seriously overbuilt zt support

H

hipp-e

Joined
Sep 3, 2015
Messages
7
hi there everybody, i'm a newbie here and almost a newbie in a "usable knife collecting" if i could say so
i've got a small collection of folders that i like, but there are some strange things happen to me and my zt knives

one of them is a zt 0560, which is used just a couple of days maybe - this very solid looking knife ( but only looking, i can say that with a confidence ) got this when it was lying on a shelf
Google drive folder link
Blade is just cracked right over the thumb stud, there's another pic that clearly shows that the knife was not abused in any way
Then some screws fell of and got lost somewhere, then the frame lock got seriously stuck ( had to use screwdriver to lock it ) - definitely overbuilt one.
The support said (after some weeks of waiting, not days - weeks) that they cannot send me the blade by some reason, and i should mail the knife to them. Uh. forgot to mention that i live in Russia, and just mailing it to them costs me around 50$ which is relatively expensive for me. But it's ok, the warranty paper clearly says that i should mail them a knife to be fixed, but i've got one question : will they install some unmarked blade without the serial number, logos, etc., maybe some refurbished one - or they will install a normal blade used in commercial parts ?
i don't need that clear blade, cause i will definitely sell this after repairs - it cannot be used as a working knife definitely, @ least my one.

Okay, it lied down on my shelf forever i suppose.

After this one cracked - a thought that maybe i should give a chance to my another zt - 0350 - and guess what ...... the torsion bar cracked .... another seriously overbuilt one
okay, their website states that the torsion bar and smaller parts could be mailed to me by a request form ..... so i filled it down and sent it, tomorrow it will be a week from that moment andall that i got was an automated reply that my form was delivered to the correct department. Not a single word was answered to me in 6 days.
Is it okay for ZT ?
Or they don't like me personally ?
 
The part will show up. They usually dont send you an email telling you they got your parts request because they get many every day. Its simply not feasible to respond to every single person for such a small request as it soaks up valuable time and man hours to let you know. This is why they do the automated response thing. If you sent your request and it was confirmed when you clicked send you will get the part. But being in russia it will take longer. As for the 0560 that isnt exactly common but its not unheard of either. The thumbstuds are pressure fit. So that crack was likely there in some small amount and you didnt see it. And through thermal expansion or temperature change let the issue rise to the surface. As for what blade they will replace it with? I cant say for sure. But if you want your serial number and logos I would send a letter making that request. I cant guarantee it will provide you with the desired result but you have a better chance of getting what you want if you are clear and concise in what you expect. Just remember to stay polite and it will all work out. And try not to feel too bad. Torsion bars are a maintenance item. They break. The 0560 is just really bad luck.
 
Thanks for chilling me down, serously. Bad luck is just a little bit weak term for a situation :-))
Will wait and see what happens next, i will update the topic if the situation updates in any way.
 
Hipp-e

1) Any blade replacements will be with a new blade, not a refurbished one. It may not be laser etched, however, it is pulled right from the factory floor.

2) For the parts request, if you would like to email Kershaw directly.

Thank you,
 
Last edited:
srayback said:
Hipp-e

1) Any blade replacements will be with a new blade, not a refurbished one. It may not be laser etched, however, it is pulled right from the factory floor.

2) For the parts request, if you would like to email me at srayback@kai-usa.com, I can track down the status of the parts request.

Thank you,
Click to expand...

Thanks for your help, we all appreciate it.
 
Thank you ! really appreciate any help, i will contact you after the weekend, thank you again for your answers
 
Customer support can be hit and miss, and being in a different country doesn't exactly help speed things up unfortunately. However, my experience has been pretty good overall with original quality. I've purchased over a dozen ZT's. I think I have about 12 now, and have given a few away.

The only problem I've had coincidentally was with a 561. Maybe that's why they discontinued that model. I don't know. But my problem was less of an issue than your cracked blade. Mine was just a non-existent detent that could be fixed quite easily by a tech with the right tools. After sending it in and having it returned to me without anything done to it, I was a little miffed. But I managed to fix the problem myself (slightly enlarged the detent hole), and now it is absolutely perfect.

I have heard of blades coming back from warranty work with both sterile blades and re-etched ones. I wouldn't give up on ZT just yet as they are really pretty good overall for their price range. But when you send it back, be sure to spell out in detail that you do NOT want a sterile blade, but a new blade re-etched with your original info, or simply a new blade off the line if you don't care about the specific serial number.
 
Well, thank you srayback, i have recieved my parts and repaired the knife - seems like the torsion bar was broken a long time ago because the blade flips out just insanely fast and tough. Will surely keep buying more of zt's :-)
Thanks again !

p.s.
parts were delivered to Russia in about 5-6 weeks from the moment when i contacted warranty department.
 
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