-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
How tough is the Zero Tolerance ZT0400
- Thread starter SBaker34
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2004
- Messages
- 2,172
I didn't gather that you have ever really used a recurved tanto. My experience has been that the curve on the long part help keep material from slipping off the blade before it's cut, like a hawk bill, but you also get the ability to do fine detail work and have great stabing ability with the short straight at the end. To me it's one of the most versitile blade designs.
I had a 0400 for a while and though it was one heck of a tank of a knife. It was more knife then I would ever need so I traded it off and got the Tanto Groove. Still a tough knife just not as beastly as the 0400.
OP, have you bought the knife yet? I have recently purchased the 0400. I really love the knife, except for 2 issues. The blade has a wide edge angle. Noticeably wide compared to 0200 or any other S30V knives I have in Benchmades and Spydercos. Consequently, this thing is a terrible slicer. It will not slice thin papers cleanly, like many people love to do to waste paper or time.
Second issue is that my 0400 has developed a vertical blade play. I have own this knife for only a few weeks, sliced up 2 boxes. That's hardly anything for a knife of this class. What I noticed is that the liner lock no longer comes in contact with the blade itself when opened. Even when there's nothing pushing against the lock, the lock does not spring out to center depth of the blade. This bothers me immensely. Maybe if I wrapped the stop pin with something thin, it will push the blade against the lock and remove blade play. It's not so bad that the blade will close on its own under pressure, but it is bad enough that you can hear it rattle. This is not a typical experience I've had with zero tolerance knives or any other knives of this class.
The edge angle issue is not a big one, since I can just have it re-profiled. Even a tanto blade will slice extremely well with the right edge angle, ie Cold Steel Recon 1 Tanto. The blade play is a serious issue. I may send it back to Zero Tolerance. I am hesitant to do so, just because I bought this knife only recently and would like to give it more play time before sending it back to factory.
Second issue is that my 0400 has developed a vertical blade play. I have own this knife for only a few weeks, sliced up 2 boxes. That's hardly anything for a knife of this class. What I noticed is that the liner lock no longer comes in contact with the blade itself when opened. Even when there's nothing pushing against the lock, the lock does not spring out to center depth of the blade. This bothers me immensely. Maybe if I wrapped the stop pin with something thin, it will push the blade against the lock and remove blade play. It's not so bad that the blade will close on its own under pressure, but it is bad enough that you can hear it rattle. This is not a typical experience I've had with zero tolerance knives or any other knives of this class.
The edge angle issue is not a big one, since I can just have it re-profiled. Even a tanto blade will slice extremely well with the right edge angle, ie Cold Steel Recon 1 Tanto. The blade play is a serious issue. I may send it back to Zero Tolerance. I am hesitant to do so, just because I bought this knife only recently and would like to give it more play time before sending it back to factory.
This may not help but have you tried loosening all the handle screws and the pivot screw and retightening everything?
Yup tried all that. I think if the pivot screw was a fraction of a mm thicker or if the liner lock had a stronger spring to it, it wouldn't be an issue. My other 0400 has no problem.
Oops, I meant the stop pin, not the pivot screw. The pivot is perfect as it is.
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2009
- Messages
- 44,314
@Biggubosu
Did you buy the knife new? Mine was really sharp out of the box, it is a little odd that your knife was not that way. From what I understand the tolerances on the ZT knives are pretty close (like like a Sebenza). The problem you describe sounds like the pivot is too tight, even though you say it isn't. When I hit the flipper on mine, it flies open and locks up nicely (not too early and not too late).
You do realize that you can contact their Customer Support and get a replacement torsion bar right? I would recommend you send it in and have them look at it. What do you mean you think the stop pin needs to be thicker?
Did you buy the knife new? Mine was really sharp out of the box, it is a little odd that your knife was not that way. From what I understand the tolerances on the ZT knives are pretty close (like like a Sebenza). The problem you describe sounds like the pivot is too tight, even though you say it isn't. When I hit the flipper on mine, it flies open and locks up nicely (not too early and not too late).
You do realize that you can contact their Customer Support and get a replacement torsion bar right? I would recommend you send it in and have them look at it. What do you mean you think the stop pin needs to be thicker?
Oh yeah, got it new. Ordered a pair of them, because I like to have two of everything. And it's sharp, just not shaving papers, because you can see that the edge angle is quite wide. I ordered a pair of 0200 with them, and those have narrower edge angle and shaves paper just fine.
It's not the pivot, and it's not the torsion bar. The liner lock is not contacting the locking portion of the blade. There's a very tiny space in between. If the stop pin were just a tad thicker, it'd push the blade against the lock and would be no problem. It might've been that the paint on the stop pin was just thick enough to lock up the blade fine before. After playing with it a bit, the stop pin's paint has worn a bit on the contact side, and now might be no longer providing that extra support against the blade.
Yeah, I'm aware that ZT has an excellent customer service, so I will send it in in the near future, if I can't find my own solution.
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2009
- Messages
- 1,632
the ZT 0400's design and shape is very similar to the kershaw shallot. its basically a linerlock shallot on steroids with a tanto blade.
Yeah, I love the Shallot. Fantastic knife. Just wish it had a thumbstud...
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2007
- Messages
- 4,984
I was thinking the exact same thing.
I have a DDR HTM Gunhammer 2 with machined aluminum scales. If that knife isn't tough, I don't know what is. .9 inch thick titanium linerlock bar. And yes, I have owned ZT in the past, just not the 0400.
