Brous Blades Bionic 2.0 vs Zero Tolerance 0808

Kamoe

Kamoe

Joined
Sep 30, 2012
Messages
183
Does anyone have both of these knives and can take some direct comparison pictures for me? I'm in the market for a 150-200 dollar EDC knife and both the Bionic 2.0 and the ZT0808 are offering about what I'm looking for. Basically I just want some blade thickness, length, width, comparisons, and some personal opinion.
 
Wasn't impressed by the bionic. The 808 however is an awesome knife not to mention a better value
 
USELESS OPINION TIME!

I haven't handled a ZT808 or a Bionic 2.0, but I have handled an 0801 and a Bionic 1.0! The Bionic wasn't particularly impressive to me, and I would have felt cheated had I paid full price for it. The ZT, however, was an absolute dream and is well worth full retail price (but those with patience will find watching ebay and the exchange for a good deal to be worthwhile).

Also, I like S35VN and Elmax much more than D2. Too chippy and can develop corrosion fairly quickly by comparison.
 
Yeah, I have handled a Bionic 1.0, but the opinion of the 2.0 in comparison of the original is night and day, from what I've heard. D2 has it's trade-offs in my line of work, which is lots and lots of cardboard cutting. D2 will retain it's edge a lot longer, but it's gonna be hard to sharpen on the Sharpmaker. S35VN on the ZT 0808 is easier to sharpen but might dull on me by the end of the day.

I have a Leek with a composite D2 blade and I love the retention of D2 and haven't had any corrosion problems since I keep my blades coated in WD-40 to keep the blades clean of tape adhesive. But touching it up on the Sharpmaker is a nightmare. I have to go through the entire process of 20 passes on carbide, 30 passes on ceramic just to get a microbevel to show up. The S30V of my Para-2 only takes 20 passes on ceramic to get hair shaving sharpness back, but it tends to drag more through cardboard towards the end of the day, making cutting a little more uncomfortable.

So basically what I'm looking at is convenience vs. workability. Easy to sharpen and loss of edge vs edge retention and difficult, but less frequent sharpening. Trade-off seems to be nearly even.
 
Kamoe said:
Yeah, I have handled a Bionic 1.0, but the opinion of the 2.0 in comparison of the original is night and day, from what I've heard. D2 has it's trade-offs in my line of work, which is lots and lots of cardboard cutting. D2 will retain it's edge a lot longer, but it's gonna be hard to sharpen on the Sharpmaker. S35VN on the ZT 0808 is easier to sharpen but might dull on me by the end of the day.

I have a Leek with a composite D2 blade and I love the retention of D2 and haven't had any corrosion problems since I keep my blades coated in WD-40 to keep the blades clean of tape adhesive. But touching it up on the Sharpmaker is a nightmare. I have to go through the entire process of 20 passes on carbide, 30 passes on ceramic just to get a microbevel to show up. The S30V of my Para-2 only takes 20 passes on ceramic to get hair shaving sharpness back, but it tends to drag more through cardboard towards the end of the day, making cutting a little more uncomfortable.

So basically what I'm looking at is convenience vs. workability. Easy to sharpen and loss of edge vs edge retention and difficult, but less frequent sharpening. Trade-off seems to be nearly even.
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Tool steels are a good choice for that application, too. M4 would be a wise choice (Spyderco Gayle Bradley and Benchmade Contego, but the Spyderco has better cutting performance), as would ZDP-189, M390, or 110v (the latter two being stainless).

You can pick up a FFG Manix 110V for $115 any day of the week, and ZDP Enduras and Delicas can be had under a hundo pretty readily as well. Even a Caly 3.5 with CF handles and a laminated ZDP blade will only run you about $150.

If it has to be a flipper or a liner/framelock, then you already have one of the better options (D2 leek). Few framelocks and flippers are made with tool steels, and the 110V0801s are a bit spendy. The 0562CF or 0620CF might be worth looking at - don't discount Tantos, as they are basically two wharncliffe blades put together. Utilitarian to the max.
 
Brous Bionic 2.0 is much better than the flawed Bionic 1.0. It's one of the few Brous knives that's actually worth the money and the quality is excellent on the ones I have (blue stonewashed and silver satin -- $160-$180) with very good flipper action. If you want a small 3" blade of D2 light flipper with liner lock and aluminum handle it's a great choice.

ZT 0808 is a much more robust flipper with a 3.25" S35VN stainless steel modified Wharncliffe blade with better flipper action and tougher. Definitely heavier and goes for $200. You should also consider ZT 0450 which is a much lighter titanium frame lock flipper with a 3.25" S35VN blade and great flipper action but for only $160!
 
It's funny cause I'm actually looking to trade my 0562 cause it's a little big for my job, scares my boss a little and I have a written agreement with him to keep my knives small since I work in the public eye. Which is a shame because I love my 0562, but there's no sense in keeping the knife if I can't use it at work, it'd be better off in someone else's hands. I'd keep it for collecting purposes, but I like to use my knives, no use in keeping something I can't use.

I've been looking into a blade in M390 for a while, the ZT 0770CF in M390 caught my eye, but after getting the Elmax version and seeing how the lockup varied so drastically to the point where the knife is currently unusable due to lock slip/lock rock, I've been turned off of the 0770 series unless ZT will replace mine. I'm also not too fond of assisted opening, and the 0770 without the torsion bar has a very weak detent. The Leek is the only exception to the rule because the D2 is too good.

The Manix has been on my to-buy list for a while, I'd need a size comparison for it though, I've never handled one myself. I'm not too fond of lockbacks, I do like my frame/liner locks and axis/bolt style locks.
 
I work around customers too, and I've found my best option is to have one "serious" knife for bigger jobs like cutting cardboard or whatnot off the sales floor, and one "friendly" knife that doesn't threaten the general population. I rotate the bigger knife depending on the day and my whimsy (current roster: ZT 0801, Kizer chopper, Kershaw turbulence, Spyderco domino), but the go-to "friendly" piece is the Boker Decade Subcom in VG-10 and CF. Little guy slices great but looks adorable.
 
Kamoe said:
The Manix has been on my to-buy list for a while, I'd need a size comparison for it though, I've never handled one myself. I'm not too fond of lockbacks, I do like my frame/liner locks and axis/bolt style locks.
Click to expand...

FYI, current Manix models use the Ball Bearing Lock, which is similar to an Axis Lock.
 
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