New ZT0550!!!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Tube spacers are anodized aluminum, blade thickness is .156.

So it's the same thickness as the 03XX series. The 0350 is .121
 
Last edited:
As to the details of this 0551, I'm unsure how much more I can fill you in on. I mentioned that the project will be done by the end of Sept. (or close to it), and we're still on pace for that.

This is real time info from the person overseeing and pushing the project.

The piece will all be ready shortly, and we hope the finished product meets expectations. :thumbup:
 
The 551 looks perfect as long as it doesn't come with that black clip. Please make the clip match the frame or just plain stainless.
 
Thomas W said:
IMG_0294.jpg
Click to expand...

and looks like the blade stop pin when closed goes all the way through now, a plus imo.

I wasn't able to keep up with all the posts, and I'm wondering whether to wait for the 0550 or not. Can someone list all the confirmed differences between both variations?
 
Kirk_Ferentz said:
Wow that really surprises me... it didn't look that thick in the pic at the start of the thread... So, this is a knife that is in between the 0300 and 0350 in terms of blade length but has the 0350 blade thickness... I wish it had the 0350 dimensions.
Click to expand...

Actually, I take this back. My math was off -- ~4mm is a great thickness. I was eyeing a spyderco para military, but think this might be the one for me. Wish it had a black blade, but not going to wait 3+ months, and not sure how the vanax compares to elmax...
 
Kirk_Ferentz said:
Actually, I take this back. My math was off -- ~4mm is a great thickness. I was eyeing a spyderco para military, but think this might be the one for me. Wish it had a black blade, but not going to wait 3+ months, and not sure how the vanax compares to elmax...
Click to expand...
Off the bat I'd say that Vanax would be more corrosion resistant, but not as wear resistant. Given that it's a Hinderer collaboration, I'm sure the steel would be tough, but there's no way to tell how it would compare to Elmax. But my gut feeling says that Elmax will be tougher.

All-in-all, Elmax might be more "in demand" with this knife. However, I expect this is a golden opportunity to see how the new nitride steels will perform in the real world. I for one, will be awaiting the Kershaw Tilt in Vanax 75 for more wear resistance:thumbup:.
 
banana-clip said:
Id wait 3 months for one of these sweet knives....its hard waiting but it would be worth the wait.
Click to expand...
With the end of each day we come one closer. Like you say we'll get there soon enough. Of course, I wouldn't hold any objections either if we could kick these remaining days into ludicrous speed. :D
 
banana-clip said:
Id wait 3 months for one of these sweet knives....its hard waiting but it would be worth the wait.
Click to expand...

I'm more someone who needs a reliable folder in my pocket (meaning I don't currently have one) when I am out in god knows where in the next few months than someone trying to complete a collection. For that purpose, the knife you have is always infinitely better than the one that you don't. My rationale is that if I'm purchasing quality, might as well be top quality, and I'm willing to wait a few weeks for that (meaning the pre-production run). It will probably be at least that long until I need it.

But at any rate, sounds like I would favor the elmax anyway. I considered a gayle bradley, but in the end I want a stainless in my folder. But I would sacrifice some corrosion resistance for some more toughness/edge retention. Maybe I am off base, but I assume that if elmax is a stainless steel, it by definition has to be pretty resistant to corrosion.
 
Kirk_Ferentz said:
I'm more someone who needs a reliable folder in my pocket (meaning I don't currently have one) when I am out in god knows where in the next few months than someone trying to complete a collection. For that purpose, the knife you have is always infinitely better than the one that you don't. My rationale is that if I'm purchasing quality, might as well be top quality, and I'm willing to wait a few weeks for that (meaning the pre-production run). It will probably be at least that long until I need it.

But at any rate, sounds like I would favor the elmax anyway. I considered a gayle bradley, but in the end I want a stainless in my folder. But I would sacrifice some corrosion resistance for some more toughness/edge retention. Maybe I am off base, but I assume that if elmax is a stainless steel, it by definition has to be pretty resistant to corrosion.
Click to expand...
Thing is, the Gayle Bradley might come pretty close to what you want. Out of all the knives I own, the Gayle Bradley in CPM-M4 has the absolute best edge retention. Hardness is at Rc 64-65, carbide volume is higher than in S30V, toughness is good enough that I can't spot any micro chipping in my use(trimming corn). It seems as though corrosion resistance is sacrificed for improved traits in other areas.

Certainly not the best choice for salt water or use with food, but it's undeniably the king in dry cutting.

I've found that the corrosion resistance of most modern stainless steels are far above those knives you find in your local supermarket. Which is good enough really. Unless you regularly work around salt water or slice up citrus without washing your blade, corrosion resistance isn't too big of a concern.

Even for me, I still like to use my Gayle Bradley in my produce job even though it's not the best choice. So long as I have good cleaning habits(washing the blade with soap and wiping it dry), corrosion isn't really a big problem. It hasn't even raised a good patina yet.
 
Noctis3880 said:
Thing is, the Gayle Bradley might come pretty close to what you want. Out of all the knives I own, the Gayle Bradley in CPM-M4 has the absolute best edge retention. Hardness is at Rc 64-65, carbide volume is higher than in S30V, toughness is good enough that I can't spot any micro chipping in my use(trimming corn). It seems as though corrosion resistance is sacrificed for improved traits in other areas.

Certainly not the best choice for salt water or use with food, but it's undeniably the king in dry cutting.

I've found that the corrosion resistance of most modern stainless steels are far above those knives you find in your local supermarket. Which is good enough really. Unless you regularly work around salt water or slice up citrus without washing your blade, corrosion resistance isn't too big of a concern.

Even for me, I still like to use my Gayle Bradley in my produce job even though it's not the best choice. So long as I have good cleaning habits(washing the blade with soap and wiping it dry), corrosion isn't really a big problem. It hasn't even raised a good patina yet.
Click to expand...

Nah, what I want is really good edge retention and toughness for a stainless. In general, I don't want to deal with a non-stainless in a folder, and more specifically, I will often also have my swamp rat on me when I'm out in the sticks, and it will be nice to have a stainless blade to use when I don't want to get the swamp rat wet and have to worry about that.
 
SPXTrader:

;) That's '40 miles of bad road'; not mph!
And Resume Speed is in the hill country in Western Ky.,so 40 mph is an extravagant speed.Unless it's freefall.:eek:

Sad part is: you folks will all have your ZT 0551's,then your ZT 0550's in 2011,a few days before me.

Here,our mail is delivered bi-weekly,by a Druid priest riding a burro. :mad:

~Gnarly
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top