I field tested my ZT 350 today…..WOW.

F

farmboy

Joined
Aug 31, 1999
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731
I farm part time here in central Iowa, and I was doing some fall tillage on some soybean ground today with a 24' tandem disc. (Basically, it's 4 gangs of saucer shaped steel blades, pulled through the soil in tandem.)

Today, I was in a back 40, and I plugged up two blades with mud and soybean straw, making the whole machine ineffective. The 100 pound hard packed ball of mud and hard straw had to to be hacked and pried out. I usually use a crowbar or tire iron, along with a garden spade. Today, half an our from the shop, and one of the very few times I ever remember, I had no tools. None. No screwdriver, no wrenches, no chain, and no crowbar. Not even a pair of pliers.

Out came the 350. Reluctantly, I hacked, wedged and pried the 100 pound ball of crap out of the blades with that knife. I know that knives aren't sharpened pry bars. But I needed one, and all I had was the 350.

Man I LEANED on that thing. HARD. 175 pounds of short, chubby, pissed off farmboy, doing his best to get the rig going, whether I broke the knife or not. I scraped it up pretty good. I dulled it down big time. But after a scrubbing, a little oil, and some time on the sharpmaker, It's back in shape and ready to go. Unbelievable.

It will be in my pocket tomorrow, and for a long time to come. This knife is awesome.
 
That's great now you'll never have reserves about using it hard like that if haven't before.
 
Are farmboys allowed to have a camera? Otherwise everyone and their mother is thinking liar. Nobody uses a knife to pry with.
 
I would really like to add some ZTs to my collect, but I just can't get down with those recurve blades and lack of handle materials to choose from, (it's like you can have whatever you want, as long as it's black g-10). Glad to hear the performance was superb though; cheers.
 
Bluesummers said:
Are farmboys allowed to have a camera? Otherwise everyone and their mother is thinking liar. Nobody uses a knife to pry with.
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Yea, but that doesn't mean they know how to use them. I know what I saw, and what works for me. If my experience means nothing to you, I'm guessing I'll still sleep fine tonight.

If I'm working, why [ ... ] would I take the time to take a picture of a pocket knife, anyway?

I'm just saying, for the benefit of those looking for a good tough knife, that my experience was very, very positive. (Believe it or not. And BTW, I can't provide a link, either…..:jerk it:)
 
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I believe your story, not like you said you had to battle a lycan a midst the depths of the tempest's shore. You were scrapping a ball of dirt/dead grass. Even though I don't recommend prying with blades; I don't understand what's difficult to believe about it lol.
 
Good to hear from your experience! I would also like to see how the knife lloks after the use it has seen if you don't mind. I love a knife with character!
 
Tim616 said:
I would really like to add some ZTs to my collect, but I just can't get down with those recurve blades and lack of handle materials to choose from, (it's like you can have whatever you want, as long as it's black g-10). Glad to hear the performance was superb though; cheers.
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Green G10 on this...

zt3013.jpg
 
A ZT 350 is next up on my list after having received the Spyderco Para 2 last week. X-Mas is coming, so maybe Santa will bring me one!
 
Sounds like it proved to be a good replacement for your crowbar, tire iron, and garden spade. Have you field tested its cutting ablility?
 
farmboy said:
I farm part time here in central Iowa, and I was doing some fall tillage on some soybean ground today with a 24' tandem disc. (Basically, it's 4 gangs of saucer shaped steel blades, pulled through the soil in tandem.)

Today, I was in a back 40, and I plugged up two blades with mud and soybean straw, making the whole machine ineffective. The 100 pound hard packed ball of mud and hard straw had to to be hacked and pried out. I usually use a crowbar or tire iron, along with a garden spade. Today, half an our from the shop, and one of the very few times I ever remember, I had no tools. None. No screwdriver, no wrenches, no chain, and no crowbar. Not even a pair of pliers.

Out came the 350. Reluctantly, I hacked, wedged and pried the 100 pound ball of crap out of the blades with that knife. I know that knives aren't sharpened pry bars. But I needed one, and all I had was the 350.

Man I LEANED on that thing. HARD. 175 pounds of short, chubby, pissed off farmboy, doing his best to get the rig going, whether I broke the knife or not. I scraped it up pretty good. I dulled it down big time. But after a scrubbing, a little oil, and some time on the sharpmaker, It's back in shape and ready to go. Unbelievable.

It will be in my pocket tomorrow, and for a long time to come. This knife is awesome.
Click to expand...

I believe him. I worked on a farm for some time and there were times I clogged up a rototiller with stems and roots in the middle of nowhere and all I had was a folding knife on me. Not my most ideal tool to use, but it did the job. I find it hard for others to say they don't believe him, as it's obvious they're the ones who use their knives as pocket jewelry and not as tools. When you're stuck in a pinch, you use what is available.
 
ibute21 said:
I believe him. I worked on a farm for some time and there were times I clogged up a rototiller with stems and roots in the middle of nowhere and all I had was a folding knife on me. Not my most ideal tool to use, but it did the job. I find it hard for others to say they don't believe him, as it's obvious they're the ones who use their knives as pocket jewelry and not as tools. When you're stuck in a pinch, you use what is available.
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Really? It is? Maybe they are the ones who don't get stuck in a pinch because they have the proper tools with them.

(By the way...I have no particular reason not to believe the guy. I believe his field test demonstrated that his knife makes a passable prybar. I'd like to know if it makes a good knife!)
 
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