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Thread: Talk me out of a second ZT 0350

  1. #11
    Deadeye Dick Clusterfrack's Avatar
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    Talk me out of a second ZT 0350

    One more thing: if you can afford it, buy a spare if you really love a knife. I have another NIB 0620 in the safe if I ever lose my EDC. Because of course they are now discontinued.

    Or: buy from a company that maintains their models long term. Like Spyderco.
    Last edited by Clusterfrack; 05-01-2020 at 11:14 AM.
    "You can never have too many knives." --Joe Ambercrombie
    Shabbat shalom, motherf***ers! --Mordechai Jefferson Carver

  2. #12
    What is your price range?

    I want a folding knife that does two things: 1) cuts well 2) won't fail on me

    Zt meets neither of those. Especially when compared to other manufacturers like spyderco, bench made and microtech

    ZT markets their knives as hard use but my experience with them has been poor. Their lockup is sketchy at best. Yes you may have one that locks up good but for a $200+ knife their very inconsistent. I had one knife (brand new) that would close with a spine whack to the palm of my hand. It took 3 trips to ZT to get "fixed" and each time it returned with the same issues. They claimed there was nothing wrong with it and always blamed it on too much oil on the tang. It literally would fold just striking into the soft flesh of my palm. I'm not the only one. There are lots of videos on YouTube about the issues as well as threads over on blade forums.

    Second ZT knives are just awful at cutting. They have huge chunky blades and are not ground thin. Don't fall into thinking you need a prybar as a knife for it to be hard use. There's many factors that go into that. Like quality heat treat (which ZT is not known for), locking mechanism, and the grind of the knife.

    Sorry, you did say talk you out of one!

    Try something else and I think you'll be very surprised. If you're wanting the hard use tactical folders also check out Emerson. Good American owned and operated company with knives carried by police and military all over the world.

    Plus variety is the spice of life. You don't know what you're missing out on in the knife world!
    "Shooting is 90% mental. The rest is in your head." -Nils

  3. #13
    It was mentioned in another thread, but BladeOps has a waved paramilitary 2 for preorder that looks great.
    Last edited by rca90gsx; 05-01-2020 at 11:48 AM.

  4. #14
    Tactical Nobody Guerrero's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rca90gsx View Post
    It was mentioned in another thread, but BladeOps has a qaved paramilitary 2 for preorder that looks great.
    Somehow I missed that one. That looks awesome.
    "The victor is not victorious if the vanquished does not consider himself so."
    ― Ennius

  5. #15
    Site Supporter dontshakepandas's Avatar
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    I think there are a lot of other options at that price point that are better than the ZT0350. I don't like the way the 0350 feels in my hand at all, the blade is too thick to be useful for most EDC tasks, and I don't like assisted openers at all. A good flipper will actually open smoother/faster than the 0350 and you don't have to worry about the torsion bar breaking or it opening in your pocket.

    I'd definitely suggest the Spyderco Paramilitary 2 based on the description of what you like. It outclasses the 0350 in every way unless you are using it to pry (which you shouldn't).

  6. #16
    banana republican blues's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JCS View Post
    What is your price range?

    I want a folding knife that does two things: 1) cuts well 2) won't fail on me

    Zt meets neither of those. Especially when compared to other manufacturers like spyderco, bench made and microtech

    ZT markets their knives as hard use but my experience with them has been poor. Their lockup is sketchy at best. Yes you may have one that locks up good but for a $200+ knife their very inconsistent. I had one knife (brand new) that would close with a spine whack to the palm of my hand. It took 3 trips to ZT to get "fixed" and each time it returned with the same issues. They claimed there was nothing wrong with it and always blamed it on too much oil on the tang. It literally would fold just striking into the soft flesh of my palm. I'm not the only one. There are lots of videos on YouTube about the issues as well as threads over on blade forums.

    Second ZT knives are just awful at cutting. They have huge chunky blades and are not ground thin. Don't fall into thinking you need a prybar as a knife for it to be hard use. There's many factors that go into that. Like quality heat treat (which ZT is not known for), locking mechanism, and the grind of the knife.

    Sorry, you did say talk you out of one!

    Try something else and I think you'll be very surprised. If you're wanting the hard use tactical folders also check out Emerson. Good American owned and operated company with knives carried by police and military all over the world.

    Plus variety is the spice of life. You don't know what you're missing out on in the knife world!
    I will only take issue with your making the statement on a very broad basis...and though I've heard and read of issues, I'm not sure what percentage they represent.

    That said, I only have three ZTs. An 0550 and 0551, as well as a 0456. All of them are robust and without issues. They aren't the same as my Spydercos, Benchmades, or my many other custom and production knives, but there is a place for them in the arsenal.

    I completely understand your point of view but I'm not entirely prepared to throw them under the bus.
    There's nothing civil about this war.

    Read: Harrison Bergeron

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by blues View Post
    @BWT

    Brandon, have a look at this link for a reasonably good comparison of some of the most popular steels from the perspectives of edge holding, toughness, corrosion resistance and ease of sharpening.

    I think you'll find it useful, and I believe others will as well.
    Thank you!

    I was contemplating the steel just as I have had a DLC coated blade and this next knife might not be (whatever it is). The strength and edge retention on the S30V is nuts, but it’s also difficult to sharpen.

    Also for clusterfrack and okiejohn - I agree entirely about finding it. It’s why I waited six months. I thought perhaps I lost it in my room where I had moved the office in my house. Moved everything back to the old room after my sister-in-law moved out and didn’t come across it.

    I have come to terms with it’s probably going to turn up.

    Also, I appreciate your opinion clusterfrack, blues, and others. I wanted discourse and welcome it.

    Thanks!
    God Bless,

    Brandon

  8. #18
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
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    SC
    Quote Originally Posted by JCS View Post
    What is your price range?

    I want a folding knife that does two things: 1) cuts well 2) won't fail on me

    Zt meets neither of those. Especially when compared to other manufacturers like spyderco, bench made and microtech

    ZT markets their knives as hard use but my experience with them has been poor. Their lockup is sketchy at best. Yes you may have one that locks up good but for a $200+ knife their very inconsistent. I had one knife (brand new) that would close with a spine whack to the palm of my hand. It took 3 trips to ZT to get "fixed" and each time it returned with the same issues. They claimed there was nothing wrong with it and always blamed it on too much oil on the tang. It literally would fold just striking into the soft flesh of my palm. I'm not the only one. There are lots of videos on YouTube about the issues as well as threads over on blade forums.

    Second ZT knives are just awful at cutting. They have huge chunky blades and are not ground thin. Don't fall into thinking you need a prybar as a knife for it to be hard use. There's many factors that go into that. Like quality heat treat (which ZT is not known for), locking mechanism, and the grind of the knife.

    Sorry, you did say talk you out of one!

    Try something else and I think you'll be very surprised. If you're wanting the hard use tactical folders also check out Emerson. Good American owned and operated company with knives carried by police and military all over the world.

    Plus variety is the spice of life. You don't know what you're missing out on in the knife world!
    I am probably at about $100-150. I could go above that if it really merited it. But, I’d need to be convinced.
    God Bless,

    Brandon

  9. #19
    Deadeye Dick Clusterfrack's Avatar
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    Wokelandia
    Quote Originally Posted by JCS View Post
    ...ZT markets their knives as hard use but my experience with them has been poor. Their lockup is sketchy at best. Yes you may have one that locks up good but for a $200+ knife their very inconsistent. I had one knife (brand new) that would close with a spine whack to the palm of my hand. It took 3 trips to ZT to get "fixed" and each time it returned with the same issues. They claimed there was nothing wrong with it and always blamed it on too much oil on the tang. It literally would fold just striking into the soft flesh of my palm. I'm not the only one. There are lots of videos on YouTube about the issues as well as threads over on blade forums.

    Second ZT knives are just awful at cutting. They have huge chunky blades and are not ground thin. Don't fall into thinking you need a prybar as a knife for it to be hard use. There's many factors that go into that. Like quality heat treat (which ZT is not known for), locking mechanism, and the grind of the knife.
    ...If you're wanting the hard use tactical folders also check out Emerson. Good American owned and operated company with knives carried by police and military all over the world.
    It's interesting how different people's experiences with knife brands can be--kind of like guns.

    I like Emerson knives, and the Wave is truly one of the best inventions in folding knives. I even gave an Emerson to my younger daughter for a graduation present. But, in comparison to ZT and some of the other manufacturers, our Emersons are very rough. Their liner locks rely on a very thin lock bar, and the liner itself is roughly cut and has ugly unfinished edges.

    My two ZT 0620s are the only ZTs I own, mainly because almost none of their designs offer what I want. But, the 0620 is the best implementation of the Emerson Wave I have seen. The frame lock has a replaceable hardened steel insert. Everything about it is well machined. As far as heat treating, mine has the best edge retention of any knife I own. There was some internet discussion about ZT and Elmax steel, and all I can say is my experience doesn't support the critics.

    If I recommend a knife to someone, it's usually a Spyderco. But I rarely carry any of mine because their finger grooves make them hard to use in a reverse grip (except for the P'kal which is not a hard use knife at all).
    "You can never have too many knives." --Joe Ambercrombie
    Shabbat shalom, motherf***ers! --Mordechai Jefferson Carver

  10. #20
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    I like the Manix 2 from Spyderco. I’d just want to hold one before hand.

    Also, I had a great experience with ZT - I wasn’t crazy about the knife and beat up on it a lot. Especially when I first obtained it, because I was thinking of maybe going a different direction.

    I ended up keeping it and eventually begrudgingly growing to admire it.

    I wanted to hate the knife, but ended up liking it pretty well.

    Back when I bought my ZT 0350 there were no stores in the area that carried them. Now there’s Cabela’s and PSA’s. I’ll have to check them out.

    Also, I completely respect knife collector and connoisseur’s it’s just I’m more into guns and other things. I totally see the application and was very strongly leaning towards a Micro Tech UTX if I passed the CCNP R&S before the exam converted to the Enterprise. I didn’t and then I lost my knife. Thus, I don’t want to rely solely on an OTF. Also, I’d really want S30V steel or better.

    I liked spyderco’s, but I’d want a metal liner for a hard use knife. That Manix 2 with Full Flat Grind made of S30V steel...

    I may need to go handle one.

    ETA: I will have to wait until the ‘Rona subsides before I go buy and/or handle them.

    But, we shall see!

    Keep the suggestions coming. I enjoy it.
    God Bless,

    Brandon

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