I bought the Zero Tolerance 0801TI model on an impulse almost a year ago. Now I am starting to question whether it was a mistake to buy it or not. Yes, I am possibly having buyers remorse over this very expensive knife. I don't mean to cast this knife in a bad light, but I don't know if it lives up to the price tag of $200.
How far could you go with $200? Personally, $200 could get me alot of things like a case of 9mm ammo, 5 months of dog food, 3 pairs of shoes, a SCCY pistol, a few sets of new clothes, or I could just make a dent in my bills.
FEATURES
The first thing you will note about the handle is that it is very simple, but it has a slight elegance to it. The handle is made of Titanium, which is pretty expensive and tough to machine, depending on the grade(Not Specified by ZT). This may explain why there is not much machining other than square holes and little slices for texture. The Handle has a bead blasted finish and it being Titanium makes it very easy to scratch, which sucks if you are wanting it to stay nice pretty.
On the right side handle, the lock and the clip make the handle look a bit more busy and frankly a bit more ugly. The lock makes the handle look a bit cheap and the black Teflon coated clip contracts the whole knife with an aggressive attitude. Just one guys' opinion. The clip however seems to work really well, despite the fact that it takes a bit away from the aesthetic appeal of this piece of high-priced folding cutlery.
The frame lock of this knife seriously makes this knife look a bit cheap for the price. I feel that having an automatic or assisted opening for this price would be more appropriate. Heck, this knife has a cool bearing system that the knife pivots on, but if it were coupled with a lock back system like the Cold Steel Tri-Ad Lock, I feel it would be perfect.
The drop point blade is made of S35VN, which is touted as being a high end stainless alloy. This alloy is claimed to be a little better than the old time favorite "S30V", which has become more affordable as of late. Personally, I like the belly on this drop point design and the more gradual taper of the hollow grind, but I am not sure I am too interested in the blade being so wide. I think the width of the blade would be easily justified if the length of the blade exceeded 4", but we are 1/2" short of even reaching that, so this blade is a little goofy looking. However, this was the more pointy of the large ZT knives, so it was the best option.
IMPULSE
When I bought this knife, the little knife lover in me came out and made me feel like I needed an expensive knife in my life. Much like other emotional decisions, there was not much thought or research put into it. i merely saw the price and remembered people praising ZT knives as if they are basically production custom built knives. However, I am now looking at the way I have treated this knife and it kind of sickens me. The idea that I could lose out on $200 if I were to damage or lose this knife is just unacceptable to me. It defeats the point of carrying this knife everyday if I am scared to use this knife. Even if I felt that this knife was worth every penny based on the features, I would have an internal argument about whether it was necessary for my everyday uses.
RSS Feed