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Zero Tolerance 551 Review - Part One
Introduction
I recently received a Zero Tolerance 551 as part of a pass around here. Thomas W. and the fine folks at Zero Tolerance (ZT) made the knife available and Morrowj_98 organized the pass around. I have been a BladeForums member for over five years and I’ve never seen anything like the fanfare around the 550/551‘s release. The initial thread announcing the Hinderer/ZT collaboration has an incredible 2,500 posts!!! Moderators shut down that huge thread and the continuation now has over 1,900 posts.
The 551 was the first Zero Tolerance/Hinderer collaboration to be produced. Model 550 was slated for production, but has been delayed. Since then, a 560/561 flipper model has been announced and went on to win the 2011 Blade Show Collaboration Award. The enormous interest in the 551 grew from three things:
Rick Hinderer is a volunteer firefighter who handcrafts knives and is best known for his XM-18 folder like the orange one below. The knife has been featured on the cover of Blade magazine and is in such high demand that Rick only takes orders from police, fire, and military personnel. He also sells through dealers, but his knives are typically sold on a pre-order basis before they even reach the dealer. Dealers typically sell the XM-18 for a premium above Hinderer’s normal $385 asking price. Demand is so high, however, that some dealers have closed their waiting lists and it isn’t unusual to see XM-18s sell for $650 or more on the secondary market.
Formerly, the only other Hinderer designed options for those unable to find an X-18 for sale, or uninterested in buying one at secondary market were from Gerber Legendary Blades. One is a rescue multi-tool. The other is the CLS, or “Combat Life Saver.” Gerber’s reputation for quality is a little spotty, however, and the company’s Hinderer models are built with pedestrian materials. When Zero Tolerance announced the 551 at an MSRP of $250 with a 6Al4V titanium frame and Elmax blade steel, it seemed to many that the affordable XM-18 might finally have arrived. The ZT 551 design, however, seems to have more in common with Hinderer’s custom “Camp Knife.”
Size & Weight
The first thing you notice out of the box is the ZT 551’s size and weight. It isn’t the longest knife out there, but it is a brute. The closest comparison is with a Strider SNG. Here’s how it compares to that knife and some of my favorite heavy-duty folders:
Introduction
I recently received a Zero Tolerance 551 as part of a pass around here. Thomas W. and the fine folks at Zero Tolerance (ZT) made the knife available and Morrowj_98 organized the pass around. I have been a BladeForums member for over five years and I’ve never seen anything like the fanfare around the 550/551‘s release. The initial thread announcing the Hinderer/ZT collaboration has an incredible 2,500 posts!!! Moderators shut down that huge thread and the continuation now has over 1,900 posts.
The 551 was the first Zero Tolerance/Hinderer collaboration to be produced. Model 550 was slated for production, but has been delayed. Since then, a 560/561 flipper model has been announced and went on to win the 2011 Blade Show Collaboration Award. The enormous interest in the 551 grew from three things:
- rock star designer Rick Hinderer;
- exotic Elmax supersteel; and
- Zero Tolerance’s reputation for rock solid knives and customer service.
Rick Hinderer is a volunteer firefighter who handcrafts knives and is best known for his XM-18 folder like the orange one below. The knife has been featured on the cover of Blade magazine and is in such high demand that Rick only takes orders from police, fire, and military personnel. He also sells through dealers, but his knives are typically sold on a pre-order basis before they even reach the dealer. Dealers typically sell the XM-18 for a premium above Hinderer’s normal $385 asking price. Demand is so high, however, that some dealers have closed their waiting lists and it isn’t unusual to see XM-18s sell for $650 or more on the secondary market.
Formerly, the only other Hinderer designed options for those unable to find an X-18 for sale, or uninterested in buying one at secondary market were from Gerber Legendary Blades. One is a rescue multi-tool. The other is the CLS, or “Combat Life Saver.” Gerber’s reputation for quality is a little spotty, however, and the company’s Hinderer models are built with pedestrian materials. When Zero Tolerance announced the 551 at an MSRP of $250 with a 6Al4V titanium frame and Elmax blade steel, it seemed to many that the affordable XM-18 might finally have arrived. The ZT 551 design, however, seems to have more in common with Hinderer’s custom “Camp Knife.”
Size & Weight
The first thing you notice out of the box is the ZT 551’s size and weight. It isn’t the longest knife out there, but it is a brute. The closest comparison is with a Strider SNG. Here’s how it compares to that knife and some of my favorite heavy-duty folders:
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