I wish ZT still made models like the 0100, 0150, 0200, 0300 (series), 0350, 0400, 0550, etc. The whole thing that ZT was built on was "Duty Ready", "Built Like a Tank", "Serious Knives for Serious Use", etc. In the past 5 years or so, all they seem to make is fancy collectible knives adorned with gold, silver, blue and carbon fiber without any grip traction whatsoever.
I've owned mostly liner locks, and beat the crap out of a couple at work. They're perfectly suitable for hard use. And with this knife in particular, those are some really beefy liners. I'd carry that any day.
I love my ZT's. Probably some of my favorite knives overall. I have a 0562cf, 0566, 0560, 0452cf, 0450cf, and a 0200. They probably have the most pocket time out of all of my other knives.
Thinking about buying a Blur. Great ergonomics and possibly one of the coolest looking knives on the market. the way the curved blade shape matches the handles and the grip teck also curves. Very ornate for such a low budget knife.
I owned a ZT 300ST since its been out and been loving it. Coating holding up well and the lock is around 50%. My ZT 0560 same thing sans the coating. Has a bit of rock lock but that would be it. Just picked up a 0055 and that is my gentleman folder that I barely carry.
I’ve had many ZT models over the years, but I currently only own two; both Sinkevich designs. I have the 0450 in s35vn and the 0452g10 sprint run in M390. Both are great knives!
I finally got myself one of their Elmax steel folders. Really really good price for such a premium steel in a folder. I've been running a D2 steel IV8888 knife made by Bastion: Tough ass knife that weighs just slighly over a pound. That D2 steel gathers a nice patina.
I've carried a 0350 for a few years. I remember when I bought the thing it was a big deal just because I don't think in that price range for stuff to buy these days, but I wanted to treat myself. I dig it, mostly. I like the blade design, and over all look. I just think it is a little stubby for as much blade is actually there. It has been a reliable carry option over the years though. Don't know if you've ever tried that one out, but if interested, I'm sure something could be worked out.....I'm from South Jersey so wouldn't be a difficult deal to set up. Thanks for the review.
My favorite ever ZT is almost impossible to find, it's the ZT300 with the tiger stripped blade. It's heavy, massive, and nasty looking, all the qualities of a great combat folder. But it's been discontinued for a long time now and impossible to get anywhere.
Love my ZTs! Not a collector, exactly, but have an 0200, a 0350ST, and a 0350TS. Need to send the 0200 back to ZT for maintenance. The assist doesn't work...but, hey, I only paid $75 for it!
I'd call it a stainless steel frame lock with g 10 scales over it... because it has a lock bar relief cut. And the "liners" are as thick as a Kershaw leek frame. And you can even sharpen medium recurves with an edge pro apex, you just need to be mindful of where your stones are actually contacting the blade. I like it, another Ken Onion Design with a Strider finish built by zt, like the 0300.
i have a zt200, its a really heavy flipper. its definitely not my favorite nor the best flipper in my collection, but I love how unique it is. where else can you get an American made overbuilt manual flipper under $150? just about only ZT!
5 years ago My dream knife was the ZT0300 and when I finally got it I realized how heavy it was and the cutting performance is probably the worst out of all my knives. Oh well it still looks good in my collection
Thomas Boully it's all black and similar to the one jeff has. The 0301 is the tiger stripe version and they look sweet! I spent $280 and only carry it when wearing blue jeans because it's heavy
opichocal - The ZT 0301 has OD G10 handles with tiger stripe blade. ZT 0303 has black G10 handles with tiger stripe blade. ZT 0302 has FDE G10 handles and tiger stripe blade. They have all been discontinued, but recently ZT has put out batches of the 0301 and 0303. Blade HQ has the 0303 in stock right now.
Never had a ZT. The 0777 tempted me and now the 0055 is too but I don't think it's gonna happen unless I get a crazy stupid deal for one and find an 0055 for like under $100. Always had another blade come up when I was about to get a ZT and now with KAI's bullshit about the subframe locks... I don't think it's happening anytime soon.
I only ever buy knives if they are on sale, clearance/discontinued. I bought the 0770 CF at Field and Stream recently that was on clearance plus there was 30% off after that. It was $117 after everything. DSG Arms has all ZT on sale often too got a 0808 for $135 shipped there on sale they were all 20% off. Blade HQ too has some ZT that are discontinued now only a couple models though that are like 30% maybe more off. They have had a bunch of Spyderco discontinued too I got the Domino for $129 and Positron $99 there and they have had all Kizer up to 65% off and I had wanted to try some of their knives a while so ordered a few and some We too since they were 25% off and got a $25 off code if you spent like $100.
I love most of my ZT knives. Started out with a 0350, it was the first "high end" folder i got and i did not like it much. But i have picked up a few more since then and love them all. I have: 0350 (dislike) 0200 (like) 0566 (Love) 0450CF (LOVE) Best lightweight knife I have.
Why are these big folders so heavy but cold steels are even bigger but lighter? The voyager XL with a 5.3 inch blade is 7.35 oz. (0.6 oz. lighter). Again I'm not hating on this knife or butt kissing CS, just wondering what things CS is doing that these other makers are not and wondering why they are not.
Because of the materials, ColdSteel´s grivory with aluminum liners or just the thin G10 slabs are lighter than a Titanium or Aluminium handle (The XL Voyager is my favourite BIG knife :] )
Dont forget the liner lock failure I'll be sending mine BACK in to zt for the second time for a repair/blade replacement and the liner lock has failed on me many times love the knife but the lock system is junk when I get it back from zt ill be putting it in a drawer and NEVER carrying it again period! Also I had 19 stitches in my finger from the failure and zt could give a shit less js
Bro, so guess what I just realized!?!?! I was checking out a 0200 on Ebay and I recently purchased a M390 Kershaw knockout for a lil over $100 new n it just happened to be sitting right in front of me low n behold I compared them side by side and they are damn near the same knife design but obviously mine has better materials for a lot less cost!!!
Nearly bought an 0350, but I can't deal with flippers or liner/frame locks. Currently only own Spyderco and Benchmade knives. I really can't think of a KO design I'm a fan of, to be completely honest.
Be very careful with that knife Jeff!!!!!! I had one that had extremely poor lock geometry and the lock failed resulting in a nasty pinch the first time and a nastier cut the next time. Check how much the lock face makes contact with the blade. Its a very common problem with the 0200
i fixed that issue with mine by slightly bending the lock bar inwards, now it's harder to disengage, but i spinewhacked it until i broke the chair with it, and lock is 50% and not moving. But i agree with geometry, if you look at the lock in front of a light, it seems like only one corner of the lock bar touches the blade, i was thinking about regrinding, but i left it as it is for wear, as long as it's not slipping anymore
I know you're not overly into tech stuff, but frankly, 720 resolution is a bit sad for a large-ish youtuber. At least 1080 would be nice to have for reviews, just higher resolution so edges look nice and sharp on modern screens. There's lots of affordable cameras out there that'll do that, maybe even 4k, most modern phones are just fine for videos like this, as long as it's not too dark. I really appreciate your reviews though, keep up the good work!
It is not the resolution that is too low, the problem is with not so good camera, I always watch youtube on 720p and some videos looks perfect and some like this.
I finally managed to sharpen my knife with one of those Chinese Lansky Rip Offs! It ain't razor sharp but it shaved my arm...looks pretty... I know it's off topic but I had to tell someone! It looks pretty! Although I did have to change the angle to 20°
Am I the only one that hates zero tolerance knives and kershaw knives? I love spyderco, leatherman, and buck but all of those knives/edc just look better to me. The leek and (maybe) chive are the only knives I like from kershaw.
+Sullyvan Probably. And why you'd like Buck over ZT/Kershaw offerings... I dunno. +b33lze6u6 There's not many. Stay the HELL AWAY from the Spitfire series. One of the worst designed and made knives that I've ever purchased. Vantage Pro in S30V is, however, one of the cheapest S30V folders out there and is an excellent knife. Buck 110 is... okay... Iconic, sure. But horrendously overpriced for what it is. Buck is very, very hit-or-miss.
matchesburn I like the classic look of bucks. I edc a buck 110 sometimes... spitfires are horrible; I agree. ZTs are just tactical and expensive. I’d much rather have a PM2 from spyderco than this ugly knife in the video.
+Sullyvan Dude, it's not 2010 anymore. ZT has been putting out a multitude of different designs, even gentlemen-esque carry knives, since this thing came out. This model was DISCONTINUED about 2-3 years ago (and was NEVER very popular). It was designed probably about 7-8 years ago. And some of the limited edition ZT knives are legitimate works of art. As for looks... Eh. I don't really see how "classic looks" are going to make a shitty knife and less shitty. Yeah, the ZT 0200 is butt ugly. It was also never a popular seller and is a relic of a design focus that no longer exists.
I wish ZT still made models like the 0100, 0150, 0200, 0300 (series), 0350, 0400, 0550, etc. The whole thing that ZT was built on was "Duty Ready", "Built Like a Tank", "Serious Knives for Serious Use", etc. In the past 5 years or so, all they seem to make is fancy collectible knives adorned with gold, silver, blue and carbon fiber without any grip traction whatsoever.
I carry the zt 0452cf everyday. If you get the chance, try it out. I definitely recommend it
I carry an 0450CF everyday when I'm not at work (PM2 at work). I also love mine
I have a ZT 0801CF. It's a great looking knife with very good action. I love it.
I've owned mostly liner locks, and beat the crap out of a couple at work. They're perfectly suitable for hard use. And with this knife in particular, those are some really beefy liners. I'd carry that any day.
I love my ZT's. Probably some of my favorite knives overall. I have a 0562cf, 0566, 0560, 0452cf, 0450cf, and a 0200. They probably have the most pocket time out of all of my other knives.
Looks like older Kershaw Ken Onion designs, 1595 Speedbump, 1596 Specbump and the limited edition 1597 Offset. Nice knives.
Thinking about buying a Blur. Great ergonomics and possibly one of the coolest looking knives on the market. the way the curved blade shape matches the handles and the grip teck also curves. Very ornate for such a low budget knife.
I owned a ZT 300ST since its been out and been loving it. Coating holding up well and the lock is around 50%. My ZT 0560 same thing sans the coating. Has a bit of rock lock but that would be it. Just picked up a 0055 and that is my gentleman folder that I barely carry.
I’ve had many ZT models over the years, but I currently only own two; both Sinkevich designs. I have the 0450 in s35vn and the 0452g10 sprint run in M390. Both are great knives!
I finally got myself one of their Elmax steel folders. Really really good price for such a premium steel in a folder. I've been running a D2 steel IV8888 knife made by Bastion: Tough ass knife that weighs just slighly over a pound. That D2 steel gathers a nice patina.
I've carried a 0350 for a few years. I remember when I bought the thing it was a big deal just because I don't think in that price range for stuff to buy these days, but I wanted to treat myself. I dig it, mostly. I like the blade design, and over all look. I just think it is a little stubby for as much blade is actually there. It has been a reliable carry option over the years though. Don't know if you've ever tried that one out, but if interested, I'm sure something could be worked out.....I'm from South Jersey so wouldn't be a difficult deal to set up. Thanks for the review.
I carry one of three, either a ZT0801, BM 51 morpho, or a Leatherman Skeletool. Looking in to one of Spydercos salt series knives next.
Check out the 0562 or the smaller or bigger variant
My favorite ever ZT is almost impossible to find, it's the ZT300 with the tiger stripped blade.
It's heavy, massive, and nasty looking, all the qualities of a great combat folder. But it's been discontinued for a long time now and impossible to get anywhere.
Thomas Boully - Blade HQ is selling the 0303 for $272 right now. They brought it back just for you!
I have a NIB ZT0303 for sale if interested. Thanks!
Love my ZTs! Not a collector, exactly, but have an 0200, a 0350ST, and a 0350TS. Need to send the 0200 back to ZT for maintenance. The assist doesn't work...but, hey, I only paid $75 for it!
The 0200 is a flipper it never was assisted.
Well, that's what I'd thought. But it sure looked like Jeff's was jumping out there! Thanks for the clarification. dcr
The 0200 is not assisted never was!
Good review. This and the 0301 still my favorite Ken Onion ZTs 👍
I'd call it a stainless steel frame lock with g 10 scales over it... because it has a lock bar relief cut. And the "liners" are as thick as a Kershaw leek frame. And you can even sharpen medium recurves with an edge pro apex, you just need to be mindful of where your stones are actually contacting the blade. I like it, another Ken Onion Design with a Strider finish built by zt, like the 0300.
I've really been interested in the Zero Tolerance 0360 it has a glass breaker on it if you get a chance please do a video on it!
i have a zt200, its a really heavy flipper. its definitely not my favorite nor the best flipper in my collection, but I love how unique it is. where else can you get an American made overbuilt manual flipper under $150? just about only ZT!
5 years ago My dream knife was the ZT0300 and when I finally got it I realized how heavy it was and the cutting performance is probably the worst out of all my knives. Oh well it still looks good in my collection
opichocal - is your 300 a tiger stripped blade model ? Because if it is I would be willing to come up with whatever you want for it.
Thomas Boully - Before you blow your wad, as they say, head over to Blade HQ. ZT 0303 is selling for $272. You're welcome.
Thomas Boully it's all black and similar to the one jeff has. The 0301 is the tiger stripe version and they look sweet! I spent $280 and only carry it when wearing blue jeans because it's heavy
opichocal - The ZT 0301 has OD G10 handles with tiger stripe blade. ZT 0303 has black G10 handles with tiger stripe blade. ZT 0302 has FDE G10 handles and tiger stripe blade. They have all been discontinued, but recently ZT has put out batches of the 0301 and 0303. Blade HQ has the 0303 in stock right now.
opichocal yes I carry a light knife and a small flashlight the knife could use a screw loosen but I don't have the bit to loosen it
Hi u keep on making knife videos because I can see what is the best knife for me thanks
bloodybadghost ghost I have a bunch for sale right now if your interested
Assuming you are ok with the flipper, did anyone just take off the dual thumb studs?
Never had a ZT. The 0777 tempted me and now the 0055 is too but I don't think it's gonna happen unless I get a crazy stupid deal for one and find an 0055 for like under $100. Always had another blade come up when I was about to get a ZT and now with KAI's bullshit about the subframe locks... I don't think it's happening anytime soon.
I only ever buy knives if they are on sale, clearance/discontinued. I bought the 0770 CF at Field and Stream recently that was on clearance plus there was 30% off after that. It was $117 after everything. DSG Arms has all ZT on sale often too got a 0808 for $135 shipped there on sale they were all 20% off. Blade HQ too has some ZT that are discontinued now only a couple models though that are like 30% maybe more off. They have had a bunch of Spyderco discontinued too I got the Domino for $129 and Positron $99 there and they have had all Kizer up to 65% off and I had wanted to try some of their knives a while so ordered a few and some We too since they were 25% off and got a $25 off code if you spent like $100.
Someone commented and you actually responded... wow
I like an aggressive handle like that because I'm always paranoid my hand is going to slip down the blade during self defense or whatever.
Jeff have you ever owned the buck strider collaboration?
Would you be interested in a steelcraft kwaiken?
I love most of my ZT knives. Started out with a 0350, it was the first "high end" folder i got and i did not like it much. But i have picked up a few more since then and love them all.
I have:
0350 (dislike)
0200 (like)
0566 (Love)
0450CF (LOVE) Best lightweight knife I have.
Nice review. How's the detent?
Why are these big folders so heavy but cold steels are even bigger but lighter? The voyager XL with a 5.3 inch blade is 7.35 oz. (0.6 oz. lighter). Again I'm not hating on this knife or butt kissing CS, just wondering what things CS is doing that these other makers are not and wondering why they are not.
Mt. Baldwin cold steels often don't have liners, which is where a lot of the weight comes in
Blade is probably thicker and they are just overall very beefy, "overbuilt" as Jeff put it.
Because of the materials, ColdSteel´s grivory with aluminum liners or just the thin G10 slabs are lighter than a Titanium or Aluminium handle (The XL Voyager is my favourite BIG knife :] )
Mt. Baldwin cold steel doesn’t use metal liners which keeps their knifes on the light side.
Dont forget the liner lock failure I'll be sending mine BACK in to zt for the second time for a repair/blade replacement and the liner lock has failed on me many times love the knife but the lock system is junk when I get it back from zt ill be putting it in a drawer and NEVER carrying it again period! Also I had 19 stitches in my finger from the failure and zt could give a shit less js
want to buy this
Bro, so guess what I just realized!?!?! I was checking out a 0200 on Ebay and I recently purchased a M390 Kershaw knockout for a lil over $100 new n it just happened to be sitting right in front of me low n behold I compared them side by side and they are damn near the same knife design but obviously mine has better materials for a lot less cost!!!
I love my ZT 0550 it’s honestly my favorite knife I’ve owned next to my CRKs.
Connely Chauvin - I had the 2 generation 0550BLK. The lock stick was so bad, I had to pry the lock loose with a screwdriver.
Holy botulism that sucks mine is flawless.
Nearly bought an 0350, but I can't deal with flippers or liner/frame locks. Currently only own Spyderco and Benchmade knives. I really can't think of a KO design I'm a fan of, to be completely honest.
Honestly. I wasn’t a fan of it. “Not everyone will” but its performance in testing a few years back... Didn’t excite me for the price.
Be very careful with that knife Jeff!!!!!! I had one that had extremely poor lock geometry and the lock failed resulting in a nasty pinch the first time and a nastier cut the next time. Check how much the lock face makes contact with the blade. Its a very common problem with the 0200
i fixed that issue with mine by slightly bending the lock bar inwards, now it's harder to disengage, but i spinewhacked it until i broke the chair with it, and lock is 50% and not moving. But i agree with geometry, if you look at the lock in front of a light, it seems like only one corner of the lock bar touches the blade, i was thinking about regrinding, but i left it as it is for wear, as long as it's not slipping anymore
Had the same problem with mine
Great video Jeff!
Hey, I held this beast in hand and it put a smile on my face, but I would never own it.
Do you still have this knife? I have a few trades that might interest you. PM me please.
Of the three knives I carry everyday, the ZT0560 gets the most use, easily.
Another great upload colonel
seen too many locks failing on kershaws
I was watching one of your other videos then I get the notification lol
You wanna sell it?
I own a ZT400 but I don't care for zt at all and I want a benchmade instead
what a ugly beast of a knife....
TOTALLY DISGUSTING!!
i need it! ;-)
greetings from cologne, germany
arthur brehm ;)
I know you're not overly into tech stuff, but frankly, 720 resolution is a bit sad for a large-ish youtuber. At least 1080 would be nice to have for reviews, just higher resolution so edges look nice and sharp on modern screens. There's lots of affordable cameras out there that'll do that, maybe even 4k, most modern phones are just fine for videos like this, as long as it's not too dark. I really appreciate your reviews though, keep up the good work!
It is not the resolution that is too low, the problem is with not so good camera, I always watch youtube on 720p and some videos looks perfect and some like this.
In my opinion, I prefer benchmade as far as design and materials, but ZT blows benchmade out of the water with Q.C.
Review the 8081TI I just got one today.
Discontinued :( so sad :(
So cool
Discontinued :(
I finally managed to sharpen my knife with one of those Chinese Lansky Rip Offs!
It ain't razor sharp but it shaved my arm...looks pretty...
I know it's off topic but I had to tell someone! It looks pretty!
Although I did have to change the angle to 20°
Clone makers in the Celestial Kingdom just looove ZTs, they're all over dhgate.
I'm glad you don't review them much.
Nothing against them but I've only seen a handful of ZT models I liked the looks of.
Sorry I mean 0801ti
Am I the only one that hates zero tolerance knives and kershaw knives? I love spyderco, leatherman, and buck but all of those knives/edc just look better to me. The leek and (maybe) chive are the only knives I like from kershaw.
what are some good buck knives
+Sullyvan
Probably. And why you'd like Buck over ZT/Kershaw offerings... I dunno.
+b33lze6u6
There's not many. Stay the HELL AWAY from the Spitfire series. One of the worst designed and made knives that I've ever purchased. Vantage Pro in S30V is, however, one of the cheapest S30V folders out there and is an excellent knife. Buck 110 is... okay... Iconic, sure. But horrendously overpriced for what it is. Buck is very, very hit-or-miss.
matchesburn I like the classic look of bucks. I edc a buck 110 sometimes... spitfires are horrible; I agree. ZTs are just tactical and expensive. I’d much rather have a PM2 from spyderco than this ugly knife in the video.
yea that was my general impression of buck knives as well. ill check out the vantage though. thanks
+Sullyvan
Dude, it's not 2010 anymore. ZT has been putting out a multitude of different designs, even gentlemen-esque carry knives, since this thing came out. This model was DISCONTINUED about 2-3 years ago (and was NEVER very popular). It was designed probably about 7-8 years ago. And some of the limited edition ZT knives are legitimate works of art.
As for looks... Eh. I don't really see how "classic looks" are going to make a shitty knife and less shitty. Yeah, the ZT 0200 is butt ugly. It was also never a popular seller and is a relic of a design focus that no longer exists.
Cold Steel.