How do you rate Zero Tolerance on a scale of 1-10?

T

true north

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We have a thread like this about Benchmade, so I'll ask the same question about ZT: How do you rate Zero Tolerance on a scale of 1-10?

I can't rate them myself, as I have never owned a ZT knife. That may be changing soon, though - the ZT0560BW Hinderer
[ https://www.knivesshipfree.com/zero-tolerance-zt0560bw-hinderer/ ] is looking awfully good, although it is a bit on the heavy side at 5.8 oz.

I'm not sure if there is any truth to this, but I'm getting the impression that ZT knives are a step or two above Benchmade in terms of quality control and craftsmanship. Any thoughts or insights on that issue would be great to hear.
 
I've had/have quite a few. I'll rate ZT a sold 8.5
Best ZT flipper I've handled is the 0450CF.
 
I've owned tons of BM's and dozens of ZT's. And as far as quality goes, I think they're both very good. But it really depends on which models you're familiar with or talking about. BM makes knives in a wider range of price points, so there's a big difference between, for example, a FRN Pika and a CF 940. On the other hand, ZT tends to stick to the higher price points. But, that being said, there are still some ZT models that I absolutely love, and some that I could never go for.

Bottom line, I think the upper-end ZT's and upper-end BM's are very competitive when it comes to quality and craftsmanship. A lot of guys will choose between the two based more on styling, blade steel, and lock mechanism than on a difference in quality. Just my 2 cents..
 
I have owned acouple ZTs in the past and Im not a big fan..
for me its a 5 out of 10
Bulky, rip up your pocket, bad jimping, bad choils( aka non), detent is usually way too strong, and all in all I was quite disappointed with the ones I have owned.
Ill likely never buy another 1 for awhile, but at the same time they are well built and solid knives. Personally I think there are better options at the same level, but to each his own.
But I must say.. I kinda wanna buy a 0770CF and a 0450CF
 
I have two. Very good knives. I give them an 8.
 
knifeandgun said:
I have owned acouple ZTs in the past and Im not a big fan..
for me its a 5 out of 10
Bulky, rip up your pocket, bad jimping, bad choils( aka non), detent is usually way too strong, and all in all I was quite disappointed with the ones I have owned.
Ill likely never buy another 1 for awhile, but at the same time they are well built and solid knives. Personally I think there are better options at the same level, but to each his own.
But I must say.. I kinda wanna buy a 0770CF and a 0450CF
Click to expand...

I hear ya' - some of the ZT's are WAY too bulky and heavy for regular EDC. But try a 0770CF, and it'll change your mind about what a ZT can be...

 
Too broad a question, too many variables. They make nothing I'm interested in, so I could honestly say zero. ZT has hit a particular niche in the market that's very popular. They collaborate with highly sought after knifemakers. Produce a product with excellent fit, finish and warranty that's less expensive and sometimes even higher quality than a midtech run from said maker would be, and they price themselves competitively for that niche and use very good materials.

If, however, you're looking for a lot of variety, innovation or risk-taking look elsewhere.

Honestly, I think ZT is no longer competing largely with Benchmade or Spyderco, but with Kizer and Reate.

If ZT made something I wanted I wouldn't hesitate to buy one. Fantastic build quality, great materials and on of the best warranties around. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening in the foreseeable future, so they're not big on my radar.
 
Overall I'd probably give them a 9 out of ten. And only because I think a truly perfect knife is pretty much impossible. Almost any configuration of material, action, and design requires some level of compromise to focus on the prominent desired function. Yes Benchmade has a much broader range overall, but if you consider the US made Kershaw's as part of the range, that narrows slightly.

A few years ago when ZT focused on big and overbuilt, they were even more narrow. But when I picked up my first 770cf, I was totally amazed that you can have solid and light Gentlemanly all in one. And the 450 showed they are willing to continue hitting both ends of the spectrum.

So yeah, I'm a fan of every one I've ever handled. Tolerances really are tight with pretty amazing actions, quality materials, and consistent fine fit and finish.





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People are Strange, When You're a Stranger....
 
I give them a 9.5

I've had about 30 different ZT's and only had an issue with one, a 0560 without the lock-bar insert that developed lock rock.

I sold the knife and the new owner sent it to ZT for repair.

I have nothing but good things to say about ZT.
 
I give them a solid 9. Like someone else said a 10 is perfection and no one has reached perfection and never will. For a true production knife they are using some of the best materials in the business, their fit and finish is almost always perfect, they are made in the U.S.A and the ZT customer service is top notch. ZT certainly does not make the knife that everyone wants, but what they do make, they make very very well!
 
I have two ZTs. A 0562 & a 0801. I give the 0562 a 9 & the 0801 a 8.5. I have three Spydercos & four Benchmades & I consider them all quality knives, but the ZTs always find their way back into my pocket.
 
For ZT I give them a 10 out of 10 for what they offer. Quality blades with outstanding fit and finish and materials and I always feel good about carrying a knife that is so well built and made in America. But they lack a lot of options for me. I think ZT and kershaw are missing a lot of business because of their almost exclusive use of liner and frame locks and a large gap between high end kershaws and low end ZTs.

I wish KAI as whole hit the 100-130 dollar street price a little more, generally that's where I find I love the knives and don't feel I overpaid for a production blade, I've gone higher when I've been really excited about a knife but I didn't hold on to my 0562 or 0560BW because their blades were too thick and they were a little too bulky overall for me. I've also become less and less likely to sacrifice comfort as a lefty for a pretty knife that can't be truely left handed as all of the ZT line is liner or frame lock which isn't offered left handed, I loved everything about the 450 except that it was righty frame lock so I sold that one here too.

I got the 770 as a gift from a girlfriend and kept that, she's an ex now but it's my favorite knife from them anyways and I carry it in my right pocket and swap it to my left hand after I deploy it, I could carry it left pocket as I do other liner locks that don't have a big relief like the military...but I like two knives when I'm wearing pants so it might as well ride there. I didn't bother with any other model because I've decided I'm only gunna spend the big bucks on knives that I don't feel like I'm sacrificing my leftyness.

The compression lock actually operates with pretty good comfort as a lefty. So I haven't stopped buying paramilitaries (all time favorite so far) it just feels right, and performs outstandingly.
I lean toward production knives that sport lockbacks and axis type locks so I don't feel like I'm carrying someone else's knife.

When ZT or Kershaw starts putting out the high end stuff that doesn't sport just a right handed frame lock I'll jump back onboard for that! Ex: i love that huge new rexford model with the cf...080? But I can't justify the purchase as a lefty.
I'll save up for a lefty carbon fiber sebenza 25 in the mean time.

For realz tho why aren't they putting out at least ambidextrous knives, they can be "built like a tank" and not have a frame lock, really I've seen it done! Pocket clip positionable aside!

Apologies for the rant.
 
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Oh, the one thing I left out, and I may catch some heat for this, they're very good, but I also feel like they're about the most overrated of the production companies. They have a bad habit of paying more attention to fit and finish, butter smooth pivots, aesthetics and flipping action than they do how the knife cuts. Their newest releases look like they may be bucking this trend a bit, but for a long time the 0770 was the only ZT that could really cut worth a damn. And it's still a very nice knife.
 
link2derek said:
I hear ya' - some of the ZT's are WAY too bulky and heavy for regular EDC. But try a 0770CF, and it'll change your mind about what a ZT can be...

Click to expand...

Thats what im planning to do:)
It looks so sleek and awesome!
hopefully itll finally change my mind about ZTs haha
 
8 and I'm being critical here .

10 being perfect in every single way just isn't going to happen.

ZT started out or blew up with the 0300 and the 0350 etc. They listened to people and gave them what they wanted . They caught hell for their early Elmax , addressed it and moved on.

I've had a ton of zt knives through my hands , multiple 0300 variants , 0350, 560 varients,0566,550 0770,802,630 I'm forgetting some but you get the idea.

550 had lockup issues zt fixed it. Needed extra torsion bars or clips zt sent them ,multiples of them no questions asked except if I fixed my knife.

When I think of cutting performance in a production company spyderco is King IMHO.

Zt tries to take the over built TI folder ,make it affordable and as much attention to detail for a fair price and they are great at what they do.

They aren't the best slicers but again they are straddling the fence IMO between high performance folder and "hard use ".

I'm not a fan of some of their knives and just think they try to dress them up a little too much. That's personal but I'll say the quality and craftsmanship is spot on on all I've held.

I wouldn't say they are better or worse than other companies ,they just have a deiiferent design and a different philosophy of a folding knife . As far as nailing what they are going for absolutely.
 
Hey True North, I have exactly the one you are thinking about picking up--I bought it from KnifeCenter... fantastic transaction. Let me be the one to throw caution to the wind and say I give that one a 10. For me, it is very likely the last modern folder I'll purchase... well, maybe not ;) But if it was, I'd be 100% fine with that--solid, smooth, stout yet slim enough to be comfortable in the pocket... love the Elmax, and the lockbar has the steel insert. The size and aesthetics are perfect for me... and I've had and sold many Benchmades, Spydercos, Striders, other ZTs, Emersons, Cold Steel, etc...

I'm more into fixed blades and traditional knives these days, but the ZT 0560BW is my go to modern folder... for a while it was Emerson, now this, and I do not see it being displaced anytime soon.
 
Oh, and BTW, I had a ZT 0561 (bought when it first came out) and was dissatisfied with the way it cut... the new one seems to have better edge geometry and tempering. Hope this helps.
 
My 0350 has pretty bad fit and finish for the price and it's not a blem. The jimping wasn't machined evenly. The blade favors one side. The blade wasn't even ground symmetrically. If the pivot isn't very tight it has lateral play. It doesn't cut anything very well either, so it sits in a box. Perhaps it's a lemon, but it's not marked as a blem and it was purchased new. It's one of the few knives I regret purchasing.
 
I have had quiet a few of ZTs' (about a dozen or so different models), and it wasn't the knife for me -- less refined, big clunky blocks (even their Ti offerings), and poor quality screws holding the clips (most stripped, slipping threads). While the 0770 is light and slightly refined, the clip ruins the entire feel of the knife. They are the Ruger revolver of the knife world, IMO. I'd say 6/10.
 
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