- Joined
- Feb 4, 2006
- Messages
- 562
Well it's been a long long time since I bought a new knife for myself and I recently decided I wanted something beefy and mean. I purchased a Zero Tolerance 205 Knifeworks exclusive. This is just a ZT200 with a bead blasted finish on the blade.
First thought as I took it out of the box was that it is big...much fatter than I had expected. This isn't a bad thing because the handle is very comfortable and fills the hand. Let's get down to the rest:
The Blade: In my opinion, this knife has a beautiful looking blade with nice curves, a pretty deep recurve, and a nice high grind. The spine of the knife is a thick 5/32" and runs full thickness for 2/3rds of the blade before tapering quickly to a strong, but fairly fine point.
The bead blast finish is very similar to that of a normal Kershaw Leek, maybe a bit coarser, but still fairly fine. The back of the blade has a thumb ramp with jimping that is very comfortable to use, but I feel it could be a little more aggressively textured. It feels slightly rounded off to me and not as 'sharp' as the jimping on a Spyderco (who in my opinion do jimping very well, grippy, but not too aggressive).
The edge, in my opinion, isn't sharp enough out of the box. It's not bad, but it's a little thick (measured .028") and not quite acute enough. Considering this knife is a big, hard use knife, I'm not surprised, though I think a more acute and thinner edge around .022-.025" would be a good compromise between strength and sharpness. I was just barely able to push cut printer paper very close to the point of hold. It's a good strong blade for sure, but it could be a bit sharper. Maybe I'm just spoiled by Spyderco and their incredible factory edges
The Handle: This knife has a beefy, nicely contoured handle. I absolutely love the feel of it. The 3D machined G10 is particularly impressive. It's very grippy, yet not overly aggressive to your hand. If Kershaw could figure a way to put this textured G10 into a slim profile knife, that would be dreamy. The shape of the handle is also very secure; when you grip the knife, it feels like it's gripping you back. The pocket clip is also small and unobtrusive. I've always been a huge fan of Kershaw's handles whether they're designed by Ken Onion or Tim Gaylean. The one downside to the contoured handles is that they are very thick (the knife is about 50% thicker than a Manix). This isn't a knife I would carry in my pocket or IWB because it is so thick. I would personally find it uncomfortable. Would go great in a backpack when you need a strong knife, but don't have room for a fixed blade. I really hope Kershaw/ZT will put the texture into a slim knife without the 3D machined contour, because I would love that texture in a slim, easy to carry knife.
The Lock: The linerlock on the ZT is pretty thick and very secure. There is no discernible play in any direction when locked open. The lockbar fully engages the tang with plenty of room to wear. Very well done lock here.
Fit and Finish: This knife is very well put together. The blade is centered well, though not perfectly. The grinds on the blade are very even, though the edge is a little bit uneven. Overall fit and finish is very good, though not quite up to par with comparably priced Benchmades and Spydercos. The no frills tank-like build and sheer solidity more than makes up for that though.
Overall: If you need a tough, bomb-proof folder, then this is as close as it gets to perfect for the price. Good blade geometry, great ergonomics, unequaled G10 handles, and a confidence-inspiring lock make this one a keeper for me.
Enough of my rambling, enjoy the pics!
First thought as I took it out of the box was that it is big...much fatter than I had expected. This isn't a bad thing because the handle is very comfortable and fills the hand. Let's get down to the rest:
The Blade: In my opinion, this knife has a beautiful looking blade with nice curves, a pretty deep recurve, and a nice high grind. The spine of the knife is a thick 5/32" and runs full thickness for 2/3rds of the blade before tapering quickly to a strong, but fairly fine point.
The bead blast finish is very similar to that of a normal Kershaw Leek, maybe a bit coarser, but still fairly fine. The back of the blade has a thumb ramp with jimping that is very comfortable to use, but I feel it could be a little more aggressively textured. It feels slightly rounded off to me and not as 'sharp' as the jimping on a Spyderco (who in my opinion do jimping very well, grippy, but not too aggressive).
The edge, in my opinion, isn't sharp enough out of the box. It's not bad, but it's a little thick (measured .028") and not quite acute enough. Considering this knife is a big, hard use knife, I'm not surprised, though I think a more acute and thinner edge around .022-.025" would be a good compromise between strength and sharpness. I was just barely able to push cut printer paper very close to the point of hold. It's a good strong blade for sure, but it could be a bit sharper. Maybe I'm just spoiled by Spyderco and their incredible factory edges
The Handle: This knife has a beefy, nicely contoured handle. I absolutely love the feel of it. The 3D machined G10 is particularly impressive. It's very grippy, yet not overly aggressive to your hand. If Kershaw could figure a way to put this textured G10 into a slim profile knife, that would be dreamy. The shape of the handle is also very secure; when you grip the knife, it feels like it's gripping you back. The pocket clip is also small and unobtrusive. I've always been a huge fan of Kershaw's handles whether they're designed by Ken Onion or Tim Gaylean. The one downside to the contoured handles is that they are very thick (the knife is about 50% thicker than a Manix). This isn't a knife I would carry in my pocket or IWB because it is so thick. I would personally find it uncomfortable. Would go great in a backpack when you need a strong knife, but don't have room for a fixed blade. I really hope Kershaw/ZT will put the texture into a slim knife without the 3D machined contour, because I would love that texture in a slim, easy to carry knife.
The Lock: The linerlock on the ZT is pretty thick and very secure. There is no discernible play in any direction when locked open. The lockbar fully engages the tang with plenty of room to wear. Very well done lock here.
Fit and Finish: This knife is very well put together. The blade is centered well, though not perfectly. The grinds on the blade are very even, though the edge is a little bit uneven. Overall fit and finish is very good, though not quite up to par with comparably priced Benchmades and Spydercos. The no frills tank-like build and sheer solidity more than makes up for that though.
Overall: If you need a tough, bomb-proof folder, then this is as close as it gets to perfect for the price. Good blade geometry, great ergonomics, unequaled G10 handles, and a confidence-inspiring lock make this one a keeper for me.
Enough of my rambling, enjoy the pics!
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