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0452CF Zero Tolerance Blue Ti M390 0452CFM390BLU
- Thread starter abbazaba
- Start date
sharp_edge
Gold Member
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This boils down to the difference between S35VN and M390 for $40 (Whitty does ano for free). Am I correct? I may be in if I don't have the S35VN model already.
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- Oct 3, 2007
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I'm in for another. It's already my favorite folder & M390 is my favorite steel. Probably not too compelling a deal for everyone else, though. If you like the design already, there's just not much left to upgrade.
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- Mar 5, 2009
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Received mine today, my regular 452CF is one of my favorite ZTs, and I'm a sucker for a steel upgrade
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- Mar 3, 2013
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Agreed.
ZT needs to ditch the steel clips and go with some nice machined titanium ones in their higher end folders. So far, that has only happened with just one of their production folders and that's 0804CF. I say, if it means an increase of $20 per folder so be it. I would've gladly paid $280 instead of $260 for a 0452CFM390BLU with a nice titanium clip.
ZT does include nice titanium with their very limited edition series like 0392, etc.
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I ordered mine on Monday, August 29th but won't get it until Thursday, September 8th! No worries with free shipping via UPS Ground from VA to CA.
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- Nov 11, 2015
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I also agree. Although the 0804CF clip is way too tight. It is so tight that it really prevents me from carrying the knife more often. The clip on the 0010TI is perfect. I wish they used a vitiation of this clip on their knives.
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- Jun 28, 2013
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ME! Thank you for starting this thread, Abbazaba! :thumbup: I came on BF's today to specifically find and hopefully buy a ZT 0452 CF (which I did), & stumbled upon your thread in my search.
Thanks for your help, RZ!
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- Feb 1, 2016
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- 451
Don't get me wrong I think ZT makes amazing knives. Nothing against anyone who purchased this knife. However, is it just me or is ZT, Benchmade, Spyderco just taking their old knife designs and changing them ever so slightly to sell more of them?
It's like they sat down and said " hey, how can we make even more money by not having to spend money? Oh I know let's throw a different blade steel and color it a different color and make it a sprint run. That way we don't have to come up with new knife designs and we can still sell out our knives within minutes"
Like I said, I'm not bashing on any person for owning them but it just baffles my mind that companies are starting to do this. I love Zero tolerance and will continue to purchase their knives in the future. I will not spend another 200 and some dollars on the same knife I have sitting at home already just because it's a different color.
Even though my favorite color is blue.
Just my 2 cents.
It's like they sat down and said " hey, how can we make even more money by not having to spend money? Oh I know let's throw a different blade steel and color it a different color and make it a sprint run. That way we don't have to come up with new knife designs and we can still sell out our knives within minutes"
Like I said, I'm not bashing on any person for owning them but it just baffles my mind that companies are starting to do this. I love Zero tolerance and will continue to purchase their knives in the future. I will not spend another 200 and some dollars on the same knife I have sitting at home already just because it's a different color.
Even though my favorite color is blue.
Just my 2 cents.
eeehyeaah I can kiiiinda see where youre coming from with this, but a lot of people, myself included, buy sprints based on the blade steel change alone. I mean if a company has a proven winning knife design that the people love, it makes a great platform for them to introduce new/different steels. There are some real steel junkies out there.. as far as the color changes, thats just a bonus. Either way companys "spend" money on launching new knife designs every year, so I see no harm in sprints.
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- Jan 9, 2015
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- 109
Companies have been doing sprint runs for a LONG time, it is nothing new. People love to collect every single variation of their favorite designs, as well as test out different steels. There can be a vast difference in the performance of different steels when it comes to various attributes such as edge retention, corrosion resistance, toughness, how the steel acts when sharpened, etc. You seem to be under the assumption that sprint runs are "easy" to produce. Different steels require precise heat treatment in order for the steel to perform properly as a cutting tool, different steels have different requirements when it comes to heat treating, what temperatures have to be reached. for how long, what kind of quench the steel must go through, etc. For some steels this process can be very complicated and difficult. Different steels also respond differently to being machined and grinded, some easier, and some much, much harder. Same goes for finishing.
This is only scratching the surface, the process of producing sprint runs in different steels and variations is not nearly as easy as you think it is. The upcoming Spyderco Manix 2 in Maxamet is a good example, just take a look at the composition of that steel, that knife will not be easy to produce, not at all.
Mine showed up yesterday, not much different than my original version (SN 02XX) but I'm a sucker for better blade steel. The centering, lockup, detent are all very good, the edge grind on the M390 isn't very even, and it thankfully didn't show the heat discoloration from grinding at the tip my original had. The blade on the M390 is ~ 3/32" shorter which would also explain the thicker looking spine on the final grind to the tip. It's easy to drag my finger across the tip with the blade closed on my original version with no pressure, on the M390 even pressing firmly I can't make contact with it.
The pivot on my original looks more refined to me as it has a rim of silver going around it's circumference and it's machining seems smoother. However, looking at ZT's webpage it appears the original pivot is the same as the M390 is now. The 2 step "rounding" flats on the carbon fiber slab side seem identical, but on the Ti side the M390 appears to use a sharper second step as it goes over the edge. Doesn't really impact anything but my original feels a bit more "rounded" in direct comparison, but both are equally comfortable in the hand. Not sure why but my original seems to be a bit smoother and feels a bit more solid when it flips open, the M390 might just need some lube. Solidness feel/sound of the lockup might also be the lock bar tension, it's noticeably stronger on my original, but both are more than enough to do the job.
The blasted/anodized Ti side offers noticeable more grip than the standard version. I feel most smooth Ti and gloss carbon fiber handles are unacceptably slippery. For me that alone would get me to upgrade as I've sent many of my Ti handles off for coarse blasting to give them some grip. It makes the knife feel more symmetrical in that the texture of both sides of the handle feel similar, but that's a personal thing and some might prefer the contrast of textures of the original.
Clip isn't sexy, but it works. I do believe this is one place ZT could do a lot better in aesthetics even if they stayed with a steel clip on many of their knives. I've tried some of the Ti clips and for me they either don't have enough tension if they are thin, or if they do a thick machined one like the BM761 they look great, but don't flex enough to work well with a range of pockets thicknesses. It's a tough design for a clip, because if they go longer past the cut out for the lock bar pockets will tend to bind at that point, my Strider does this frequently with field pants and it's annoying. The other option is to make the clip extra long and go all the way past the cut out but that puts the clip more than half way down the handle, and to me clips that long tend to be annoying when gripping the knife.
Overall I'm all for seeing more of these larger quantity run exclusives from ZT. I don't dislike S35vn steel, but if given the choice I'll happily pay $40 more to get better blade steel every time, as long as they are relatively easy to get a hold of as this one is. If it becomes the hassle/pricing that some of the Spyderco sprint runs are, or the ZT limited editions then I probably wouldn't bother.
The pivot on my original looks more refined to me as it has a rim of silver going around it's circumference and it's machining seems smoother. However, looking at ZT's webpage it appears the original pivot is the same as the M390 is now. The 2 step "rounding" flats on the carbon fiber slab side seem identical, but on the Ti side the M390 appears to use a sharper second step as it goes over the edge. Doesn't really impact anything but my original feels a bit more "rounded" in direct comparison, but both are equally comfortable in the hand. Not sure why but my original seems to be a bit smoother and feels a bit more solid when it flips open, the M390 might just need some lube. Solidness feel/sound of the lockup might also be the lock bar tension, it's noticeably stronger on my original, but both are more than enough to do the job.
The blasted/anodized Ti side offers noticeable more grip than the standard version. I feel most smooth Ti and gloss carbon fiber handles are unacceptably slippery. For me that alone would get me to upgrade as I've sent many of my Ti handles off for coarse blasting to give them some grip. It makes the knife feel more symmetrical in that the texture of both sides of the handle feel similar, but that's a personal thing and some might prefer the contrast of textures of the original.
Clip isn't sexy, but it works. I do believe this is one place ZT could do a lot better in aesthetics even if they stayed with a steel clip on many of their knives. I've tried some of the Ti clips and for me they either don't have enough tension if they are thin, or if they do a thick machined one like the BM761 they look great, but don't flex enough to work well with a range of pockets thicknesses. It's a tough design for a clip, because if they go longer past the cut out for the lock bar pockets will tend to bind at that point, my Strider does this frequently with field pants and it's annoying. The other option is to make the clip extra long and go all the way past the cut out but that puts the clip more than half way down the handle, and to me clips that long tend to be annoying when gripping the knife.
Overall I'm all for seeing more of these larger quantity run exclusives from ZT. I don't dislike S35vn steel, but if given the choice I'll happily pay $40 more to get better blade steel every time, as long as they are relatively easy to get a hold of as this one is. If it becomes the hassle/pricing that some of the Spyderco sprint runs are, or the ZT limited editions then I probably wouldn't bother.
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- Mar 3, 2013
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- 11,630
It's a business and popular designs get new models with variations on colors, handle materials and blade steel. It's a profitable ploy just like sequels and remakes in movies.
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- Mar 3, 2013
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Congrats.
I like that they addressed the blade tip being too close to handle edge when closed. Too easy to cut or prick yourself when reaching for it in your pocket as tip up carry. I guess it's closer to an exact 4" blade length now which is good for places that don't let you carry folders with blade lengths of more than four inches.