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- Jun 8, 2005
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After weeks of attempting to find a ZT0500 MUDD it's finally here--and it's one of the last ones for sale in America, as far as I'm aware. This, of course, makes everything I'm about to say here pointless because even if you want one, if you don't already have it, you probably never will. But if you're curious about how the MUDD stacks up against its little brother, the RAM, or Kershaw's other big heavy hitter, the G10 Offset, read on.
A little note before we begin: the RAM was an obvious choice for comparison, but you might wonder--why the Offset? Well there's a couple reasons--first, it's the only other "hard use" Kershaw that I've used extensively, but it's not merely for my convenience--the folders are very similar in size and cost, and both, unlike the majority of Kershaw/ZT's lineup, use relatively exotic locking mechanisms. I consider them competitors, however indirect.
As you'd expect, the first thing you're going to notice about the MUDD is its size--and it is a big knife--it's very close to the dimensions of the mighty Offset. But that much is obvious--what's interesting is how well it carries. Indeed, in many ways it carriers better than its smaller brother, and carriers far better than the Offset.
Why? A few reasons. The main reason is the excellent clip. It's a low rider and it's got a matte-black coating on it, making it ultra stealthy. The only real limitation to carrying the MUDD every day is its length--you're going to want to dedicate an entire pocket just to the MUDD--but that said, it's one of the least visible production folders I've ever seen.
Furthermore, it has a very interesting G10 surface--it's somewhere in between Benchmade's smooth G10 and Spydero's rough flat slab G10--and I quite like it. It's grippy enough, but not abrasive and it doesn't add too much resistance to drawing it. All in all, the G10 feels like a much higher quality than that of the RAM (it's not the RAM's G10 is low quality; it's just nothing to write home about), and perhaps a little higher quality than even the 3D G10 Offset. It has a bit of a sheen to it that only smooth G10 seems to have and just makes it look like a nicer piece.
However, the grip has some pretty major pros and cons to it. I love the thumbstuds--they're surprisingly functional and operate as great thumbstops instead of the usual jimping on the spine of the blade--at any rate, they're far superior to the much maligned triple-thumbstud design of the RAM. Of course, without a flipper, you're going to need them on the MUDD. And for the most part the handle fits your hand better than you'd think. However, the ridge right before the cutout in between the lock and thumbstuds lines up poorly with my middle finger. It's fine just holding the knife, but if grip the knife tightly, the angle digs into my finger--and that's a problem, because this knife was obviously designed for hard use. That could get old quickly.
In addition, there's no jimping, guard or folded out flipper to keep your finger from sliding over the giant pivot and onto the blade. The pivot itself offers some resistance, but not really enough for me to be comfortable with this as an ideal self-defense knife--although this was pretty clearly intended for "hard use" and not combat. By comparison, the RAM has a similar problem--it has both the flipper and jimping to protect you, but because the finger choil is actually shallower near the blade than farther away from it, you get the feeling that your finger is being pushed onto the edge. Ultimately, however, it's more comfortable and precise to hold. And the Offset, too, is more comfortable, although that middle swell is mildly annoying. I've never held a knife that felt more connected to my hand than the Offset, so it goes without saying that the ZT0500 is defeated in that area as well.
That said, the knife is otherwise quite well kept in the hand and, more importantly, the lock has been moved to a much more natural position than in the RAM. Now you don't need to readjust your hand placement to disengage the lock which greatly adds to the convenience of frequent openings.
One interesting thing about the MUDD is just how ridiculously solid it feels. And I don't just mean in a "heavy duty" folder kind of way. It actually feels much better put together than even the Offset. And it should be obvious that it feels much tougher than the smaller RAM. The lack of blade play on the MUDD is a new high. We decide most folders don't have play when we give the blade some substantial pressure and it doesn't rock. We know, of course, that if we apply enough pressure, the handle will flex slightly and we'll feel the blade move. On the MUDD though, when locked, the blade and handle become one. The handle just will not flex under any sort of normal circumstance.
That brings me to the action of the knife. Due to the seals in the pivot, it feels different than any other knife I've ever played with, including the very similar RAM. Despite the lock's almost 0 resistance (once the blade is in motion), the seals must create some friction that absorbs the energy. You end up with a very smooth action, but it requires a little more power to deploy the blade than, say, a minigrip.
But that said, you can "axis flick" or thumbstud flick it with the best of them. The blade has a lot of mass to it (somehow--the blade isn't really THAT massive). Honestly, it's even more satisfying to open than the RAM.
The fit and finish is superior to the RAM too. As I've mentioned in other reviews, the RAM frequently has minor cosmetic issues. By comparison, the MUDD is nearly perfect. It looks and feels like a much higher quality piece. Of course, for about 120% more money, it had better feel higher quality. The blade is perfectly centered. The black finish on the blade is well done too--probably the best I've ever seen. It blows the Offset's rather terrible coating out of the water and it's slightly nicer than my Avalanche. The silver ZT logo is a nice touch.
Oddly, the finishing on the clip and those pivot covers seems to have come quite scratched up--which is odd given the perfect state over everything else--even the depressions in the pivots are scratched up. All the photos of the MUDD I've seen are like this--perhaps this is intentional? It really detracts from the perfect finish of the G10, but I suppose it's not a "flaw."
Everyone already knows about the seals and the waterproof pivot/lock so I'm not going to go into it (not that I've tested it either).
There are a couple of drawbacks to this knife. For one, the blade is not totally hidden within the handle when closed. I cut my thumb pretty substantially reaching into my pocket because your thumb/flesh can squish into the gap of the handle and reach the edge--and it's tip up, so this has a pretty substantial chance of happening.
I think the major weakness of this knife is the value. Sure it's high quality, but 154CM on a $150 knife? That's what we can get for $60 on a minigrip--and even within Kershaw, we can get S30V for 120 on a Spec Bump. Hell, we can get G10/S30V for $70 from the humble Avalanche. We can't even get CPM 154? I'm not sure where the money went on this one. It's not horribly overpriced by any means, but it seems like it would have been a much better fit around $115 than around $150. The rust resistance of 154CM isn't even all that useful given the sealed tang and coated blade.
EDIT
Nonetheless, the word is that the costs associated with the production of this knife are what you're actually paying for--I suppose this means putting the gaskets/seals together or maybe using the unusual aluminum alloy. At any rate, I believe Kershaw when it says this, so I'll no longer call this knife a weak value.
So what value exactly does it have? It's really hard to say--it's basically one of a kind, so if it appeals to you, the value should be quite high because you're probably not going to be seeing it again anywhere else. If the novelty of the hawk-lock, industrial design and water-resistance have no special attraction, I'd recommend going elsewhere, particularly if you're a steel snob. But like I suggest later in this thread, if it has any pull at all on you, go get it now because you're just going to be paying more (probably a lot more) to hunt one down in a year.
For me personally, I tend to only buy knives (these days) that are very unique, and so the MUDD worked really well for me. Obviously, as basic economics reasoning would suggest, I at least valued the MUDD more than I valued the ~$150 or so I paid for it. I don't regret the buy.
EDIT
Today I realized that the MUDD was waved. This means that the knife can be opened merely by the action of pulling it out of your pocket a certain way. The giant textured thumbstuds catch the edge of the pocket quite well. It took a little practice, probably more than a less subtly waved folder, but I've got the hang of it now. Neat "feature."
A little note before we begin: the RAM was an obvious choice for comparison, but you might wonder--why the Offset? Well there's a couple reasons--first, it's the only other "hard use" Kershaw that I've used extensively, but it's not merely for my convenience--the folders are very similar in size and cost, and both, unlike the majority of Kershaw/ZT's lineup, use relatively exotic locking mechanisms. I consider them competitors, however indirect.
As you'd expect, the first thing you're going to notice about the MUDD is its size--and it is a big knife--it's very close to the dimensions of the mighty Offset. But that much is obvious--what's interesting is how well it carries. Indeed, in many ways it carriers better than its smaller brother, and carriers far better than the Offset.
Why? A few reasons. The main reason is the excellent clip. It's a low rider and it's got a matte-black coating on it, making it ultra stealthy. The only real limitation to carrying the MUDD every day is its length--you're going to want to dedicate an entire pocket just to the MUDD--but that said, it's one of the least visible production folders I've ever seen.
Furthermore, it has a very interesting G10 surface--it's somewhere in between Benchmade's smooth G10 and Spydero's rough flat slab G10--and I quite like it. It's grippy enough, but not abrasive and it doesn't add too much resistance to drawing it. All in all, the G10 feels like a much higher quality than that of the RAM (it's not the RAM's G10 is low quality; it's just nothing to write home about), and perhaps a little higher quality than even the 3D G10 Offset. It has a bit of a sheen to it that only smooth G10 seems to have and just makes it look like a nicer piece.
However, the grip has some pretty major pros and cons to it. I love the thumbstuds--they're surprisingly functional and operate as great thumbstops instead of the usual jimping on the spine of the blade--at any rate, they're far superior to the much maligned triple-thumbstud design of the RAM. Of course, without a flipper, you're going to need them on the MUDD. And for the most part the handle fits your hand better than you'd think. However, the ridge right before the cutout in between the lock and thumbstuds lines up poorly with my middle finger. It's fine just holding the knife, but if grip the knife tightly, the angle digs into my finger--and that's a problem, because this knife was obviously designed for hard use. That could get old quickly.
In addition, there's no jimping, guard or folded out flipper to keep your finger from sliding over the giant pivot and onto the blade. The pivot itself offers some resistance, but not really enough for me to be comfortable with this as an ideal self-defense knife--although this was pretty clearly intended for "hard use" and not combat. By comparison, the RAM has a similar problem--it has both the flipper and jimping to protect you, but because the finger choil is actually shallower near the blade than farther away from it, you get the feeling that your finger is being pushed onto the edge. Ultimately, however, it's more comfortable and precise to hold. And the Offset, too, is more comfortable, although that middle swell is mildly annoying. I've never held a knife that felt more connected to my hand than the Offset, so it goes without saying that the ZT0500 is defeated in that area as well.
That said, the knife is otherwise quite well kept in the hand and, more importantly, the lock has been moved to a much more natural position than in the RAM. Now you don't need to readjust your hand placement to disengage the lock which greatly adds to the convenience of frequent openings.
One interesting thing about the MUDD is just how ridiculously solid it feels. And I don't just mean in a "heavy duty" folder kind of way. It actually feels much better put together than even the Offset. And it should be obvious that it feels much tougher than the smaller RAM. The lack of blade play on the MUDD is a new high. We decide most folders don't have play when we give the blade some substantial pressure and it doesn't rock. We know, of course, that if we apply enough pressure, the handle will flex slightly and we'll feel the blade move. On the MUDD though, when locked, the blade and handle become one. The handle just will not flex under any sort of normal circumstance.
That brings me to the action of the knife. Due to the seals in the pivot, it feels different than any other knife I've ever played with, including the very similar RAM. Despite the lock's almost 0 resistance (once the blade is in motion), the seals must create some friction that absorbs the energy. You end up with a very smooth action, but it requires a little more power to deploy the blade than, say, a minigrip.
But that said, you can "axis flick" or thumbstud flick it with the best of them. The blade has a lot of mass to it (somehow--the blade isn't really THAT massive). Honestly, it's even more satisfying to open than the RAM.
The fit and finish is superior to the RAM too. As I've mentioned in other reviews, the RAM frequently has minor cosmetic issues. By comparison, the MUDD is nearly perfect. It looks and feels like a much higher quality piece. Of course, for about 120% more money, it had better feel higher quality. The blade is perfectly centered. The black finish on the blade is well done too--probably the best I've ever seen. It blows the Offset's rather terrible coating out of the water and it's slightly nicer than my Avalanche. The silver ZT logo is a nice touch.
Oddly, the finishing on the clip and those pivot covers seems to have come quite scratched up--which is odd given the perfect state over everything else--even the depressions in the pivots are scratched up. All the photos of the MUDD I've seen are like this--perhaps this is intentional? It really detracts from the perfect finish of the G10, but I suppose it's not a "flaw."
Everyone already knows about the seals and the waterproof pivot/lock so I'm not going to go into it (not that I've tested it either).
There are a couple of drawbacks to this knife. For one, the blade is not totally hidden within the handle when closed. I cut my thumb pretty substantially reaching into my pocket because your thumb/flesh can squish into the gap of the handle and reach the edge--and it's tip up, so this has a pretty substantial chance of happening.
I think the major weakness of this knife is the value. Sure it's high quality, but 154CM on a $150 knife? That's what we can get for $60 on a minigrip--and even within Kershaw, we can get S30V for 120 on a Spec Bump. Hell, we can get G10/S30V for $70 from the humble Avalanche. We can't even get CPM 154? I'm not sure where the money went on this one. It's not horribly overpriced by any means, but it seems like it would have been a much better fit around $115 than around $150. The rust resistance of 154CM isn't even all that useful given the sealed tang and coated blade.
EDIT
Nonetheless, the word is that the costs associated with the production of this knife are what you're actually paying for--I suppose this means putting the gaskets/seals together or maybe using the unusual aluminum alloy. At any rate, I believe Kershaw when it says this, so I'll no longer call this knife a weak value.
So what value exactly does it have? It's really hard to say--it's basically one of a kind, so if it appeals to you, the value should be quite high because you're probably not going to be seeing it again anywhere else. If the novelty of the hawk-lock, industrial design and water-resistance have no special attraction, I'd recommend going elsewhere, particularly if you're a steel snob. But like I suggest later in this thread, if it has any pull at all on you, go get it now because you're just going to be paying more (probably a lot more) to hunt one down in a year.
For me personally, I tend to only buy knives (these days) that are very unique, and so the MUDD worked really well for me. Obviously, as basic economics reasoning would suggest, I at least valued the MUDD more than I valued the ~$150 or so I paid for it. I don't regret the buy.
EDIT
Today I realized that the MUDD was waved. This means that the knife can be opened merely by the action of pulling it out of your pocket a certain way. The giant textured thumbstuds catch the edge of the pocket quite well. It took a little practice, probably more than a less subtly waved folder, but I've got the hang of it now. Neat "feature."
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But at least I'll one and that's all I can use at one time anyway!
Part of the higher cost for the MUDD has to be in the 7075 aluminum alloy that KAI used to manufacture this knife. I find the clip to be a little wobbly for me because it is raised up so far. What I did on my last one, and will on the new one, is to drill the clip hole into a channel so that the clip can be slid down making it firmer. If you slide it down to the top of the frame "ears" and tighten it down, it becomes much stiffer/firmer and doesn't move in your hand when opening the blade. It still lets the whole knife slide down into the pocket.
Again, call me confused.