Question about zt0300....Is it just me or?

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Lineman1

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Jul 21, 2011
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Recently bought my first zt, the 0300 and soon after i got the 0350 and i love the knives but...My zt0300's speed safe doesnt work as well as the 0350. On the 300 you have to fling it open with your wriest to almost assist it. Also my 0350 came hair shaving sharp, but my 0300 not so much. Just wondering if its just me or the knife and what i can do to make the speed safe better. Thanks for the help, and im not knocking zt knives.
 
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Im new here, how did my title get changed into something i posted previously? Meant for the title to be "question about zt 0300, is it just me or...?" sorry.
 
Go to edit your first post, then go to advanced (bottom, right) and you can edit the title.

You can always send it in to Kershaw to have them replace the torsion bar and sharpen it up? It could also be a little slower since it's bigger. I've never owned a 300 so I'm not sure.
 
My 030x knives are slow. Big blade that is a lot of mass to move. If they made the torsion bar too heavy it would be super hard to close.

My Blurs are the fastest opening full size knives I've used. I don't own a Rogue or Breakout but with a nudge to the thumbstud the Blur is actually faster and more automatic than the handful of Benchmade autos I own. The Benchmades fairly large blades and are thicker than the Blurs so there is that... The Chives are super fast but tiny and the Leeks are similar to the Blur but I can't say for sure because every time I buy a Leek someone loves it and I end up giving it to someone as a gift so I haven't had one long.
 
Maybe the pivot is too tight? the bigger blade will definitely be slower to open, but not so much that is too slow. The 0200 after all, is non-assisted and still flips open fine. maybe it just needs to break in a little too. As for the sharpening, Kershaw will do that for free if you send it in.
 
Mine opens quickly with no wrist assist needed. Try adjusting the pivot?
 
oregonknifenerd said:
My 030x knives are slow. Big blade that is a lot of mass to move. If they made the torsion bar too heavy it would be super hard to close.
Click to expand...

This sounds like the correct explanation. If the same amount of force were used on the 0300 as on the 0350 you would completely mar the Ti and the liner in record time. The lock would also wear out excessively fast as Ti is softer than stainless. Too much force would break the knife over time and would not allow for 1,000s of opening and closing cycles per torsion bar.
 
The action on the 0300 will never be as fast as the 0350 - it's simply because the torsion bar is moving a wider, thicker blade. Sometimes a little tweaking of the pivot will help the action (occasionally the assemblers overtighten them a smidge). However, you should be able to have it open with no wrist movement and have virtually no side to side blade play. A drop of oil on each side between the blade and washer can help as well. The pivot nut adjusts with a 3/8" box or socket wrench, and a fraction of a turn can make a big difference.
 
The Offset uses a different lock which leaves both scales free for relief cavities, and as such allows for dual torsion bars. That said, there's only room for one on the 030X which is about the same size as the offset, and would result in a lesser snap when opening. On the other hand, I'm wondering how the 0200 manages it without A/O besides having a slightly narrower blade.
 
I will back up the comments about adjusting the pivot if the knife is new. On my 300, the blade becomes INCREDIBLY slow when the knife does not have a wet lube in it, I use tuff-glide and usually re-lube mine every week and a half. Then again I am a lint trap. Another thing is you have to break the knife in, the coating on the blade is tough stuff and the washers have to wear through the coating to have a "smooth" metal on metal contact point. These knives also get incredibly sharp and stay sharp for a looooong time if you know what you are doing and use them correctly. A new torsion bar, quick lube, and some adjusting should get you where you need to be.
 
My 300 thumb studs slam into the frame so hard I think it's damaging the frame. With that amount of mass that's moving I wouldn't want it to move any faster. Sounds like your blade is a little tight, having to wave the 300 open is simply inconceivable on mine. Also you might want to try opening the blade like you would pull a trigger on a gun (if you're not already), you get a much better grip on the knife and more power, if done right you wouldn't need the A/O. The blade really operates very smooth.
 
sorry for digging up an old thread, but im having this exact same problem, gonna try some ballistol on the washers when I get home since I just got my ZT 0300 today...:-)
 
My 0301 blade deploys quicky, and with little effort. No wrist action is required, and it has not been adjusted nor lubed since new. The blade is perfectly centered with no blade play in any way. It is rock solid.
 
My 300 was a bit stiff at first but after few dozen openings it smoothed out and deploys very fast, not wrist flicking either.
 
Can't wait to get another one. I think it and the 200 would make a good pair. My 200 came perfect. Just ask Leek.
 
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