A Question About ZT's

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NiceGuy92115

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Jul 22, 2018
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36
I recently bought 4 different ZT's: 5062, 5060, 0300, 0200

They are all different, of course, but my 5062 is particularly balanced and buttery-smooth in it's mechanical flipibility, compared to the other three.

Do ZT's vary widely from knife to knife? Or is this observation typical for the 5062?

Do we have to feel each individual knife in our own hand to find those that are exquisite, or can we buy online by model number and know in advance what to expect?
 
They're all going to be slightly different. Now that you own 4 different models, you have a baseline on what to expect.
If you like those four, then, as far as action, quality, F&F goes, IMO, yes you can expect the same without having to have one in hand. I have yet to handle one and so far, I like the ones I have.
 
The 0562s I’ve handled (there have been many) all feel very similar to how mine was before it broke in. The difference is a slight smoothing out from an already very good start. I have yet to see a bad sample from that line.

I’ve handled 3 samples from the 0392/0393 family. Two flipped like wet fettucine. One fired like the 0562.

Every 0450 and 0609 I’ve handled, and both 0470s, flipped with authority and glided through the close.
 
The 300, 560 and 0200 are all bigger knives than the 562. The 300 and 200 are also on washers compared to caged bearings. The 562 is typically one of the smoothest of the ZTs but I would not consider the differences between most to be that noticeable. I own a ton of ZTs and the 456 is still my absolute smoothest but the slight difference to the others does not keep me from carrying over the others.
 
Also, the 300, 200, and 560 were all designed and built Before the 0562....that blade had the benefit of learning from previous models, tweaking the flipper placement, lock geometry, bearing setup, etc. Each new generation became better flippers with smoother action.
 
Not necessarily true. My 0561 has the best action among all ZTs I had/have (including 4 0562s). Granted it is the newest gen. of the 0560/1 model.
 
I have a 300 and 200. My 200 is incredibly smooth, and one of my favorites. The 300 is a different animal. I actually like the thinner handle (as compared to the 200) more, and the AO is nice and, "prompt." Unless something is really wrong with an AO, you can't tell much about their "action", so...:D

I'm assuming you purchased on the secondary market, so I will say that I normally detail strip all my pre-owned pieces, and thoroughly clean, degrease & re-lube. Not infrequently, it makes a fair bit of difference in the feel of the knife.
 
I bought my 0562 new on Amazon as a full new price splurge. I like it a lot, so I started buying the other models on Ebay for comparison. 0560, 0300, 0200. I like buying and selling things for fun anyway, so I don't mind buying anything that captures my curiosity on a whim when the price is right. I'll keep what I like and/or upgrade, then recycle the others back into cash.

I probably have a dozen or so interesting extra knives that have accumulated in my "boxes of treasures" (rationalization for too much clutter, LOL). Ditto for photo equipment, tools, collectible items of silver, and surplus Buddhas from my beloved Buddha collection that has been growing for 40 years. Kayak fishing things, and vintage car parts too. These are all hobbies that give me satisfaction and pleasure. I'm also a yard sale and estate sale junkie, LOL. Opportunities are everywhere around us.

Seriously, I think most, if not all these things are better than cash in the bank at least, and can be a comfortable livelihood if we want it to be.
 
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