ZT 0393 owners, how do you like it?

The more I use mine, the more I like it. Some knives I have purchased had the honeymoon stage get over rather quickly and I end up selling those. I can tell that’s not going to be the case with this knife. I love everything about it.
I have the blue, and if the bronze model had the DLC on the blade like this one does, I’d be purchasing that model, too. To me it just looks like it’s missing something without it.
 
Thanks for all the responses. Do you guys think it's heavy as an EDC? Coming from a Spyderco Native 5 Lightweight, the ZT 0393 will be about 2 times the weight.
 
ipwn3r456 said:
Thanks for all the responses. Do you guys think it's heavy as an EDC? Coming from a Spyderco Native 5 Lightweight, the ZT 0393 will be about 2 times the weight.
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It will be different person to person what kind of weight they are comfortable carrying daily. What kind of pants do you wear daily? For me, 5oz is no problem whatsoever and I prefer to carry around this weight. This is when I wear jeans and khaki's. But for slacks, I will not go over 3.75oz max. As for how the 0393 carries in the pocket, it carries fairly small for the blade length.
 
Dfunk1210 said:
It will be different person to person what kind of weight they are comfortable carrying daily. What kind of pants do you wear daily? For me, 5oz is no problem whatsoever and I prefer to carry around this weight. This is when I wear jeans and khaki's. But for slacks, I will not go over 3.75oz max. As for how the 0393 carries in the pocket, it carries fairly small for the blade length.
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I wear jeans and khakis for basically >95% of the time when I am not home, so I don't think it will be a problem then. In fact, I think my Native 5 is rather too light on my opinion.
 
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The 0393 is my first ZT and is heavier than I'm used to, but I like the heft of it. G-10 overlays are great. It has a strong detent, so you do have to make sure to light-switch it. A minor quibble is the lock bar - it's relatively stiff to disengage and isn't thick enough to provide a comfortable platform for your thumb. I wondered if a detent ball ramp would've helped ease of disengagement from the open position. Lastly - thick blade stock but I do love the grind and overall shape.
 
Dfunk1210 said:
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Here it is next to a 0562. The Lockbar is plenty strong. I had the same concerns when it was first announced, but the more I looked at it, the more I felt this was the 2018 model for me. And it was justified. This knife turned out great. I think the G10 overlay is a plus on this model in terms of look and feel. The Titanium frame is plenty thick enough for you to know you have titanium in your hand. It is most definitely still a framelock. If you are worried about a less "premium" feel, worry not. This knife has all the refinement of a modern ZT. In fact I think it might be one of the most refined of any ZT while still giving you that tank confidence.

Two thing to note. It does have that kind of blue anodize that turns purplish with hand oils. Not as much as I've seen on other knives. Not a huge issue if you wipe it down or even like the purple. And a small nitpick is that the clip does ride on the g10 scale so its a bit grippier on the pocket than just titanium.
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I’m completely stuck between these two as my next ZT (adding to the george and emmerson collabs). Which would you pick at gunpoint?
 
Dfunk1210 said:
I'll be honest and say that its difficult for me to choose too. I could go on about why I love either one. But at gunpoint, I think I would go 0393. It just has this refinement to it.
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I appreciate the fairness, the only thing about the 393 is that I’m just not a huge fan of tanto folders. I’ve got a 620 that occupies that niche already. The 392 with the wharncliff is sexy though.
 
I really do love the knife but there are a couple issues I have with it. 1) the coating on the pocket clip is just horrendous. I don’t think I should have to buy an aftermarket clip for a $240 knife. 2) the lockup is less than stellar and quite honestly I don’t have a ton of confidence in mine. The lock/tang interface is so steep that I don’t see it changing much either. The entire face of the lock barely contacts the blade. Mine does have lock rock as well. I’ve debated on sending it in but I’ve already sent it in once for a crappy action. Geez This could really be a perfect knife for me if it just had a more sturdy lockup!
 
firefighterguy said:
I really do love the knife but there are a couple issues I have with it. 1) the coating on the pocket clip is just horrendous. I don’t think I should have to buy an aftermarket clip for a $240 knife. 2) the lockup is less than stellar and quite honestly I don’t have a ton of confidence in mine. The lock/tang interface is so steep that I don’t see it changing much either. The entire face of the lock barely contacts the blade. Mine does have lock rock as well. I’ve debated on sending it in but I’ve already sent it in once for a crappy action. Geez This could really be a perfect knife for me if it just had a more sturdy lockup[\QUOTE]

Should send it in and see what they do for you. I’ve got a knife in at ZT right now, gotta hold ‘em accountable
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Ashevillain said:
I appreciate the fairness, the only thing about the 393 is that I’m just not a huge fan of tanto folders. I’ve got a 620 that occupies that niche already. The 392 with the wharncliff is sexy though.
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Its not a tanto. Its a spanto which is a strengthened tip without the secondary edge. The edge goes all the way to the tip like a spearpoint. Hence the name spanto
 
I wanted to add that the action of the 393s I played with in the store a few days ago may make it a candidate for best ZT action so far.
 
firefighterguy said:
I really do love the knife but there are a couple issues I have with it. 1) the coating on the pocket clip is just horrendous. I don’t think I should have to buy an aftermarket clip for a $240 knife. 2) the lockup is less than stellar and quite honestly I don’t have a ton of confidence in mine. The lock/tang interface is so steep that I don’t see it changing much either. The entire face of the lock barely contacts the blade. Mine does have lock rock as well. I’ve debated on sending it in but I’ve already sent it in once for a crappy action. Geez This could really be a perfect knife for me if it just had a more sturdy lockup!
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With the problems you described, the knife is nothing close to being perfect. Lock rock to me is one of the biggest headaches. You should definitely send it to KAI for warranty work. As for blade tang / lockbar insert contacting angle, I am not sure if it is within the scope of warranty service (KAI may deem it normal).
 
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