Cold steel vs zero tolerance

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If these knife companies would provide their knives to me I'd test them. Until then, actual proof only comes from those willing to front the money for the knives. Competition is a good thing.
 
Damned wimpy ZT's...

[video=youtube;AW0TVkcBFkw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW0TVkcBFkw[/video]

:)
 
Amen.

You should build a company based on your own product's merits, not by smearing other companies' products.

Agreed. That applies to every product or business.

I've had great examples from each company. No complaints.

And now something for all the haters out there.

[video=youtube;1N5p8IXzNdc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N5p8IXzNdc[/video]
 
Dunno, I consider myself a ZT fanboy but it seems to me that I just see more posts of ZT's lock fail than CS'...
 
When was the last time Cold Steel won an industry award and was recognized by insiders for their quality and designs?

They do have some good designs, and their quality is generally pretty good.
I'm lending my Cold Steel Tuff Lite to a friend who is doing an adventure race in a month or two, and I'm confident it'll work for her without failure.
 
So is hard use all about the lock now?
"I remember back in the day when hard use meant prying..." :D
 
Good thing I don't buy my knives specifically to withstand spine whacks.
Nor do I. I buy my knives based on what the sharp side does. I can't think of a single time where I've tried to beat something to death with the back side of the blade. I can't even think of a situation where I'd ever need to. I wonder if he shows as much concern over the performance of his shoes when trying to run backward.
 
I'm one of those so called "professionals" too, never had an issue with a Kershaw or Zero Tolerance knife. They've always done what they were supposed to do!
 
Wow AD is a big guy but that didnt look like a lot of force to disengage the lock on the 350
 
Nor do I. I buy my knives based on what the sharp side does. I can't think of a single time where I've tried to beat something to death with the back side of the blade. I can't even think of a situation where I'd ever need to. I wonder if he shows as much concern over the performance of his shoes when trying to run backward.
Isn't that what an axe is designed for?
 
Nor do I. I buy my knives based on what the sharp side does. I can't think of a single time where I've tried to beat something to death with the back side of the blade. I can't even think of a situation where I'd ever need to. I wonder if he shows as much concern over the performance of his shoes when trying to run backward.

Sure, but if a $15 folder can do it, a knife specifically marketed for hard use(however they qualify it) and costing several times more, should be able to shrug it off.
 
I'm not even a fan of cold steel.

But we know you hate ZT, so what you say doesn't really matter.

"Since 1974, Kai USA has brought you what you have come to expect—the very highest quality and most innovative designs available in the knife market today.

With our new line of Zero Tolerance Combat Knives, the legacy continues. We have teamed up with Ken Onion and Strider Knives to bring you a new series of professional-grade combat knives built to survive the harsh, real-world situations that confront you every day. We call it ZT, Zero Tolerance. And that is our ultimate goal—Zero Tolerance in design, Zero Tolerance in function and Zero Tolerance in performance.

Whether you're in the Military, Law Enforcement, Fire and Rescue, on a Response Team, or are an EMS professional, if you demand only the best from your equipment, you will quickly recognize the many benefits that ZT has to offer. Because when you've got a life-and-death job, you need tools that can give you an edge. Zero Tolerance Knives are those tools."

Drinking marketing cool-aid is just stupid. Notice how they didn't actually say anything in all that stuff that you quoted?

Didn't we just do this thread? Hope this one gets locked up faster than the last, and the next one gets locked up even fast. This garbage is just pointless.

Oh, and not enough "haters" yet. Well just one more I guess. Time to drink!
 
ZT is not for me. Neither are any frame locks or liner locks. That said, lock or not, I was taught not to use a knife in a manner it can close on you.
 
There are definitely ZT knives that have perfectly good locks. There are videos showing extreme abuse of ZT knives where the locks hold. It would be unfair to say that those particular knives, proven to have a lock without issues are somehow unsafe or weak.

Likewise, there are also many, many videos showing extreme abuse of Cold Steel knives where the Triad locks hold.

Consider this, however - there are zero videos showing a Triad lock disengaging under light pressure on the spine with the hands, gentle spinewhacks, or moderate use. None.

There are, however, several videos - nine on the first few pages of results alone - showing ZT framelocks (0300 & 0550/560 series) disengaging under light pressure on the spine with the hands, gentle spinewhacks, or moderate use.

It's not just ZT that's being singled out. Look for tests involving particular knives from any company - Benchmade, Spyderco, Cold Steel, you name it - that have a track record of failing locks. You'll see that these knives, too, have several videos demonstrating their failures.

For every person with the time & resources to make videos on Youtube, there are hundreds more knife users who do not. The fact that a large number of Youtubers alone have had disengagement problems with certain ZT knives tells me that the probability isn't low that the average consumer might encounter these issues on certain ZTs.

Yes, it's likely that when you purchase a ZT of the aforementioned series you won't get one with a lock that has a disengagement issue. But there is also a chance that you will. And on account of the reports out there it seems that there is a much greater chance of a ZT lock (of the aforementioned series) having disengagement issues than knives with the Triad lock.

This issue is magnified, of course, by the fact that the design & features of these particular knives mean that they are more likely to be used for heavier tasks than other, smaller knives. Therefore, if there is a problem with lock disengagement, it is more likely to threaten user safety as the blades & locks of these knives are more likely to encounter sharp forces from various directions.
 
Sure, but if a $15 folder can do it, a knife specifically marketed for hard use(however they qualify it) and costing several times more, should be able to shrug it off.
Why? I've not once whacked the crap out of a knife whether a $15 or a $1000 knife.. I don't own anything more expensive than that so I can't comment on that but I don't think I'd feel the urge to spine whack a very expensive knife any more than a fairly expensive knife. I guess my problem is that I think spine whack tests are ridiculously stupid regardless of whether a knife passes, what it costs, or how it is marketed. It just isn't a metric that has any meaning.
 
Why? I've not once whacked the crap out of a knife whether a $15 or a $1000 knife.. I don't own anything more expensive than that so I can't comment on that but I don't think I'd feel the urge to spine whack a very expensive knife any more than a fairly expensive knife. I guess my problem is that I think spine whack tests are ridiculously stupid regardless of whether a knife passes, what it costs, or how it is marketed. It just isn't a metric that has any meaning.

It's a lock, it should "lock" regardless. Whether you agree or not, when an item is marketed, it should work properly. If it doesn't work properly(as advertised), then it shouldn't be sold as such.
 
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I have 3 ZTs: 0550, 0566, 0562. I've used all 3 extensively, for a variety of tasks ranging from typical package opening stuff on up to destroying a wide variety of items composed of vinyl, leather, canvas, wood, etc (getting paid to do this is gratifying).

In these applications, I use either a hammer or reverse grip, exerting pressure on the lock bar. All 3 knives have flipper tabs or protrusions that would meet fingers instead of sharpened edge. None have ever slipped or wiggled.

I won't say anything bad about Cold Steel, because I have nothing bad to say. What I will say is that my ZT knives are working as advertised.
 
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