Got my 0801. I almost didnt buy one. But im sure glad I did.

PURPLEDC

PURPLEDC

Joined
Apr 4, 2007
Messages
8,578
Got my 0801 today. I got one of them off the forum. I payed a little more than I normally would have to from a dealer but the benefit was I got to see the lockup which im particular about before buying so it was money well spent IMHO. When KAI first announced this knife It was bittersweet for me. I loved the idea of a full titanium KVT flipper but I wasnt completely thrilled with the overall outline of the knife. For me todd rexford designs dont appeal to everyone. But like many love it or hate it profiles some of them can give you a completely different impression in photos than they do in real life. For me this was the case.

Im absolutely over the moon for this knife. I think my favorite aspects are the sheer value it delivers and the flipping action is by far the best of any knife I have owned. But the handle shape is bliss. IMHO way more knives should have a palm swell. It just fills the hand better. I have other knives with large handles but the area for you index finger feels way to narrow. A lot of thought seems to have gone into the ergos. It has the most perfect detent. And it snaps out with authority. And while it does require a bit of force to fire it is never uncomfortable. the flipper is well designed for a hard firing detent and the jimping give the perfect amount of grip without being harsh on your finger tip. Lockup on my example is what I would call perfect. The centering was a bit off but literally 1/8 of a turn centered it perfectly.

My hat is off to ZT. I definitely cant speak for Todd but this knife being based on the singularity model I cant help but think that Todd designed the knife completely with function in mind. because when i first look at the knife, It doesnt wow me. But when you experience it with touch it adds a whole new appreciation for it. I do have a feeling that this is going to get the majority of my pocket time. My ONLY caveats are I wish they had opted for silver hardware. But the two tone has a cool factor all on its own.







 
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PURPLEDC said:
Got my 0801 today. I got one of them off the forum. I payed a little more than I normally would have to from a dealer but the benefit was I got to see the lockup which im particular about before buying so it was money well spent IMHO. When KAI first announced this knife It was bittersweet for me. I loved the idea of a full titanium KVT flipper but I wasnt completely thrilled with the overall outline of the knife. For me todd rexford designs dont appeal to everyone. But like many love it or hate it profiles some of them can give you a completely different impression in photos than they do in real life. For me this was the case.

Im absolutely over the moon for this knife. I think my favorite aspects are the sheer value it delivers and the flipping action is by far the best of any knife I have owned. But the handle shape is bliss. IMHO way more knives should have a palm swell. It just fills the hand better. I have other knives with large handles but the area for you index finger feels way to narrow. A lot of thought seems to have gone into the ergos. It has the most perfect detent. And it snaps out with authority. And while it does require a bit of force to fire it is never uncomfortable. the flipper is well designed for a hard firing detent and the jimping give the perfect amount of grip without being harsh on your finger tip. Lockup on my example is what I would call perfect. The centering was a bit off but literally 1/8 of a turn centered it perfectly.

My hat is off to ZT. I definitely cant speak for Todd but this knife being based on the singularity model I cant help but think that Todd designed the knife completely with function in mind. because when i first look at the knife, It doesnt wow me. But when you experience it with touch it adds a whole new appreciation for it. I do have a feeling that this is going to get the majority of my pocket time. My ONLY caveats are I wish they had opted for silver hardware. But the two tone has a cool factor all on its own.
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This paragraph sums it up really well. I agree on the palm swells as well. On folders you are already sacrificing more of the 3d dimension to handles for slimness. I am talking like side swells and such on/in the scales. A palm swell helps fill your hand more comfortably.
 
Steel130 said:
This paragraph sums it up really well. I agree on the palm swells as well. On folders you are already sacrificing more of the 3d dimension to handles for slimness. I am talking like side swells and such on/in the scales. A palm swell helps fill your hand more comfortably.
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This is part of why I like the ugly dual clips on the 561. It may look awful but it feels great. Experimenting with some better looking options that don't cost an arm and a leg. And I'm warming up to the faux bolster on the 801 a bit. They've become a fixture on higher end knives. Maybe it's in homage to the classic knives?
 
Guy on USN did this clip mod. Looks pretty clean to me.
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Yes, the taper isn't very much but it's there. It's like the edges of the Parthenon columns which are slightly bowed, but so little that they just have a subconscious effect. Absolutely straight parallel sides look cheap and wrong for some reason.
 
The ZT 0801 is just the right balance of size, aesthetics, utility and even a measure of beefiness. It feels awfully good in the hand and the flipper action is the best I've ever had where it opens real snappy, assuredly and with authority. It actually feels very good in the hand and pocket. It has enough texturing for it not to slip out of your hand and being somewhat smooth no drag like G10 when deploying. The blade may not be as thick as the 0550 but then again you have Elmax here. I didn't think there'd be a ZT folder that would beat out my 0550BLK with Hinderer CF scales but the 0801 has easily done that.

My only gripe which is purely subjective and aesthetics is that I wish they at least had given you silver pivot, screws and clip. Of course, if the Zero Tolerance on the handle had been machined more like the 3D one at the SHOT Show it would've looked even better.

A big winner for ZT regular Production folders. It'll never be as big of a sales leader as the 0350 or the upcoming 0566 due to the big price differential.
 
RamZar said:
My only gripe which is purely subjective and aesthetics is that I wish they at least had given you silver pivot, screws and clip. Of course, if the Zero Tolerance on the handle had been machined more like the 3D one at the SHOT Show it would've looked even better.
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Isn't that fairly easy to modify with some scotchbrite and buffing? Pretty sure it's not the kind of thing that would void the warranty.
 
freewheeling said:
Isn't that fairly easy to modify with some scotchbrite and buffing? Pretty sure it's not the kind of thing that would void the warranty.
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It would be easy to do the screws and clip. The pivot is a little trickier with the machining. You would probably be best suited turning the outside and leaving the low points black.
 
PURPLEDC said:
It would be easy to do the screws and clip. The pivot is a little trickier with the machining. You would probably be best suited turning the outside and leaving the low points black.
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Speaking purely academically, one should bead blast the pivot before turn polishing it... If this were to happen, one would end up with matte silver color in the recessed portions, and bright brushed finish on the upper surfaces. Not that you guys would ever do this....
 
jimmer_5 said:
Speaking purely academically, one should bead blast the pivot before turn polishing it... If this were to happen, one would end up with matte silver color in the recessed portions, and bright brushed finish on the upper surfaces. Not that you guys would ever do this....
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That really sounds lovely. I liked the Speedform IIs when they had that matte section, but they stopped doing that for some reason.
 
jimmer_5 said:
Speaking purely academically, one should bead blast the pivot before turn polishing it... If this were to happen, one would end up with matte silver color in the recessed portions, and bright brushed finish on the upper surfaces. Not that you guys would ever do this....
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This would definitely work and is great advice for those with the tools required to do such a job. Im just saying that the majority of people might not have access to that equipment.
 
jimmer_5 said:
Speaking purely academically, one should bead blast the pivot before turn polishing it... If this were to happen, one would end up with matte silver color in the recessed portions, and bright brushed finish on the upper surfaces. Not that you guys would ever do this....
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get out of my head..:D
 
PURPLEDC said:
This would definitely work and is great advice for those with the tools required to do such a job. Im just saying that the majority of people might not have access to that equipment.
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I was speaking academically - I'm not suggesting that anyone should do it at all :)

It would be relatively easy to send the parts out and have it done by someone who has the equipment. Inconvenient, but very do-able. What is that old saying from the world of hip hop? Oh yeah - "Pimpin' ain't easy".

But I hear it's fun.
 
jimmer_5 said:
I was speaking academically - I'm not suggesting that anyone should do it at all :)

It would be relatively easy to send the parts out and have it done by someone who has the equipment. Inconvenient, but very do-able. What is that old saying from the world of hip hop? Oh yeah - "Pimpin' ain't easy".

But I hear it's fun.
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Jim, before you worked for kershaw didnt you use to pimp knives on occasion? doing hand rub satin finishes on blades once in awhile?
 
PURPLEDC said:
Jim, before you worked for kershaw didnt you use to pimp knives on occasion? doing hand rub satin finishes on blades once in awhile?
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Yeah, I went through a phase about 5-7 years ago where I would pimp a lot of my own knives - just for my own use, not As a business. I spent a lot of time mirror polishing and or hand satin finishing blades, making carbon fiber inserts, etc. I got out of the habit a while back - my tastes changed a bit and I got lazy... :)

Trust me, I get the frustration of not having the right equipment for a job - however, I think most of us know a few custom makers and could probably get few small parts blasted if needed. In a perfect world, I would have spec'd the pivot of the 0801 as a turn polished finish, but we end up having to do at by hand, and it creates a bottleneck in production. We felt that the black hardware provided a nice contrast to the silver handles and blade. I wanted a silver clip, but we ended up going with a black one.
 
jimmer_5 said:
In a perfect world, I would have spec'd the pivot of the 0801 as a turn polished finish, but we end up having to do at by hand, and it creates a bottleneck in production. We felt that the black hardware provided a nice contrast to the silver handles and blade. I wanted a silver clip, but we ended up going with a black one.
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You have good taste.

I understand that it's a cost-saving measure just like not 3D milling the Zero Tolerance on the handle of the 0801 just like how nice it was at the SHOT Show.

Seriously, though all silver/chrome/titanium for the pivot, screws and clip is aesthetically a logical step. It'd attract more none ZT buffs to the diversified fold.
 
ZT seem to have the Midas touch lately, every model they put out is pure gold.
 
jimmer_5 said:
Yeah, I went through a phase about 5-7 years ago where I would pimp a lot of my own knives - just for my own use, not As a business. I spent a lot of time mirror polishing and or hand satin finishing blades, making carbon fiber inserts, etc. I got out of the habit a while back - my tastes changed a bit and I got lazy... :)

Trust me, I get the frustration of not having the right equipment for a job - however, I think most of us know a few custom makers and could probably get few small parts blasted if needed. In a perfect world, I would have spec'd the pivot of the 0801 as a turn polished finish, but we end up having to do at by hand, and it creates a bottleneck in production. We felt that the black hardware provided a nice contrast to the silver handles and blade. I wanted a silver clip, but we ended up going with a black one.
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I knew you were the same guy. I remember I asked you to make me C/F inserts for a scarab right as you were getting out of doing it. Its awesome to see a pimper get a job in R&D at a knife company like Kershaw. As far as the 0801 goes, the black actually has grown on me quite a bit. I think its actually pretty classy having the reverse tuxedo effect. I also think the clip being black ties it all together and enhances the effect.
 
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