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Zero Tolerance 0100 and 0121 Review - Part One
Introduction
I recently received a Zero Tolerance 0100 and ZT 0121 as part of a pass around here. Thomas W. and the fine folks at Zero Tolerance (ZT) made the knife available and Morrow organized the pass around. The MSRP on the ZT 0121 is $285 and the MSRP on the ZT 0100 is $360. The ZT 0121 is now discontinued, but at least one online site is still selling it for $228. The ZT 0100 is still available and sells online for about $265. Both knives come with sheaths.
KAI USA, LTD.
KAI Group is a Japanese company. KAI USA, Ltd. markets Shun Cutlery, Kershaw Knives, and Zero Tolerance Knives. Shun makes kitchen knives primarily made in Japan. Kershaw offers a wide variety of folding knives, many of which are made in the USA. Zero Tolerance knives are heavy-duty variations on Kershaw themes. All ZT knives have a military feel, usually with black-coated blades and earth tone handles. They are typically made with premium steel. I think all of them are made in the USA, as are the two pass around knives.
Of all the knife makers and knife industry folks that contribute to BladeForums, Thomas W. of KAI USA is perhaps the greatest contributor. He is truly a friend of the forum and is generous with his time and insights. His passion for knives shows in his posts, and he is quick to offer his products for a pass around, or even the occasional giveaway.
Design
The first thing I thought as I took the knives out of the box was that the Zero Tolerance 01201 looks like a Strider and the Zero Tolerance 0100 looks like a Ken Onion. Sure enough, the folks at Strider did have a hand in the ZT 01201’s design. It has the blocky “Lego” handle, blade recurve, and deep choil found on most Strider fixed blades plus a slight curve to the handle distinctive to ZT's 300 series folders. While the ZT website doesn’t mention Ken Onion as the ZT 0100 designer, many of his design cues are present, such as a double recurve blade and curvy, tapering handle. The ZT 0100 looks to me like a reduced size Kershaw Outcast, or maybe a blown-up fixed blade Bump.
Size & Weight
In keeping with all the Zero Tolerance knives I’ve handled, the 0100 and 0121 are thick-bladed and heavy. Here is how they compare to some other popular fixed blades:
Blades
The ZT 0100‘s blade is ground from American-made Crucible CPM 3V steel. The ZT 0121 uses Crucible CPM S30V. S30V is probably the most popular premium steel amongst knife makers, where it is often cited as having the best compromise of toughness, edge-holding, and corrosion resistance.
Both pass-around blades were ground from .19” thick steel and have a black tungsten DLC coating. I’m not sure how much use the pass-around knives have seen, but the low-gloss matte coating shows little wear. I don’t see any peeling or bare metal showing through. There are some streaks and scuffs, but some of that may be from cut material adhering to the blade.
The blade grind on the ZT 0121 is one of the best I’ve seen. It tapers from a very thick spine to a very thin edge in a hollow grind with a seatbelt cutter style hook right before the handle. The blade has a slight recurve reminiscent of Strider knives and a false edge up top. It is a much better slice than I expected and worked well cutting thin slices from a cucumber.
The ZT 0100 is an even better slicer. The Ken Onion style double recurve provides lots of belly and cutting edge and made quick work of my cucumber slices. A blood groove runs along part of the blade, reducing weight and helping prevent things from sticking to the blade, like a Santoku. A narrow false edge runs across the top, producing an almost three dimensional spear point. One negative: the edge of the ZT 0100 showed some soiling or corrosion when it got to me.
Both blades have a nice bevel and arrived sharp, though that may have more to do with the sharpening skills of my fellow pass-around participants than the factory edge. All the KAI knives I have owned, however, came factory sharp.
Handles
Both knives are full tang. Both the ZT 0100 and ZT 0121 have G10 handles held in place by Allen bolts -- three on the ZT100 and two on the ZT 0121. The surface of both sets of handles is 3D machined in a ripple pattern distinctive to most of the Zero Tolerance line.
The ZT 0100 handles are black with aggressively rounded contours and a pronounced hilt guard. There is a lanyard hole and moderate jimping at the butt end, as well as moderate jimping on the thumb ramp. In use, I found the handles ergonomic and comfortable for my size XL hands, though I would prefer the handle to be a little thicker in girth.
The ZT 0121 handles are ranger green with relatively angular contours and chunky crenellated jimping. There is a lanyard hole and the flat butt end could be useful for hammering tent pegs, etc. In use, the ZT 0121‘s handles were a little smaller and less comfortable than the those on the ZT 0100.
Continued in Part Two below...
Introduction
I recently received a Zero Tolerance 0100 and ZT 0121 as part of a pass around here. Thomas W. and the fine folks at Zero Tolerance (ZT) made the knife available and Morrow organized the pass around. The MSRP on the ZT 0121 is $285 and the MSRP on the ZT 0100 is $360. The ZT 0121 is now discontinued, but at least one online site is still selling it for $228. The ZT 0100 is still available and sells online for about $265. Both knives come with sheaths.
KAI USA, LTD.
KAI Group is a Japanese company. KAI USA, Ltd. markets Shun Cutlery, Kershaw Knives, and Zero Tolerance Knives. Shun makes kitchen knives primarily made in Japan. Kershaw offers a wide variety of folding knives, many of which are made in the USA. Zero Tolerance knives are heavy-duty variations on Kershaw themes. All ZT knives have a military feel, usually with black-coated blades and earth tone handles. They are typically made with premium steel. I think all of them are made in the USA, as are the two pass around knives.
Of all the knife makers and knife industry folks that contribute to BladeForums, Thomas W. of KAI USA is perhaps the greatest contributor. He is truly a friend of the forum and is generous with his time and insights. His passion for knives shows in his posts, and he is quick to offer his products for a pass around, or even the occasional giveaway.
Design
The first thing I thought as I took the knives out of the box was that the Zero Tolerance 01201 looks like a Strider and the Zero Tolerance 0100 looks like a Ken Onion. Sure enough, the folks at Strider did have a hand in the ZT 01201’s design. It has the blocky “Lego” handle, blade recurve, and deep choil found on most Strider fixed blades plus a slight curve to the handle distinctive to ZT's 300 series folders. While the ZT website doesn’t mention Ken Onion as the ZT 0100 designer, many of his design cues are present, such as a double recurve blade and curvy, tapering handle. The ZT 0100 looks to me like a reduced size Kershaw Outcast, or maybe a blown-up fixed blade Bump.
Size & Weight
In keeping with all the Zero Tolerance knives I’ve handled, the 0100 and 0121 are thick-bladed and heavy. Here is how they compare to some other popular fixed blades:
Blades
The ZT 0100‘s blade is ground from American-made Crucible CPM 3V steel. The ZT 0121 uses Crucible CPM S30V. S30V is probably the most popular premium steel amongst knife makers, where it is often cited as having the best compromise of toughness, edge-holding, and corrosion resistance.
Both pass-around blades were ground from .19” thick steel and have a black tungsten DLC coating. I’m not sure how much use the pass-around knives have seen, but the low-gloss matte coating shows little wear. I don’t see any peeling or bare metal showing through. There are some streaks and scuffs, but some of that may be from cut material adhering to the blade.
The blade grind on the ZT 0121 is one of the best I’ve seen. It tapers from a very thick spine to a very thin edge in a hollow grind with a seatbelt cutter style hook right before the handle. The blade has a slight recurve reminiscent of Strider knives and a false edge up top. It is a much better slice than I expected and worked well cutting thin slices from a cucumber.
The ZT 0100 is an even better slicer. The Ken Onion style double recurve provides lots of belly and cutting edge and made quick work of my cucumber slices. A blood groove runs along part of the blade, reducing weight and helping prevent things from sticking to the blade, like a Santoku. A narrow false edge runs across the top, producing an almost three dimensional spear point. One negative: the edge of the ZT 0100 showed some soiling or corrosion when it got to me.
Both blades have a nice bevel and arrived sharp, though that may have more to do with the sharpening skills of my fellow pass-around participants than the factory edge. All the KAI knives I have owned, however, came factory sharp.
Handles
Both knives are full tang. Both the ZT 0100 and ZT 0121 have G10 handles held in place by Allen bolts -- three on the ZT100 and two on the ZT 0121. The surface of both sets of handles is 3D machined in a ripple pattern distinctive to most of the Zero Tolerance line.
The ZT 0100 handles are black with aggressively rounded contours and a pronounced hilt guard. There is a lanyard hole and moderate jimping at the butt end, as well as moderate jimping on the thumb ramp. In use, I found the handles ergonomic and comfortable for my size XL hands, though I would prefer the handle to be a little thicker in girth.
The ZT 0121 handles are ranger green with relatively angular contours and chunky crenellated jimping. There is a lanyard hole and the flat butt end could be useful for hammering tent pegs, etc. In use, the ZT 0121‘s handles were a little smaller and less comfortable than the those on the ZT 0100.
Continued in Part Two below...
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