Oh Zt0200 how I love thee....

C

cutter17

Joined
May 16, 2006
Messages
6,873
Ever so often I sing the praises of this knife, and since it has been awhile I decided it time again. I usually start off with telling about not buying this knife when it first became available because of it's price; I actually thought it was to cheap to be any good! Yeah I know, I was a real knife snob at the time. When I finally took the plunge I found out just what I was missing. I have always, and still am, loved my right front pocket knife to be big and hefty, which the 0200 is. I was/am amazed at the quality of the knife and ended up with three of them before long. I currently have only the Zt0200Kw, which has the bead blasted blade and liners. The 154Cm steel is a favorite of mine and I have found that Zt does an excellent job on the heat treat along with the edge grinds which are evenly ground on both sides and high enough to give it a great edge. At 7.8 ounces this is defiantly hefty in hand with excellent lockup thanks to the. 080" thick hardened steel liners which mate perfectly to the edge .157" thick blade. The machining on the G-10 handle scales has great texture in my hand. Another thing concerning lockup is how the liner comes over to cover the left hand side of the blade tang perfectly and leaving half of the blade tang available for any wear that occurs.

I will be getting a regular Zt0200, with the dlc finish, down the road because I love this knife so much. Earlier I answered to a post asking what was the knife you keep coming back to, of course was this knife that I answered with and what got me thinking about it.

So who has a Zt0200 and also wants to sing some praises to it?
 
Oh yeah!

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I saw your knife in another post and I really like the scales. Did you do these yourself, and if not, who did do them?
 
It's one that I bent myself. I asked STR for a ZT clip before, but he didn't make them.
 
I was playing with mine last night, thinking how well made it is and how much i liked the scales.
John
 
The only thing stopping me has been my dislike of liner locks. Otherwise, she's gorgeous.
 
My ZT0200 and my edc's - a RAT1 and a Kershaw Chill. And a Walther P99c 9mm. But I only carry the Rat and the Chill to work - they have a no firearms policy and the ZT is just too big. Sometimes I carry it in a coat pocket but the Rat and the Chill stay in my front and back pockets.

When I first got the ZT the blade deployed a little stiffly but now it flips out very smoothly. It's an impressive knife and probably the favorite in my little collection - certainly the most expensive. For now anyway.

Does anyone know the bearing system in the 0200's? Are there bearings or bushings? Would they benefit from lubrication? I am not much for taking my knives apart for exploratory surgery yet. Maybe once I get to know my way around them better. I am too afraid of ruining a perfectly good knife.

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As jj said, it has washers. They are phosper/bronze washers and the more youopen it the smoother it will become. I usually take my knives apart in order to further smooth and polish the insides of the liners and washers. I also put more bend in the liner lock to stiffen the lock.
 
I acquired mine a few months ago and it very quickly became my favorite knife to carry and use. The construction is great and the 154CM takes a great edge. I found that the edge thickness narrows from the choil to the tip of the blade. I'm not sure if this was done on purpose, but it makes the knife great for both fine detail work and heavy cutting. The only downsides I have found are that the machining on the handles has some sharp points and that the lockup got sticky after having it for a while. The sharp points were easily sanded smooth and the lock-bar was carbidized to solve these problems. An excellent knife for the money.
 
I bought an 0200 to remind me of what a really BIG, well-made folder is all about. But it's far too large for me to ever carry. I mostly use it to help me keep my wrist in shape. :)
 
bld522 said:
I bought an 0200 to remind me of what a really BIG, well-made folder is all about. But it's far too large for me to ever carry. I mostly use it to help me keep my wrist in shape. :)
Click to expand...

That's the exuse I use too, but my wife isn't buying it....

My wrist is in great shape though :p
 
Good to see a few more ZT0200 lovers out there! Z Bacon, you can use either a pencil or a Sharpie and "color" the blade tang. Doing this usually ends up letting you able to unlock the knife's lock bar with relative ease. I took mine apart to bend the lock bar and give it a bit more stiffness because this is how like it to be. There wasn't anything wrong with the knife before I did this. It had solid lockup from the box and after the extra bend the lockbar only moved over 1 maybe 2 millimeters at most, but know locks up withe the stiffness I like my liner locks to have.

Come on ZT0200 owners and tell us how much you love it.
 
the '200 has been a candidate for my 'next buy' three times now. had i pulled the trigger, it would have been my first ZT. reason for not buying yet:

1. it's not an edc knife AKAIC, it's a go to knife. one that you take out for a clear need and purpose (whatever that might be.)
2. i discovered one cannot open it with just the stud. it needs flicking (and no, i still don't own a flipper.)
3. my freehand sharpening powers have yet to conquer the recurve edge.

still, the recurve, the 154cm 4-inch blade, the musclebound build, and the pencil neck price make it a very good value knife.
 
I got one when they first hit the street, and I have it in my pocket often. I'll probably pick up a second one to have as a back up.

Those scales will eat a pants pocket though - not a fan of sanding them - waiting for them to wear naturally with use and handling.
 
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