Help with choosing a large edc?

its a love hate thing. i love to carry it. but i dont like many of the features, BUT i still like it. i wouldnt let the con's get in the way. unless those con's are major in your point of view.

con's
-its too thick behind the edge, doesnt slice well. no big deal unless you need a slicer. tried slicing rubber tubing and it was horrible at that (but most knives of this size are going to be similar unless its like say a spyderco).
-thumb stud is not functional, it will make your fingers sore deploying. most annoying thing about the knife. once it wears in it will get easier, but still the sharp edges of the thumbstud are annoying, id rather have say a kershaw blur thumbstud style far better.
-backspacer is ugly revolver thing and aluminum, the wood screws are just screwed into it, so low tech annoying cheap.
-carbon fiber is not a full carbon composite. its carbon and micarta (blue) iirc. to me this means it was less expensive and not as strong as just carbonfiber (but this is nitpicking, the quality of the composite is very high).
-not thrilled with the GUN market design ques. this is the most upsetting. its a knife made for gun enthusiasts id say. that pisses me off. zt is a knife company. but they are targeting a different market with this one.


pro's
-action is great, you can finger flick after its worn in a bit. i prefer to finger flick rather than thumb flick, as my thumb gets red AF.
-grip is great.
-20cv steel is great, tho i havent used it much to say about its wear rate yet.
-fairly good in the pocket for being larger. good placement of the clip.
-its fairly light weight. the blade is the heavy part of the knife. but its not that unbalanced.
-high quality TI and CF/micarta.

mine came with what i would suggest is a weak detent or a detent hole too big for the detent. when its closed i can shake it lightly and it will chatter. the blade is loose. if i shake it a little more the blade whips out unsafely. some other folks also have this issue (epic snuggle bunny showed this on his just recently on his live yt video). not everyone is affected. im sure ZT would fix this, dunno tho.

im really subjective on knives. most of the knife community doesn't see eye to eye with me. im worse than nick shabazz. i wish more people listed con's about knives instead of saying they like everything. in this case, even the con's are not that bad. more of nitpicks.

These sell on the secondary market for pretty cheap. or at least almost every one ive seen was. i got mine below map pricing new. its definatly not worth Map pricing imho, but its an excellent knife that i still like to carry despite the cons.


I didn't mention the 0850 earlier because of the price, but if one can be found cheaply enough, I rather like it. Actually one of my recent favorites in my current random rotation. Like any other knife, it has its cons. But I don't find some of the things most mentioned as cons. Like the thumb stud. It get beat up pretty badly, but I find it both useful and appealing. Less harsh on my thumbs than the traditional "Devo hat" studs, but gets the job done.

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I do wish the blade rode on bearings though. I know the point was to back away from the flipper/bearing craze. But I really like the feel of a nice, smooth, manual ball bearing action. Mine does not have any blade shake when closed. But could use a bit more detent strength. I've never had an accidental opening with this one fortunately, and hope I never do. I have had accidental pocket openings with my first and second ever ZT's, the 350 and 561. I'm actually lucky to not have any serious injuries from them. But I have a few pants pockets that were not so lucky.
 
When I think of a ZT that is large yet pocket friendly, the 0452cf is what I think of. If you still want something grippy yet beefier, the criminally discontinued 909 is my choice. If you want something that is large yet surprisingly light weight for its size, the 920 may be my favorite ZT. However, it requires that you're ok with a recurve...as a khukuri guy that's a nonissue;)

I do have a soft sport for the 850. The revolver overtones in the design may be a little much for some, but it pockets well.
 
I did not bother to respond to his dissertation rebuting what I said. I am sure ZT 0804cf would sell out within hours at $150. Why would any dealer price it at $99? Any ZT fan ever really saw this price?


Heck, I just found some ZT0804CF's on a Chinese site for US$21.99. Beat that! :D
 
ZT 550, they still pop up on the exchange
ZT 220, nice beefy knife
ZT 456, it’s already been mentioned. Get one in your hand and you’ll have no doubt it can do heavy duty work. Most don’t like the weight compared to the size.
I just got a Spyderco Military in M4, awesome knife. May be too big of a blade for your area.
I also like the ZT 0095, great work knife.
 
The 909 is the les George model right? And also how does the 804 compare to the 801? Or is it just the carbon fiber? Also in terms of ergos would you say the 560 is equal to the 562? It looks like a more neutral handle

Ya, the 909 is cheap right now.

804 is a 4" blade, 801 is much smaller.

Eros of the 0560 and 0562 are similar because of the overall design, but it's like comparing the Manix2 (and 0562) in that pic to the Military (and 0560) in the pic... Roomier and not as contoured to lock you in.
 
Zt0804cf didn't sell for below $199 iirc. Dealers would not let it go Below dealer pricing unless they were some how loosing money sitting in inventory.

I would guess the 0850 would follow its foot steps being over priced in today's market for what it is. I give it two years and it gets discounted, tho that could be generous.
 
The 0920 is a great knife too, if the 0452 is a bit too much. you can find it for around 200$ LNIB on forums or facebook.
 
ZT 550, they still pop up on the exchange
ZT 220, nice beefy knife
ZT 456, it’s already been mentioned. Get one in your hand and you’ll have no doubt it can do heavy duty work. Most don’t like the weight compared to the size.
I just got a Spyderco Military in M4, awesome knife. May be too big of a blade for your area.
I also like the ZT 0095, great work knife.

Crap, I don't know why I didn't mention the 456 either. It is an amazing heavyweight user. People talk about the weight, but it is really only a bit heavier than other blades of similar length. I think the weight is what helps with the overall sweet package. It's a fistful with amazing balance. Not to mention perfectly contoured to avoid hot spots (at least in my hand). It is also one of my current favs.

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My newest large EDC is the Benchmade Presidio II axis lock. I bought it on a whim, scheels had it marked down from 174.99 to 119.99. Then they ran a one day 25.00 coupon. With the free shipping it only cost me 100.00 after tax. I am absolutely in love with it. It is a tank, 6.7oz, but has a awesome blade shape and is s30v steel. Prior to the presidio II my large EDC was/is occasionally the Benchmade Crooked River.
 
Based on your budget, I assume you’re looking at the aluminum SR-1. I’m leary of that model from a strength standpoint. Another LionSteel you might consider is the KUR. It’s a very beefy liner lock flipper well within your budget. I have a KUR and the previously mentioned TM-1. I love them both.
 
Steel Will has a few knives that fit your needs. Apostate, toughest folder I own. I has been discontinued but is readily available on the secondary.
The second one is also a Steel Will, it is the large Gekko super solid and available in a few steels and scale colors.
 
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