Decided on ZT, now which model? 350? 200? Help?

[brewmeister bill]

Howdy all. Long-time lurker, finally registered just because I finally have a question I havent found elsewhere. Little background: I am prior military (in the 80's) went on to Medic & Police Officer (up until I was disabled in 2005), so I've had a knife in my pocket every day since 1987....but, with the exception to my Buck 110 folder (and Buck fixed blade), most were older Spyderco cheapies, Walmart Gerber specials and the like (and a few Henkels in the kitchen). Bein disabled, my income prevents me from grabbin the latest & greatest, but this past Xmas, my darlin wife told me to pick out a folder in the "hundred-ish" range, And, after 2 solid weeks of reading, I have decided to go with Zero Tolerance, BUT....do I go for the 350, or 200? Both are similar in price, both have blem models thru Kershaw guy, and both have ability to place clip for Lefty, Point-up carry....I just cant make that final decision! I like the blade design of the 350, but I also like the (what appears to be) handfilling scales on the 200...So what say ye? ZT 350 or ZT 200?

I appreciate any input folks....And I thank all in advance!
Look forward to postin a lil more around here now too

 

[mley1]

I don't have the 200.(hope too one day though) I do have the 350. I haven't had it for too long. But, it rides in my pocket each day since I've had it. I like it a lot. It's plenty big enough for tough jobs, but small enough for everyday work. I hardly notice it in my pocket. Yet it's a fairly big knife compared to other folders. It's a great edc knife. The s30v steel is great too. I really love my 350. Plus, the price is right in the range you stated.

 

[Ray Allen]

Howdy,
Good question...I went with the 0350 combo edge. Very good fit and finish. Very stout. Living near the salt water and boats, I really like having the combo edge for crusty lines if needed. Damn fine piece.
Best...

 

[brewmeister bill]

Lookin like the guage is going to lean towards the 350 (oh, and I saw one on ebay with replacement rosewood grips...that satisfies my "fills the hand" requirement.) Do either of you feel the grip is too small lengthwise? I have fairly big hands, and the reviews that say "it appears most of the size reduction from the 300 occurred in the grip area"....

 

[Bishop2Queen's6]

The 350 is assisted opening. 200 isn't if you haven't weighed that in.
I own both and I say that the 350 is easier to carry in the pocket while the 200 is easier to handle. Both hold an edge very well. You won't be disappointed with either choice. At this point for you, it comes down to what ever you find more visually appealing.

 

[mley1]

Lookin like the guage is going to lean towards the 350 (oh, and I saw one on ebay with replacement rosewood grips...that satisfies my "fills the hand" requirement.) Do either of you feel the grip is too small lengthwise? I have fairly big hands, and the reviews that say "it appears most of the size reduction from the 300 occurred in the grip area"....

I'm an average sized guy at around 5'8" and about 190lbs. My hands are pretty fair sized. I can get all four fingers around the grip comfortably with a bit of room to spare toward the rear of the grip. The grip is very comfortable to me. I do find that with a full grip on the knife my index finger is right up against the flipper part of the blade. I think any smaller and it would have been too small. It fits my hand just right. I do think the 300, which is supposed to be 10% larger than the 350, will have a good bit more room for your grip and if your hands are extra large may be more comfortable for you.

Here is a pic of my 350 in my hand.

 

[cricketdave]

I've handled the 200 and it was pretty large. The 350 felt alot better for my pocket, I like the assisted opener too. So I've carried and used it for about a year or so and I really like it. Tough and holds a good edge. Its looking pretty beat up now.

 

[brewmeister bill]

Nah, not beat...."character marks".
OK, I think with the assisted opening, and the 350 feeling better in carry (I've read that in a few scattered reviews, I think I'm going with the 350 (I kinda like that blade shape as well...looks different than any Tanto or Clip point I've seen). Hopefully the grip issue will be ok....I tried measuring, and with my hand wrapped around a grip, its 4" top to bottom (handspan if it matters, 9 3/4", and an xl glove).

Gonna place my order in the AM, and I'll post some knife-porn in a few days I appreciate EVERYONES input, it really helped. Thanks guys.

 

[cutter17]

The 200 all the way! I've had several of them, sold a few, and now have only two. But I love them! The knife is a bruiser. The handle is a great fit in the hand for me and I have large hands. I had a 0350, but the handle was a little short and it didn't feel right in my hand, so I traded it. I think the ZT0200 is a soon to be icon when you think of ZT. But I see that I may be too late if you have already ordered it. The 0350 is a great knife though, and I'm sure you will enjoy it. To tell the truth, if ZT had made the 0350 blade from 5/32 stock, like the other knives are, I would have kept it and learned to put up with the shorter handle.

Yeah, be sure to post us some pics. And welcome to BF!!

 

[Flash Owl]

i had the 200, and its alot of knife for the price, great build, fit and finish.
my fingers are kind of skinny, and the handle felt blockly to me, maybe because of the cutoff pattern, which looks great by the way.
but when i squeeze the handle it really locks in, and gives me the feeling i can really do some hard work with it.
the 200 was too large and heavy for me, so i moved it along.

i got a chance to handle the 350 in a store, and it felt very comfortable, although the handle was a bit thin to me.
the overall size is just right, its just too bad im not a fan of assisted openers, or i would have one.

both great knives, you really cant go wrong.

 

[Gerry.GEG]

To me, the best one is the one that you'll carry and use. This is why I bought the 0350. As other's have said, it rides nice in the pocket but seem beefy enough to take on many jobs. I love mine so far.

 

[brewmeister bill]

Gerry, I wholeheartedly agree! To all others, thank you for the input!
I placed the order for the 350 this morning (a blem, but from what I've read, excellent value) , very excited about getting a "real" knife, if that makes sense.... Never really had any hi-end stuff, just 30 dollar "abuse em and lose em" specials (other than my buck 110, but thats not the most tactical).
I make and sell paracord bracelets and stuff, so now that I know of the Kershaw guy with the blems, I may just convince the DW to let me get a 200 as well once I make the money

Lovin the site, look forward to learning some more off y'all.

 

[Ray Allen]

Looking toward to your review! I bet you really like it. One thing not touched on much is the jimping by ZT. Some of the best out there IMO. As to the assisted opening, remember the old potato chip commercial... Bet you can't eat just one...same thing with the 0350, that flipper is addicting.
Cheers...

 

[themandylion]

An 0200 is on my list of "ways to spend money."

Not a fan of AO, but that's just me.

 

[shandrydan1]

Nevermind. I got it, thanks!

 

[brewmeister bill]

Came in this afternoon, Hows that for speedy! The "blem" is a tiny dot by the edge, unbeleivable what they comsider a defect....good for us though, so no complaints I cant believe how sharp it is.
Now I just need to hit Home Depot and find a small enough torx to move the clip to allow lefty point-up carry.
And I think I'm gonna convince the DW to let me pick up a 200...This one fits my hand pretty well, but a backup never hurt

 

[Shadow213]

The 0350 is definitely a little pitbull of a knife that could handle anything thrown at it and that assisted opening is very cool. I just got mine this past week in a trade and was lucky enough to also get a 0200 as well in another transaction. Although the 0350 is a very good choice for EDC, the 0200 fills my large hands much better and the handle feels like it was made for me, thus the 0200 will be riding in my pocket for now. Fyi, here is a pic of them side by side....

 

[brewmeister bill]

I swapped the clip over (Torx T7 for those curious), Found my only small niggle...unblackened pivot bolt. Nothing some gun parkerizing cant fix. In normal position, It might be a tiny (tiny) bit on the short side, but still feels stable in my hand. In my secondary grip it feels great (I never learned the terms, sorry). I am definitely ordering a 200.....like Shadow, having both seems to be the perfect solution
Some pics for those interested:

 

[Maddogg774]

Edc 0350. Big beef 0200.

 

[shandrydan1]

I've had the 350 and got my 550 in the other day. I broke down and ordered the 200 tonight. It should be in Tuesday. Looking forward to getting it in.