New ZT0550 Thread !!!

good news on the 0550, wil get one or two and it will be a user, perfect size for me
I'm edc'ing a 0350 for a few days now and love it

still waiting my dealer to get the 0551 from his wholesaler
Maxx
 
got a 0551 today from Kershawguy.

I love it! Im actually blown away about how happy this knife makes me.
its just begging to do some heavy duty tasks.

thank you Kershaw, Kershaw guy and Mr Hinderer for giving me this excellent knife
 
Congratulations! I am delighted with mine too. It functions like a custom, almost looks like one and it's about as well balanced as I've witnessed in a good while. Because it fits my hand so well and is so well balanced it feels like a 3 ounce knife when I'm using it.



Burdan said:
got a 0551 today from Kershawguy.

I love it! Im actually blown away about how happy this knife makes me.
its just begging to do some heavy duty tasks.

thank you Kershaw, Kershaw guy and Mr Hinderer for giving me this excellent knife
Click to expand...
 
I was a little late to the party. but better late than never.

i agree, this knife fits my hand perfectly. its a beefy folder, but it feels just right when im using it. its not too heavy for me.
 
I am very happy with my purchase! I hope it continues to smooth out over time, which would really make me happy.
 
Is anyone starting to get these in yet. Just excited to get one and hoping the wait is getting shorter.
 
I want one. I had one and sold it. Got a 2nd chance from kershawguy and didn't have the coin. Now I can't find one. Darn! :(
 
When I first received my new ZT 0551 I had to work a bit on my technique to smoothly thumb the blade open. I was not nearly as easy as my 10 year-old edc, a Benchmade model 800 AFCK. Initially I had no trouble closing the blade on the 0551 using one hand.

The knife has really seen no use just yet. I have just been working on breaking it in (repeated opening/closing). My 0551 has now gotten progressively harder to close with one hand. It is to the point were I have to use both of my thumbs to push the locking portion of the frame out of the way. :mad:
The lock bar really sticks to the base of the blade. I don't know how else to describe it?
Has anyone else experienced this?
 
Yes, I have two now with another one on the way and the one I'm carrying did that. Put a dot of Sharpie on the tang where the lockbar makes contact and it will feel like a million bucks until it polishes up and stops galling.

Works like a charm and one dot in the right spot lasts for a very long time before you need to dot it again, if at all. Just look at the tang for the shiny contact spot or spots then dab . . .

tvcrider said:
When I first received my new ZT 0551 I had to work a bit on my technique to smoothly thumb the blade open. I was not nearly as easy as my 10 year-old edc, a Benchmade model 800 AFCK. Initially I had no trouble closing the blade on the 0551 using one hand.

The knife has really seen no use just yet. I have just been working on breaking it in (repeated opening/closing). My 0551 has now gotten progressively harder to close with one hand. It is to the point were I have to use both of my thumbs to push the locking portion of the frame out of the way. :mad:
The lock bar really sticks to the base of the blade. I don't know how else to describe it?
Has anyone else experienced this?
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Reeek said:
Yes, I have two now with one on the way and the one I'm carrying did that. Put a dot of Sharpie on the tang where the lockbar makes contact and it will feel like a million bucks until it polishes up and stops galling.

Works like a charm amd one dot in the right spot lasts for a very long time before you need to dot it again, if at all. Just look at the tang for the shiny contact spot or spots then dab . . .
Click to expand...

Sharpie Marker?
 
cziv said:
Felt tip marker/highlighter :) I don't know where the Sharpie comes from either?
Click to expand...

Reeek and cziv, thanks to both of you for the tip! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
Once I knew to look at the tang I could immediately spot the galling.

I have plenty of Sharpie Markers, so all should be well in hand.
 
Let us know how it works out. Some guys try writing with a pencil (graphite) over those spots too.
 
Yep I had the same problem and followed the same advice from the guys. Just keep working on it and it'll get better. Mine is smooth as butter now. . .
 
Trust me it will work. Apparently it's carbon particles that tint the Sharpie black. No need to paint the entire tang. Just hit it where the contact is made. Keep expanding from the spot until it's smooth.

In fact, I just wiped mine off to test it and it's about 50% better without the Sharpie from when I first applied it a couple weeks ago. The mark also takes on a semi-transparent, almost lead pencil look after a few cycles so it doesn't even look like a black dot in your face.

You can also opt to color the lockbar face if you choose to disaseemble but I did that on my Jim Burke Pro Rockstar and it worked but not as good as it worked on the tang of my carry 0551.

This is VERY common with any Ti framelock BTW. Not a true flaw. You just want to stop the galling and in fact, it's best to stop the galling because the continued galling will perpetuate a sticky lock many times. The lube technique like this promotes polishing rather than galling.

The lock or reapply. If you need a dab of oil or solvent NP but it does not stain for good.
 
Last edited:
cziv said:
Let us know how it works out. Some guys try writing with a pencil (graphite) over those spots too.
Click to expand...

I tried both the suggestions presented and in short they both worked! :thumbup:
First, I went with the Sharpie. It immediately eased the galling, but did not fully eliminate it. The Sharpie might be just fine by itself, however, I found the tang area to be bit tight for the application. I had a little trouble getting the Sharpie Exactly were I needed it to be with my slightly arthritic hands. I am not a patient man :o so I had a nice sharp pencil and I colored in the spot where I could see the Sharpie being smeared.
That did the trick.

The binding at the lock area on closure seems to be eliminated!
Now if I could only get my knife to open with the 'buttery smooth' action that several others have mentioned I would be a very happy camper.

Thanks again to all!
 
Mine was a lot stiffer out of the box so I cleaned and lubed it. I degreased it then applied some Militec-1. The next time I used dry locksmith's graphite, which worked well. But what worked best for me was Benchmade's Blue Lube. That stuff is amazing. As a matter of fact I'm going to start a separate thread about it.
 
BP Green said:
Mine was a lot stiffer out of the box so I cleaned and lubed it. I degreased it then applied some Militec-1. The next time I used dry locksmith's graphite, which worked well. But what worked best for me was Benchmade's Blue Lube. That stuff is amazing. As a matter of fact I'm going to start a separate thread about it.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the tip. I have also heard of folks using Chris Reeve's Fluorinated Grease (which is a bit more pricey):
http://www.leescutlery.com/chreflgrc.html

I guess to get my 0551 to work really well I am going to have to get over my extreme hesitancy to disassemble it? :o
 
tvcrider said:
Thanks for the tip. I have also heard of folks using Chris Reeve's Fluorinated Grease (which is a bit more pricey):
http://www.leescutlery.com/chreflgrc.html

I guess to get my 0551 to work really well I am going to have to get over my extreme hesitancy to disassemble it? :o
Click to expand...

It's not necessary to disassemble it if you don't want to. Get yourself a can of Gunscrubber or something similar. I would imagine any good degreaser would work. Hit with that then lube after it dries and you should be good.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top