Flaw in zero tolerance blades?

I wouldn't call it a flaw. At most a cosmetic blemish. If brand new from a legit ZT dealer, I suggest you send it back to the dealer for possibly a better sample.

 

Just looked at mine and it's not like that.Yours also seems to have a coarser finish/grind across that surface than mine does as well. Looks to me like the grinding wheel had a slight anomaly at that spot, maybe a piece of grit went through when they were grinding.

 

I am not pointing a finger saying that this is part of the problem, but two things I want to add....

Amazon has a ridiculously good return policy, and when something like a knife is returned, I doubt it gets checked by someone that has any real knowledge of what they are looking for, if it's actually looked over at all.

I like to buy knives from actual knife dealers.
The chances of getting a "blem" are minimal, as many of them check knives when they recieve them, or before they ship.
It's also not a bad idea to support knife dealers, for obvious reasons...

 

I know some knife vendors on Amazon advertise as Authorized ZT Dealers so I'd stay with those.

There are many ZT dealers which are also BF dealers and these I've personally dealt with successfully: BladeHQ, GPKnives, KershawGuy KnifeCenter, KnifeWorks, KnivesShipFree, TopQualityKnives, USAMadeBlade.

 

Sweet knife dude! I don't have that many ZTs, however I've received knives with very similar marks from both BM and Spyderco. One was a Griptillian bought from Cabelas just after it opened. (It had 4 or 5 lines like that). The other was a HAP40 Stretch that I had pre-ordered. They're simply cosmetic, which doesn't bother me as mine are all users, but what you do with yours is totally up to you. I would be interested to hear what ZT said after seeing them. Good luck in getting it worked out! I'll try to snag a pic of mine for ya!

 

Nothing to worry about, I've had a couple worse than that. It looks like final grind on the blade incurred a little blemish. Probable can't see it at different angles.
Once you start using it, it'll blend in with the other personality marks you'll give it

 

Here's a quick visual aid, you can see a few lines on is little fella, the Stretch is already way to scratched to tell......just the way I like it!

 

Use it and give it more flaws; they add character!

 

Wasn't trying to put a negative spin on it in any way, just making that point.

Online knife dealers, there are very few brick and mortar stores.....

That "line" happened in the process of grinding, I wouldn't worry about it unless this is going to be a collector piece for you.

 

I've seen these lines before...

My theory is that since it's made with an automated grinding process, the "machine" they use to grind the blades does the stock removal in separate locations on each bevel. I think the line you're seeing is where the belt stops and ends during automated grinding. A hand ground blade shouldn't show lines like this since stock removal is done with one fluid motion from end to end.

 

Eric,

Whip out that blade and use it. Once you cut enough, that grind line will be camouflaged by the other scratches.

 

This is just part of the machining process. Usually CNC bit being a little worn.
I've seen this from ZT, to Buck, to Benchmade, to Chris Reeve, to just about any knife that gets CNC work done.

It's purely cosmetic.

 

Do yourself a favor and compare prices at Knifeworks, Knifecenter, or BladeHQ to Amazon. I found they often have similar and sometimes better prices at these dealers.

 

I have had a few BRAND NEW, UNUSED ZT's with the same line.

 

I agree with most folks in this thread and echo that some of my my ZTs and BMs have the same grind lines. BTW, for this particular model, the price seems the same across all dealers, so it makes sense to go with one of the BFC sponsor dealer.

OP - congrats! Dont let that minor thing affect you. It is a beautiful knife.