Emerson or hinderer

Earl1

Earl1

Joined
May 11, 2016
Messages
460
I have been looking lately at a zt0566. I also came across an Emerson zt on sale. I have a Kershaw Emerson cqc6 and just received a cryo2 in the mail. Based on those 2 I like the feel of the Emerson in my hand better. The wave is a cool feature as well. What i was wondering is are these 2 knives a fair representation of the premium blades from these designers. Not to knock both are great, but the Emerson feels better in hand to me even though the looks of the hinderer designs are the ones I like better.
For me though which one functions the best comes before the way a knife looks. Emerson designs are great just like the hinderer looks a bit better. I am wanting to try to buy a zt from one of these guys but with limited funds I wanna make sure it is the right one
 
Well, what are you going to do more of with the knife? Use it or look at it? I mean, I know which I personally do more with a knife...
 
It will be used. All of my knives are used. I rotate through what I have from time to time
 
Which Emerson ZT are you looking at? I had both ZT 0620cf and 0630 and sold both. I don't regret for 0620 as I don't care about the tanto blade but wish I had kept 0630. Both of them are bigger than 0566 if the size is a factor to you. I never owned 0566 but other Hinderer ZTs (0560, 0561, 0562) are all great. All of them are high quality folders and you cannot go wrong with any. It boils down to your personal preference really.
 
I like the 0566 but go with the Emerson ZT I know which one on sale you’re looking at and it’s a better knife imo. It has titanium and Elmax vs stainless steel and s35vn. The 0566 doesn’t have near the ergos of a real hinderer to me at least. Dislike that it’s a stainless frame lock feels bad to unlock to me compared to a titanium frame lock + mine has lock bar issues.

De assisting it and tuning it to flip is kind of a pain too
 
I’ve had a few examples of the 0566, 0620, and 0630. I sold all the 0566s because I don’t care for assisted knifes. It was a great size and shape though. I still have examples of the 0620 & 0630. Great knifes and a ZT rarity now: no ball bearings or flippers!!! I’m sorry they discontinued them.

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Earl1 said:
I have been looking lately at a zt0566. I also came across an Emerson zt on sale. I have a Kershaw Emerson cqc6 and just received a cryo2 in the mail. Based on those 2 I like the feel of the Emerson in my hand better. The wave is a cool feature as well. What i was wondering is are these 2 knives a fair representation of the premium blades from these designers. Not to knock both are great, but the Emerson feels better in hand to me even though the looks of the hinderer designs are the ones I like better.
For me though which one functions the best comes before the way a knife looks. Emerson designs are great just like the hinderer looks a bit better. I am wanting to try to buy a zt from one of these guys but with limited funds I wanna make sure it is the right one
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Between these two ZT knives there is no comparison. The Emerson is a way better value. The Emerson has a titanium lockside whereas the 566 only uses stainless steel for its lockside. The Emerson is abit bigger but is all around an amazing knife. Many consider it to be even better than the real Emersons.

The 566 also has an assisted opening feature which imho is not really great for an expensive knife. The ZT Emerson is so smooth opening there is no advantage to having an assist, all it will be is another part to break. The wave on the other hand is a great robust feature that will never fail on you.

Also since the 566 isn’t a titanium framelock it feels kind of like a tricked out high end Kershaw more than a true ZT.
 
I've owned 4x ZT 0566BW, ZT 0620, ZT 0630 and ZT 0630ORBLK. I personally enjoyed the ZT 0566 by far the most so it gets my vote, the 0630 model is a great knife in it's own right so it would come in second place for my vote and the only ZT knife I ever had an actual issue with was the ZT 0620, I cannot personally recommend it.
 
0620 gets my vote. Can get them for a great price right now. Amazing value.
If you could get the 0630 it would be even better. Nice blade shape and no DLC.
The assisted blades just arent my thing. And the 566 is smallish compared to the 620 and 630.
 
Lapedog said:
Idk personally when it comes to framelocks I like my Emerson HD7 better than my ZT0620. Emerson knives are just a thing some people love for some reason.

The ZT Emerson is great too but the HD7 is outstanding.
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I’ve never messed with an Emerson frame lock so I can’t speak about those. After trying about a dozen of their liner locks I realized I’m not a fan.
 
Having owned both a ZT 0566 and zt 0620, its not a good comparison. The 566 is more of a compromise between the size of a cryo and the big brother the 560.
If you are a fan of Emerson style, the 620 may be right for you. I sold mine due to issues with getting the framelock to work for me without a flipper.
Too much muscle memory involved, but my Emerson cqc-15 has a great handle (for me), and no lock stick issues. With the spotty f&f that Emerson is known for, i realized that this particular knife was a keeper instead of the zt 620.
For a more "Hinderer" style ZT, I would recommend a 560, 393, or 562. All three are good examples of that style. Personally, I would recommend the zt 393 sprint run in s35vn, cheaper price, but still excellent quality.
 
Since you seem to have been able to hold each of them, I'd go with the one that feels better to you. You're the one that has to hold it and use it... the knife needs to fit your hand. I've had both the 566 and the ZT Emersons. Never warmed up to any of the 566's. They just never felt right to me in my hands. The ZT Emersons, OTOH, were very comfortable to hold and use. I do miss the 630 from time to time.

None of these collabs feel like the originals from Hinderer and Emerson to me. I've had all the originals they're based on and they each have a different feel to me from the collaborations. So what you'll get with a 566 or a 620/630 is a good representation of how ZT does Hinderer and Emerson designs.
 
skwave said:
Having owned both a ZT 0566 and zt 0620, its not a good comparison. The 566 is more of a compromise between the size of a cryo and the big brother the 560.
If you are a fan of Emerson style, the 620 may be right for you. I sold mine due to issues with getting the framelock to work for me without a flipper.
Too much muscle memory involved, but my Emerson cqc-15 has a great handle (for me), and no lock stick issues. With the spotty f&f that Emerson is known for, i realized that this particular knife was a keeper instead of the zt 620.
For a more "Hinderer" style ZT, I would recommend a 560, 393, or 562. All three are good examples of that style. Personally, I would recommend the zt 393 sprint run in s35vn, cheaper price, but still excellent quality.
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There is something so sweet about an Emerson that is working properly.

I have never felt the 0566 fits in with the rest of the ZT line up. I think it is largely overpriced for a steel framelock anyway. Also I think assists are just not necessary with today’s smooth pivots that let a blade fly open with a minimal push on the stud or flipper.
 
While emerson and Hinderer designed the knives. Zt made them. Neither are true representations of actually emerson or Hinderer knives. Check out the 0562. It looks like a hinderer and fits in the hand very well.
 
Thanks for all the thoughts. I've decided to go with the 0566. Should I get the g10 or carbon fiber. I like g10 but never had any experience with the carbon fiber
 
Earl1 said:
Thanks for all the thoughts. I've decided to go with the 0566. Should I get the g10 or carbon fiber. I like g10 but never had any experience with the carbon fiber
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G10 more traction and cheaper. The 566 is the knife that got me into higher end knives it was the first knife over $100 that I purchased it’ll serve you well
 
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