550 now or 560 later?

F

foofie

Joined
Sep 25, 2011
Messages
958
Any thoughts? Funds will only allow for one.
It is getting harder to pass on the 0550 - especially considering all the great reviews.
BUT - the 561 is a flipper, has deeper carry, and KVT - all for the same weight - and all benefits in my book.

So - can anyone think of a good reason to get the 550 (only) now?
thanks.
 
Well. I personally haven't gotten to handle both. My guess is only people at Shot are getting to handle them. However I can vouch for the 550 readily. It is an absolute beast, and really not that hefty. Although carrying a half pound 0200 never gave me problems either. So really it comes down to which you like the looks of better. I suppose I would say, get the 0550 now, since there still is no release date on the 561. Save up and get that one when it releases.
IMG_20120120_133927.jpg
 
Last edited:
Steel130 said:
Well. I personally haven't gotten to handle both. My guess is only people at Shot are getting to handle them. However I can vouch for the 550 readily. It is an absolute beast, and really not that hefty. Although carrying a half pound 0200 never gave me problems either. So really it comes down to which you like the looks of better. I suppose I would say, get the 0550 now, since there still is no release date on the 561. Save up and get that one when it releases....
Click to expand...

+1. I highly recommend the same....get the 0550 now AND the 0560 later. :D

Since there is no release date on the 0560 that I've found, and I didn't put in a pre-order for one, I can only hope that I can pick one up from a dealer if there are any extras.

However, I am more than happy with my 0550....:cool: :thumbup: :thumbup:

1327024775485.jpg1327024790960.jpg1327024808727.jpg1327024828942.jpg1327024933226.jpg
 
I say get the 0550. You're missing out on a fantastic knife right now. It carries really well in the pocket, and I just love the whole overall design.
 
Shadow213 said:
+1. I highly recommend the same....get the 0550 now AND the 0560 later. :D

Since there is no release date on the 0560 that I've found, and I didn't put in a pre-order for one, I can only hope that I can pick one up from a dealer if there are any extras.

However, I am more than happy with my 0550....:cool: :thumbup: :thumbup:

View attachment 253969View attachment 253970View attachment 253971View attachment 253972View attachment 253973
Click to expand...

I am more than happy as well! I have passed on alot of folders. But I know this one wont be going anywhere. Great pictures by the way Shadow.
 
Because u can't wait for the 0560. So, a 0550 for now. At least that's what i did :D
 
I did something slightly different. I bought an 0200 now at pre-increase pricing. That should slake my thirst until the 0560 is released. And because the 0200 only costs about half as much as an 0550 (if you know where to look ;) ), I'll still have enough funds available to purchase the 0560 when it finally gets here.

By the way, I did get a chance to handle both the 0550 and the 0560/0561 at the SHOT Show. They're both great knives. But I'll hold out for the 0560.
 
Last edited:
You seem serious about one only. If you can handle the wait, wait. My deciding factor of the two is the flipper.

I am going to wait. My life style doesn't include more than one knife like this.
 
Sweet thing is, if the OP can't handle the wait, he can buy an 0200 and play with it until his 0560 gets here. If he buys the 0200 at pre-increase prices and keeps it in LNIB condition until his 0560 arrives, he can sell the 0200 for more than he paid for it. He can also get used to the 0560's manual flipper by playing with the 0200's manual flipper. They have about the same feel. You can't do that with an 0550. Last but not least, there's no way of knowing how long it's going to take for the 0560s to get delivered. So my recommendation would be to buy an 0200 now, wait for the 0560 to show up, and then sell the 0200.

PS: That plan looks real good on paper. Problem is, once I get the 0200 in hand, I'm probably not going to want to part with it even after my 0560 arrives. ZT knives really are that good. :thumbup:
 
Last edited:
Nope. I'm saying practice with the 0200 and use the 0560.

Something to know. Not everyone is going to like the 0560's flipper action. The examples I played with at the SHOT show required a little wrist snap to open reliably. And using the thumbstuds instead isn't practical. As the rep told me at the SHOT show, ZT had to compromise with the 0560. They either had to make the flipper action as smooth as possible or make the thumbstud action as smooth as possible. They couldn't do both. So they went with the flipper and I, for one, am glad they did. But it's still no IKBS. That doesn't mean that the action won't loosen up with time, of course.
 
Last edited:
bld522 said:
Nope. I'm saying practice with 0200 and use the 0560.

Something to know. Not everyone is going to like the 0560's flipper action. The examples I played with at the SHOT show required a little wrist snap to open reliably. And using the thumbstuds instead isn't practical. As the rep told me at the SHOT show, ZT had to compromise with the 0560. They either had to make the flipper action as smooth as possible or make the thumbstud action as smooth as possible. They couldn't do both. So they went with the flipper and I, for one, am glad they did. But it's still no IKBS. And that doesn't mean that the action won't loosen up with time.
Click to expand...

I have the 550 and was going through a similar debate of selling it to fund the 560. My biggest question is how thick is the 560 compared to the 550?
 
I didn't pay a lot of attention to that when I compared them. But the most striking difference other than the flipper was the additional length of the 0560. It's a large knife. Proportionally, I'd compare the 0550 to the 0560 as I would the 0350 to the 0300.
 
Last edited:
Thats a pretty good difference because they are specced out weighing almost the same if I remember correctly. For it to be my biggest question its not that big of a deal really considering I have been edc'ing a 200 for almost a week. It has taken all I can do to not put in a pre-order somewhere.
 
If you're comfortable EDC'ing an 0200, you shouldn't have any problem EDC'ing an 0560.
 
It has definitely taken some getting used to but I just love the knife. Thanks for the info.
 
At the risk of being flamed, if I had had a vote in the matter, I would have made the 0560/0561 a SpeedSafe knife. There's just something about a SA flipper. (A real good example of that is the HTM Gunhammer.) But that won't keep me from buying one.
 
I prefer Kershaw blades that have the AO to have a flipper. If nothing else an on/off switch like the Cyclone or either models with and without AO. I think I will enjoy it more non assisted, especially if its as smooth as my 200. But to each his own.
 
Yes. It's as smooth as your 0200 if not a little smoother. It'll just take a little breaking in is all.
 
I had the 561 on order since it was announced, but recently cancelled the order and will most likely get the 550. The 560/561 has a lot of great features, but after having a Strider SNG with the double gunners grip, I decided the 3D texturing under the pocket clip was not for me. Too much pocket damage. I much prefer smooth TI side and am willing to give up some of the excellent features of the 561 for this. I think my ideal ZT knife would be the 561 but with smooth TI locking side and the same 3D textured G10 side.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top