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

7. ZT definitely punches above their price in terms of fit, finish, materials, and service. I've never handled/received a ZT that had centering, lock stick, or blade play issues, I can't say the same for other production knives like Benchmade or Strider.

The 801 rivals or exceeds the action of most high-end production/mid-tech flippers. The 650/652 are better than any Hinderer XM-18/24 I have ever handled.

Great knives. Silly name. Hate the excessive use of logos.
 
As a non-owner, I give ZT a 4/10. Some of the designs look like ergonomic and efficient cutters, but most of them appear to be needlessly thick, chunky and overpriced knives aimed towards the tacticool crowd. To me, most of them appear to be more style than substance. There are many knives that cost much less which will cut more efficiently, are made from similar materials, offer superior ergonomics and stronger locks.
 
Kwon Kwang said:
As a non-owner, I give ZT a 4/10.
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I think that, much like with Spyderco, you have to use the knives to get a feel for whether you'll like them or not.

The blade stock is not overly thick really; some people think they're ground too thick behind the edge, but that varies based on model, and to a certain extent, the individual knife you get.

I have had good luck with them. :)
One knife, my 0550, was a tad thick behind the edge, but it didn't take long with silicon carbide paper and a flat surface to correct that; it wasn't like I had to thin out the whole blade grind or anything like that.

With the variety of designers they have models by, some of them don't appeal to me in the least, but I know they'll be well-built. :thumbup:
 
As an owner of several ZT knives, I'll rate them a 9. No problems with mine whatsoever, and they cut just fine. I EDC one of 3 everyday.
I have heard that ZT customer service is awesome, but I can't give a personal opinion on that because my ZT knives have been perfect so far.
 
9 out of 10 based on my experience. Among the six ZTs I have owned, only one required warranty service, which is a 0562cf that I bought here NIB knowing it had slight blade play. Sent it to KAI and received back in less than 10 days, needlessly to say, now perfect in every aspect.
 
I don't feel qualified to put a number on ZT as a brand, I only own 1. 0550. It's a tank and that's what I bought it for! I give the 0550 a 7.5 out of 10. Well built decent slicer considering stock thickness. Good materials and f&f. The action is smooth but not the easiest to operate. The scale was functional but ugly, ( I bought it with this in mind and already had a custom on order). I really like a few of their current line up but I already seem to have something similar to most and they aren't screaming at me right now to bump something out to make room, ( right now anyway...)
 
true north said:
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. .
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I've had lots of BM and twice as many ZT's. Yes, ZT's are often too heavy and heavy-duty for my casual use, as I max out at five ounces. Some ZT's are just fine in weight, and I don't see where BM provides any real competition. And, I have carried some BM's for several yrs.
 
I have a ZT 0900 it's one of the best flippers iv'e owned. I wasn't as crazy about some of the older models they put out but the Les George and Rexford models are awesome 9/10.
 
9+ for me, I carry one almost daily. Their products are high quality, fit and finish is on point, perfect ergos, and fits my needs. Their offerings have evolved since the early days. The 0801 and the 0808 are fine examples. The 0560/0561 are at the top of my most carried list. Heavy, not in my book. I wear khakis or pants and its not a problem. Hell, Ive got sweats on now and the 0560 is in the front right.

Compared to BM or Spyderco, no comparison. $100+ for a plastic scales, no way. And whats with that hole? All joking aside, I do own a Tenacious and a Caly 3.5, plus owned a Manix 2. Nice enough but the Manix took up too much pocket space. More so than any ZT except the 0200.

Would I want different locks, never thought about it. Wouldnt mind to see the Hawk lock appear on another knife.
 
I would give them a 9. I have 40 in my collection, soon to be 41 with the 0456 that arrives Monday. For me, there is enough variety in the line to satisfy my need/want/mood of the day (though most days it winds up being my 0600 and either my 0900 or 0450).
 
6/10. Boring, overly beefy knives, logos everywhere, can't get detents right so they make them too hard and pretend that's how detents are supposed to be, etc.
 
So far I have a 0801, 0200, 0450cf, 0562cf, 0220. The fit and finish is outstanding on all. Great customer service. They all flip extremely well except the 0200, which flips well just not like the others. I give them a 9 out of 10.
 
It's a very subjective question, but I'll give them a 9 out of 10. I've handled a few ZTs and what I saw was very good fit and finish, centered blades, and zero blade play. This is much more than I expect from Spyderco or Benchmade.

Having said that, my taste and needs keep me away from most ZTs and, at the moment, I own only one ZT and four Spydercos.
 
3/10

ZT knives are too thick to slice efficiently. I've not had good customer service with ZT. I sent in two knives to them that had blade centering issues, and they didn't fix them. They also ignore emails.
 
ZT are nice knives but they're more mall ninja than Cold Steel knives imho. Average ZT folder is ~40 grams heavier than other edc folders and must have flipper. ZT 0770 is nice too but it's exaggeration in other direction - it's finer than BM 940. ZT are very big and heavy or too small.

If someone want nice, tactical looking and expensive knife for cool pics on instagram to impress buddies and for clicking with flipper - ZT will play its part.
 
8/10 With the new line up. Fit, finish, and materials seem excellent, but I'm just not into knives with multicolored anodized parts (220, 456), and I think that ZT is doing too many collaborations with too many different makers. I feel that ZT is becoming too much like what a high priced version of CRKT would be; artsy knives with strange blade shapes. I don't want an artsy knife, and ZT needs to lay off the carbon fiber too. Does each knife need to be a CF version? What's wrong with plane-jane G10 handles?

Case in point, the 804CF, a knife that I would have lined up to buy had it come out with a G10 scale on top of a steel liner, standoffs rather than an ugly back spacer, and a steel pocket clip.
 
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