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Well, I recently ran into a good deal on this knife, thought that it looked cool and decided: what the heck.
My order was directly with Amazon.com and I definitely received a new, authentic ZT knife. The packaging is basically “beefed up Kershaw” and not as fancy as you get with many nice Chinese knives that sell for $200+. Still, it’s perfectly acceptable and giftable. The only extra that came in the packaging was a set of longer clip screws, which are required if you want to switch the pocket clip to the left side, thanks to the thickness difference between the Ti and G10 scales.
The knife instantly impressed me with its size, overbuilt constructions, great fit and finish and very solid feel. Even the G10 scale feels extremely solid and had actually fooled me into thinking that it was some kind of metal. Both Ti and G10 scales have matching texture involving a lot of fine machining. Everything is perfectly chamfered and rounded. The blade came perfectly centered between the scale, with no detent lash. There’s no back spacer and so everything is held together via a ridiculously thick pivot screw and 3 very beefy standoffs with T8 screws, proving for extremely solid handle support.
Speaking of the pivot, I am not sure how I feel about the semi-proprietary screw. Yeah, you’re more likely to find a half inch wrench than you are a Torx bit while out “in the field” but there’s really no reason why this screw shouldn’t also have a T10 slot in it. It’s not a big deal though. I don’t know if the scale hollowing next to the pivot has any practical purpose, but it does add some character to the aesthetic presentation while also providing for tactile indexing.
The blade is deployed via back flipper tap, which is jimped on top and obviously meant to be “light switched” as opposed to “push buttoned”. It makes good sense considering the blade’s heft. I lightly lubricated the pivot using KPL and proceeded to deploy the blade. It flew open with a smooth, confident force, and didn’t require me to put too much pressure on the flipper tab. I think that considering the blade’s size and heft, the opening action is pretty much perfect. So is the frame lock’s lockup, with the deployed blade being reinforced with a beefy stop pin. Unless you do something really stupid with this knife, you’d be extremely unlikely to experience a lock failure. While it’s to be expected, I should also mention that the pivot was correctly tightened at the factory and there’s not even a hint of blade play or “lock rock”. The blade folds like a dream too. The lock access is great, there’s no double clutching and the blade smoothly drops shut. Some early reviews for this model talked about the detent being a bit too tight and double clutching on closing. However, based on my copy, it sure seems like ZT has fixed these issues in the subsequent production runs. Once again, considering the heft and size of the blade, I think that the action on this knife is excellent and exactly what it should be for a folding knife in this price range.
One action caveat has to do with an issue that’s common to all exposed frame lock designs. You need to be mindful of keeping your fingers off the frame lock bar during blade deployment. Otherwise, you end up applying force to the detent and suddenly, the blade becomes tough to impressible to flip open. This effect is perfectly illustrated in one of the review videos here, where a person who’s obviously new to frame lock knives, trashes this knife for being nearly impossible to open, while he paws the frame lock attempting to do so. I own plenty of other frame lock knives and had no problem learning to grip them properly. However, if this sounds like something that would bother you, then perhaps this knife and other exposed frame lock folding knife designs are not for you.
I think that what drew me the most to this design was the shape of the blade. I find it to be very aggressive, attractive, and frankly cool, especially with its slight “harpoon” swedge. It looks even more impressive in person and deploying it always brings a smile to my face. It’s not just for looks either, as the design offers some “tactical” advantages, such as the spine thickening near the tip, making this knife good for stabbing into tough materials. The blade stock is appropriately thick in general, but the bevel gets pretty thin towards the edge. Speaking of the edge, it came looking perfect and very sharp. It’s not as slicey as a full flat ground blade but still very slicey. I love a good stonewash finish and it’s implemented well here. However, it’s not exceptional – not any better than I’ve seen on some sub $100 knives. The likes of Kizer and Microtech definitely do fancier and more attractive blade stone wash. Also, my blade came with some tiny scratches on the bevel near the choil. Doesn’t really bother me but it’s still a bit disappointing.
Speaking of the blade, CPM 20CV is definitely a “super steel” and from my understanding, it’s roughly equivalent to the more common M390. It’s the kind of premium steel that’s expected at this price range and is exactly what you get here. It should serve very well for all kinds of knifing tasks.
I really like the ergonomics of the handle. It melts into my hand just right, providing for a secure grip and solid feel. I mean, it’s not as comfortable as a fully contoured handle design but still very comfortable for both hammer and reverse (“tactical”) grips. The pocket clip does create a bit of “hot spot” on the middle finger when wielding the knife in the left hand but how much cutting are you going to do with this knife using your weak hand?
Speaking of the pocket clip, it’s pretty basic and generally not ideal, swooping up a bit too much at the tip. It’s also not a “deep carry” design if you happen to prefer that (I don’t). Yes, it would’ve been nice if the knife came with a premium Ti clip. Luckily, the clip follows a common pattern found on some Spyderco, Benchmade and other knives and you can easily replace it with exactly what you’re looking for. I plan on ordering a semi-custom Ti clip soon.
When I ordered this knife, it was 2/3 the normal price. At that price, this knife was one of the biggest “no brainer” knife purchases I’ve ever made. At the >$300 MSRP, the "flaws" such as the cheap pocket clip and “not particularly premium” blade finish become more of an issue. However, if you like the design, consider where the knife is manufactured, and the quality of the craftsmanship, I’d still say that this knife is still worth the full price. Overall, this is my favorite knife buy in a while and it officially made me a ZT fan. I already have three other ZT knives on my wish list. So yeah, I really like it!
