore]

Is there an accepted standard direction for a horizontal zipper to open when installed in a wallet or purse, right to left or left to right, or does not matter. What is considered the norm?, assuming the front of the item is facing you.

[cdthayer]

Good question.  I've worked on a lot of purses (repairs) and have never paid much attention to which way the zipper was oriented.  But for a builder, that could be an important consideration.  Thanks for the question!

CD in Oklahoma

[Matt S]

Left to right is a de facto industry standard.

[mikesc]

As Matt said...because around 90% of people are right handed, and right handers pull from left to right much more naturally than they do from left to right.
That said, there is a market for left handers, so ..you could offer both..and maybe get a few extra sales from the left handers who think "at last, someone who thought of us"..and buy from you ( rather than from someone else ) just because of that .

Should have read as ..

As Matt said...because around 90% of people are right handed, and right handers pull from left to right much more naturally than they do from right to left.
That said, there is a market for left handers, so ..you could offer both..and maybe get a few extra sales from the left handers who think "at last, someone who thought of us"..and buy from you ( rather than from someone else ) just because of that .

Edited after noticing that the error ( my excuse, I was posting whilst cooking dinner ) was spotted by jimi . :) as posted below.

Edited July 31, 2019 by mikesc

[jimi]

59 minutes ago, mikesc said:

and right handers pull from left to right much more naturally than they do from left to right

[Carnivore]

Another puzzling question is which hand would a right handed person be most likely to be holding the wallet in whist pulling the zipper open or closed. If holding the item in your left hand it would seem more natural to use your right hand to open zipper from right to left. The way I see it, it doesn't matter which way the zipper is orientated because during the open-close cycle you will be going in both directions anyway, that is unless the wallet is held in the opposite hand for closing.

[fredk]

A co-in-side-ance: I was thinking upon this sort of think just the last few days. Today I had to spend some time shopping in Belfast and on these occasions I take time to observe peoples' bags and how they use them. The info sometimes translates into my bags.

Anyhows, I observed that the vast majority of shoppers, mainly women, hold their bag / purse in their left hand and draw the zipper from left to right. Very many of the purses were 'reversible' ; i.e. they could be turned round so the zipper went right to left but left to right was by far the more used way

[mikesc]

If you hold your wallet in your left hand, and open it using your right hand from right to left, you expose your money in the zipped part to the thieves and miscreants.. because your hands are nearer to you than the money is..whereas if you open from left to right, the opened part ( with the money is is still nearer to you than your two hands, and is harder to snatch ) ..basic anti snatch / grab theft technique..

Lets hope that in Belfast we don't have a return to the days when everyone paid special attention to other people's bags..

Edited July 31, 2019 by mikesc

[nylonRigging]

The Direction of Zipper closing ...LOL
couple weeks ago I did a few sets of uh60 door covers for a order. done this pattern several time and was no biggie . I get all finished, and am hanging them up and giving them all a quick inspection before box and shipping .
Instantly my heart jumps to my throat and sinks to the floor ..." Oh this is Bad". because I just see that all the #10 coil zippers are closing the wrong direction on all the padded bag covers .
It takes me about 30 seconds of beating myself up to realize and the light-bulb to shine on top my head . No Biggie . Just pick-out the closing ends holding stitches of the Zip . and just ' turn-around the Sliders '  to slide the zipper teeth, in the other direction . Screw-up's all fixed in an hour .
.

[mikesc]

I don't think that ( turning the sliders the other way ) will work with all forms of zippers, some ( all the ones that I have here, a few hundred in different lengths, from 10 cm up to around 100 cm, or maybe 120 cm ) have one direction only "meshing" teeth, and the slider has to face in such a way as the meshing of the teeth happens inside it as it moves "forwards" and the zipper sides comes out "meshed" , at the rear of the slider as it runs "head" first..It splits the two sides if it is run ( still facing the same way ) "backwards" along the "meshed" zipper line. Mine are all for garments or maroquinerie though..I think that the marquee that we have in the garden might have zippers like your zippers ..but it is 01.20 am..here so I'm not bothering to go out and leave my glass of leapfrog to fend for itself in here :) Nor explain to Mdme just WTH I'd be doing at this time of night playing with the zippers on the marquee :)

Edited July 31, 2019 by mikesc

[fredk]

umm, mike, pardon me but I think you're not thinking straight.

Lay a zipper down, the closed tag end to the right, the pull has to go left to right to open up the zip.

Now turn that zipper 180*, with the closed end on the left. The pull has now to go right to left to open up the zipper

same zipper orientated in different directions.

pardon me if I'm getting your message wrong

 

I should have made it clear in my previous posting that the zipper was pulled left to right to open it.

Edited August 1, 2019 by fredk

[nylonRigging]

1 hour ago, mikesc said:

I don't think that ( turning the sliders the other way ) will work with all forms of zippers, some ( all the ones that I have here, a few hundred in different lengths, from 10 cm up to around 100 cm, or maybe 120 cm ) have one direction only "meshing" teeth, and the slider has to face in such a way as the meshing of the teeth happens inside it as it moves "forwards" and the zipper sides comes out "meshed" , at the rear of the slider as it runs "head" first..It splits the two sides if it is run ( still facing the same way ) "backwards" along the "meshed" zipper line. Mine are all for garments or maroquinerie though..I think that the marquee that we have in the garden might have zippers like your zippers ..but it is 01.20 am..here so I'm not bothering to go out and leave my glass of leapfrog to fend for itself in here Nor explain to Mdme just WTH I'd be doing at this time of night playing with the zippers on the marquee

Turn sliders to go either way . I always use ( Coil zippers ) when I can, And buy zippers by the rolls. So I cut to random lengths to what I need . mostly use #5, but the larger items I always try to give strong/beefy if possible with #10 's .

edit add:

I guess some people buy the zippers that are already prefab. with stops and the sliders installed . The illusion of one-way is there, but I think a lot of teeth are multi-directon of zip, with the Slider determining the zip/unzip direction .

Edited August 1, 2019 by nylonRigging

[mikesc]

I tried on some of mine ( that were inside ) ..they are bought ready made at various lengths..they'll only work if the slider is facing one way around..I accidentally pulled a slider off yesterday , so I had one to "play with" :) Looking closely ( magnifying glass ) at the teeth on all my zips, they definitely have a "direction"..I very rarely have used "coil zips" and even more rarely rolls, last time must be 30 years ago :) But then we're working different "niches".

Must go look at the marquee ones in the morning..I'm sure they'll be like yours, they must be at least 250cm each..some with two sliders..which are certain to work like yours as they definitely are not both facing the same way on the zips. :)