I have a Ken Onion Blur which was my first EDC and really made me fall in love with Kershaw and knives in general. I recently snagged a Benchmade Griptillian which I absolutely love. The difference is the AXIS mechanism which I have to say is a game changer for me especially for quick deployment and redeployment versus the traditional liner lock style mechanism. Curious if the pros of this knife outweigh the cons (liner lock versus AXIS)? The Hinderer is very appealing but it’s also quite a bit more expensive, just curious if it’s worth it especially with the liner lock? I feel like now that I’ve become comfortable with the AXIS style mechanism whenever I go back to my Kershaw I feel as though the deployment/redeployment is a bit cumbersome and I miss that quick action. Any input would be greatly appreciated, and great job on the review as well! Thanks!
First off thanks for watching the video and leaving this comment. Welcome to the never ending addiction/hobby/researching of knives. I like how you started with the blur and then got the griptillian. Kershaw knives offer a lot of value for their price point and the blur is a pretty good knife. The benchmade griptillian is also an extremely popular knife and for very good reasons. The size, weight, and the axis lock make it a very good all around knife. The strike against benchmade knives is that ppl complain about the price point. Having said that, the griptillian is at a good price point and not on the extremely expensive side of the benchmade lineup. I bring the summaries of both the blur and the grip up because they offer a good amount of value. Essentially, you don't have regret because you didn't have to fork over a ton of money for quality knives. With the ZT titanium, I think there is an expectation that because it costs at least twice as much as the grip or several times more than the blur, there is a direct relationship to the satisfaction you would have with the ZT. Meaning you would like the ZT titanium 3x more than the grip or 5x more than the blur. Dont get me wrong, the ZT is a great knife but you have to know what you are getting. It is a sturdy and reliable knife made with high quality materials. Like you noted, it has a liner lock and so you would have to close the knife with both hands. The flipper opens with a thwack but if you are holding the knife in the wrong place, you would restrict the opening of the blade. Once you get accustomed to the ZT, then you figure out where to position your hand when manipulating the knife. Judging by your enjoyment of the griptillian and the axis lock it appears that you appreciate the fidget factor of a good knife. The axis lock excels with the fidget factor. The ZT on the other hand is not a fidget type knife. When it opens, it opens with purpose and let's you know it is GO time. When I saw knife reviews of the ZT I immediately knew I wanted to add it to my collection because of the ZT build, warranty, and premium materials and blade stock. Having said that, I find that I dont carry it often. I think because it is over the 200 dollar mark and made of premium materials, I dont want to "ruin" it. Not that I really could because ZT's are built like a tank. But if I did something to it or if I lost it, that would bother me so I actually find that I do not carry it around that often. The same with my carbon fiber benchmade osborne. It is a nice knife, but the carbon fiber osborne and the ZT are more of a gentleman's knife. I tend to carry it on days that I know I won't be doing anything that would potentially require hard knife use. Also, like you, I do enjoy the fidget factor of a knife and I would not say that the ZT titanium ranks high with that respect. Do i like the knife? Yes. I do like the knife and I do not regret my purchase. However, if you are looking for a knife to add into your edc collection I would highly recommend that you visit your local retailer and get your hands on one first. Interestingly enough, I find that I carry the benchmade bugout or the leatherman skeletool quite often. The reason being, I dont feel guilty about putting them to good use and they rank high in pocketability. When I need a beefier knife I grab the spyderco paramilitary 2 or my benchmade super freek with m4 steel. If I need to do something that I have to put a knife through rough use then I grab one of my cheaper knives. I dont want to dissuade you from getting the ZT or think that I dont like the knife. You cannot go wrong with a ZT. However, consider how it will fit into your knife collection. Like you, I have my eyes on some specific knives but I haven't made the plunge as of yet. Lastly, you may want to check out the kershaw link. It does not have titanium but it does feature the same steel 20cv and is priced around 80 dollars and has the liner lock. Essentially a competitively priced kershaw version of the ZT knife. Being that ZT is Kershaw's premium brand, there is an obvious overlap between the companies. I hope this info helps!
@@dadapprovedreviews466 First off thank you for the thoughtful and thorough response, it’s much appreciated! You really hit the nail on the head in regard to the “fidget factor”... I’ve had my Blur for nearly 3 years now and it’s been an absolute delight in every way... Factor in the extremely reasonable price tag as well as the fact that it’s made in the USA, the value is incredible in my opinion... Although I may be a novice in the knife world, I really can’t speak highly enough about the Blur and the experience I’ve had with it thus far... That being said it really is about the experience for me... I am a baker and I use my knives day in and day out hence my desire for efficiency and practicality... I also love the fidget factor because even when I’m not using my knife I constantly have it out opening and closing it so that’s why I really fell in love with the Grip... On that note what I can see distinguishing between the two knives is despite my absolute love for the AXIS mechanism I can definitely say that I prefer the blade profile of the Blur. I love Ken Onion’s designs, i.e. the recurve, and frankly I feel as though the blade itself seems sharper, and although thinner than the Grip blade, still just as rigid and durable... I wish I could get the AXIS mechanism with a Kershaw or Onion blade because that would be a dream for me! All in all you definitely gave me a lot of food for thought and I am actually going to order the Link per your suggestion... In regard to the Zero Tolerance, Hinderer etc. I definitely think I’m going to wait before investing in that high end of a knife, it’s just not practical for me at the moment but it’s definitely something I’ll have on the back burner for when the time is right futuristically. Thanks again for the reply, I love knife talk and not many people in my inner circle appreciate it as much as I do lol.
IMO Kershaw/ZT is very hard to beat! The awesome thing about KAI as a company is you could stick with the budget side of things with Kershaw or step it up and go to ZT and still be within the same company.
Absolutely true. Bang for the buck wise KAI sits at the top. No other company compares in terms of competitive pricing, the quality of production knives, variety of steel choices, and warranty.
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I have a Ken Onion Blur which was my first EDC and really made me fall in love with Kershaw and knives in general. I recently snagged a Benchmade Griptillian which I absolutely love. The difference is the AXIS mechanism which I have to say is a game changer for me especially for quick deployment and redeployment versus the traditional liner lock style mechanism. Curious if the pros of this knife outweigh the cons (liner lock versus AXIS)? The Hinderer is very appealing but it’s also quite a bit more expensive, just curious if it’s worth it especially with the liner lock? I feel like now that I’ve become comfortable with the AXIS style mechanism whenever I go back to my Kershaw I feel as though the deployment/redeployment is a bit cumbersome and I miss that quick action. Any input would be greatly appreciated, and great job on the review as well! Thanks!
First off thanks for watching the video and leaving this comment. Welcome to the never ending addiction/hobby/researching of knives.
I like how you started with the blur and then got the griptillian. Kershaw knives offer a lot of value for their price point and the blur is a pretty good knife.
The benchmade griptillian is also an extremely popular knife and for very good reasons. The size, weight, and the axis lock make it a very good all around knife. The strike against benchmade knives is that ppl complain about the price point. Having said that, the griptillian is at a good price point and not on the extremely expensive side of the benchmade lineup.
I bring the summaries of both the blur and the grip up because they offer a good amount of value. Essentially, you don't have regret because you didn't have to fork over a ton of money for quality knives. With the ZT titanium, I think there is an expectation that because it costs at least twice as much as the grip or several times more than the blur, there is a direct relationship to the satisfaction you would have with the ZT. Meaning you would like the ZT titanium 3x more than the grip or 5x more than the blur. Dont get me wrong, the ZT is a great knife but you have to know what you are getting. It is a sturdy and reliable knife made with high quality materials. Like you noted, it has a liner lock and so you would have to close the knife with both hands. The flipper opens with a thwack but if you are holding the knife in the wrong place, you would restrict the opening of the blade. Once you get accustomed to the ZT, then you figure out where to position your hand when manipulating the knife.
Judging by your enjoyment of the griptillian and the axis lock it appears that you appreciate the fidget factor of a good knife. The axis lock excels with the fidget factor. The ZT on the other hand is not a fidget type knife. When it opens, it opens with purpose and let's you know it is GO time. When I saw knife reviews of the ZT I immediately knew I wanted to add it to my collection because of the ZT build, warranty, and premium materials and blade stock. Having said that, I find that I dont carry it often. I think because it is over the 200 dollar mark and made of premium materials, I dont want to "ruin" it. Not that I really could because ZT's are built like a tank. But if I did something to it or if I lost it, that would bother me so I actually find that I do not carry it around that often. The same with my carbon fiber benchmade osborne. It is a nice knife, but the carbon fiber osborne and the ZT are more of a gentleman's knife. I tend to carry it on days that I know I won't be doing anything that would potentially require hard knife use. Also, like you, I do enjoy the fidget factor of a knife and I would not say that the ZT titanium ranks high with that respect. Do i like the knife? Yes. I do like the knife and I do not regret my purchase. However, if you are looking for a knife to add into your edc collection I would highly recommend that you visit your local retailer and get your hands on one first.
Interestingly enough, I find that I carry the benchmade bugout or the leatherman skeletool quite often. The reason being, I dont feel guilty about putting them to good use and they rank high in pocketability. When I need a beefier knife I grab the spyderco paramilitary 2 or my benchmade super freek with m4 steel. If I need to do something that I have to put a knife through rough use then I grab one of my cheaper knives.
I dont want to dissuade you from getting the ZT or think that I dont like the knife. You cannot go wrong with a ZT. However, consider how it will fit into your knife collection. Like you, I have my eyes on some specific knives but I haven't made the plunge as of yet.
Lastly, you may want to check out the kershaw link. It does not have titanium but it does feature the same steel 20cv and is priced around 80 dollars and has the liner lock. Essentially a competitively priced kershaw version of the ZT knife. Being that ZT is Kershaw's premium brand, there is an obvious overlap between the companies. I hope this info helps!
@@dadapprovedreviews466 First off thank you for the thoughtful and thorough response, it’s much appreciated! You really hit the nail on the head in regard to the “fidget factor”... I’ve had my Blur for nearly 3 years now and it’s been an absolute delight in every way... Factor in the extremely reasonable price tag as well as the fact that it’s made in the USA, the value is incredible in my opinion... Although I may be a novice in the knife world, I really can’t speak highly enough about the Blur and the experience I’ve had with it thus far... That being said it really is about the experience for me... I am a baker and I use my knives day in and day out hence my desire for efficiency and practicality...
I also love the fidget factor because even when I’m not using my knife I constantly have it out opening and closing it so that’s why I really fell in love with the Grip... On that note what I can see distinguishing between the two knives is despite my absolute love for the AXIS mechanism I can definitely say that I prefer the blade profile of the Blur. I love Ken Onion’s designs, i.e. the recurve, and frankly I feel as though the blade itself seems sharper, and although thinner than the Grip blade, still just as rigid and durable... I wish I could get the AXIS mechanism with a Kershaw or Onion blade because that would be a dream for me! All in all you definitely gave me a lot of food for thought and I am actually going to order the Link per your suggestion... In regard to the Zero Tolerance, Hinderer etc. I definitely think I’m going to wait before investing in that high end of a knife, it’s just not practical for me at the moment but it’s definitely something I’ll have on the back burner for when the time is right futuristically. Thanks again for the reply, I love knife talk and not many people in my inner circle appreciate it as much as I do lol.
IMO Kershaw/ZT is very hard to beat! The awesome thing about KAI as a company is you could stick with the budget side of things with Kershaw or step it up and go to ZT and still be within the same company.
Absolutely true. Bang for the buck wise KAI sits at the top. No other company compares in terms of competitive pricing, the quality of production knives, variety of steel choices, and warranty.
Ti or cf?