ZT 0450CF Flipper 3.25" S35VN Black Blade Knife (USA)

ZT 0450CF Flipper 3.25" S35VN Black Blade Knife

I have had mine for a few days now. I should have never purchased a quality knife because once I handled quality, its hard to go back to $50 dollar knives. The knife is perfect in every way and is pretty much what I expected after reading reviews and watching videos. It has all the qualities I had on my "check list" of what I want in a well designed, quality EDC knife. Even though it is small and half the weight, the blade is as long as the blade on my ZT566, which by comparison, feels like a tank. I don't even notice it in my pocket, even when wearing sweat pants. My only frustration is that I absolutely cannot touch the lock bar when flipping or closing. If I don't touch the lock bar the action is wonderful. It flips like an assisted blade. But since it is a relatively small knife, I found it difficult to find a way to get a good grip for flipping while not touching the lock bar. For me, it took some practice to find the ideal placement of my fingers to have a good grip and not hinder deployment. That is why I did not give the knife 5 stars, which may not be fair because I should have expected that from a small frame lock that doesn't have a scale on the business side. Also, the pocket clip is sub-par, and not fitting for such an esthetic and high quality knife. I removed it within a hour of receiving the knife. I didn't like the way it felt and it was a distraction from the knife's good looks.

Overall, I think it is a very nice knife. At this price point, it seems I am getting nearly all of the benefits of a knife that is two to three times more expensive.

With a plethora of Benchmade knives in my collection; I went out on a limb. ZT? What is ZT? I have Zero Tolerance for an expensive EDC or any high quality blade that falls short of being high quality in aesthetics, form and function. After reading many reviews on the ZT 0450CF and having never seen a ZT outside of a glass case let alone having never handled one I went ahead and purchased my first ZT sight unseen. A blind date that's turning awfully fast into an exquisite love affair with my new EDC. While many have referred to this knife as being too small; I have to say it's on the smaller side but definitely not too small. I'm 6'1 and have reasonably large hands. This knife is constructed of carbon fiber on one side, titanium on the other, steel on the friction point of the locker and a blade made of S35VN steel which is honed razor sharp right out of the box. It's priced slightly less than a comparable benchmade if there was such a match and I think it's an awesome lightweight purposeful everyday carry that's easy to open with action that nearly feels like it's equipped with auto assist (it's not). It can easily be opened and closed with one hand. If you're like me and have become accustomed to the Benchmade axis lock and thumb bump opener then you will have a short adaptation period but will find that opening this knife with your pointer finger is easy and the opening action is like I said strong fast and locks right in place. As far as closing it, well that takes a little more getting used to and was nearly a turn off until I opened my mind to something more of a Spyderco lock system. You get used to it and find that the look feel and quality of this mighty little carrier all far outweigh any hesitation or resistance to change that you may have. Love this knife and I'm pleased to have it in the collection.

It took me a couple of years of experimenting with lower-cost knives, from Kershaw to Cold Steel and Spyderco, before I knew exactly what I
wanted in an EDC knife. (Frame lock, preferably Titanium, G10 or carbon fiber presentation side, flipper with bearings, and one of the "super"
steels, such as S30 or S35VN. I don't think this knife can be beat in its price range for quality of materials, construction, design, and fit and
finish. Even for the price I paid I consider it a good value.