Somebody talk me into buying the ZT 0566 please...

Voodew

Voodew

Joined
Jun 16, 2013
Messages
199
I've been so close, multiple times, to pulling the trigger on buying this knife. I've had the 0561 and loved it. And the smaller brother, 0566, looks perfect to me.

Give me some feedback on this blade. Talk me into buying it :D.

Likes? Dislikes?

Let's hear it.
 
I did the same thing today. Put in my information and then hit the X at the top right of my screen. I want to buy it but.....




Maybe it's the frame lock, I dont know. Although I will probably buy a 0392
 
Best advice is to goto a knife shop to hold one. See how it feels in your hand, evaluate the size.... Its like buying a gun: everyone will have an opinion, but there is no substitute for actually touching, holding and seeing how it fits you.
 
I went to a shop a few days ago to buy a 560. While I was there, I held the 560, 550, and 566.

The size of the 566 is perfect for EDC and probably most work uses. The steel lock bar doesn't have the potential downside of titanium, and it carries it's weight shockingly well. I've been using it at work to break down cardboard shippers and have now cut some zip ties. The blade is cutting like it's right out of the box. I could not be happier. I like this better than the 550 and 560, both of which I will buy soon. I will continue carrying the 566. It's damn near perfect.
 
I'm not the one who's going to be advising you to get it. However this may end up having a reverse psychology effect pushing you into buying it.:p

Okay here goes. First of all I believe the 0566 is the ZT/Hinderer equivalent of the ZT/Onion 0350.

A budget version of the actual winner. Strategically placed on the market for a specific audience. The people who want the brand but aren't prepared to make the investment. Once this audience obtains their budget product they will proceed to rave about it to others for obvious reasons. It's why these knives 0350/0566 are so revered eventhough they truly lack the soul of the original product.

Think of them as the knife equivalent of the BMW 1 series. They are for people who either can't or won't shell out for the full fledged thing.

The 0566 is a ZT in name but needlessly weighty for it's size because of it's stainless handle and it lacks the style, class and soul of the actual product, the 0560.

I probably ticked off more than a few folk around here with this but no amount of hate will change the fact the 0566 is a Frank Sinatra impersonator wearing a cheap suit.:cool:
 
NetshadeX said:
I'm not the one who's going to be advising you to get it. However this may end up having a reverse psychology effect pushing you into buying it.:p

Okay here goes. First of all I believe the 0566 is the ZT/Hinderer equivalent of the ZT/Onion 0350.

A budget version of the actual winner. Strategically placed on the market for a specific audience. The people who want the brand but aren't prepared to make the investment. Once this audience obtains their budget product they will proceed to rave about it to others for obvious reasons. It's why these knives 0350/0566 are so revered eventhough they truly lack the soul of the original product.

Think of them as the knife equivalent of the BMW 1 series. They are for people who either can't or won't shell out for the full fledged thing.

The 0566 is a ZT in name but needlessly weighty for it's size because of it's stainless handle and it lacks the style, class and soul of the actual product, the 0560.

I probably ticked off more than a few folk around here with this but no amount of hate will change the fact the 0566 is a Frank Sinatra impersonator wearing a cheap suit.:cool:
Click to expand...

I can't argue with your idea that the budget priced models are a product meant to introduce customers to more expensive products, but I disagree with the implication that the budget oriented models lack "soul." Or maybe I don't understand what makes a knife have soul.

The guy who drives a BMW M5 to work and sits in a corner office all day dislikes the BMW 135 that parks next to him not because the car is inferior, he resents the fact that the attractive secretary walks through the parking lot and sees two cars with a BMW badge and without knowing anything more about either vehicle decides that the hourly employee who drives the 135 must be just as successful as the manager who drives the M5 and ends up going out for drinks with the owner of the 135.
 
kornphlake said:
I can't argue with your idea that the budget priced models are a product meant to introduce customers to more expensive products, but I disagree with the implication that the budget oriented models lack "soul." Or maybe I don't understand what makes a knife have soul.

The guy who drives a BMW M5 to work and sits in a corner office all day dislikes the BMW 135 that parks next to him not because the car is inferior, he resents the fact that the attractive secretary walks through the parking lot and sees two cars with a BMW badge and without knowing anything more about either vehicle decides that the hourly employee who drives the 135 must be just as successful as the manager who drives the M5 and ends up going out for drinks with the owner of the 135.
Click to expand...

Lol...almost but not quite, you see the 135 isn't a budget BMW in fact a 135 is a car for the connaisseur. For the price of a 135 you could drive a bigger model. A guy who drives a 135 deserves to get credit for that choice.

No I'm talking about that guy leasing the 116i and casually throwing his car key on the table at parties. He's typically the guy that get's coffee for the guy that works for the guy, But he'll approach you at that same party and talk about all the successes he's had and is going to have. While you stare at his mouth and wonder if your clenched fist would fit in there.. that's the guy I was talking about ;)
 
If you can handle one and pick, go for it. If you must deassist it, be prepared to be let down possibly tho. The first one I picked up in the store was so hard to open, I immediately knew it wasn't for me. The sales guy couldn't even use the flipper to open the thing. I tried a second and it was perfect. That said, I've tried taking the torsion bar out, and the detent on mine is just to weak to make a decent manual flipper. It works, but requires wrist action. I don't mind the AO tho as it's handy when wearing heavy gloves. As far as the knife itself, it's a great edc. Slim, solid, and just feels great in the hand. So far, I'm finding elmax to be my new favorite steel. The 0566 was the ZT that made me but more ZT's.
 
I had one for a while. I found it to be too small so I sold it. This is the knife that helped me figure out I really can't get by with a sub 3.5" blade. I have a 550 and 560 and both work fine for me. If you like a smaller EDC, the 566 might be fine for you. Holding one before you buy is for sure a good idea.

Also, my example was extremely difficult to deploy out of the box, almost unusable. After disassembly, removing the torsion bar, lubing and reassembling, it became a very smooth manual flipper. You may need to work on it out of box to get it just right.
 
In addition to all the advice 2 things: the prices on these are coming down and a blackwash version just came out, check out kershawguy. I think he's the lowest anywhere at the moment.


Really though it's personal preference. I love the size, I like assisted opening, yeah mine was sticky for like 10 minutes, but it's perfect now.

At this price point it's hard to beat.



.
 
NetshadeX said:
I'm not the one who's going to be advising you to get it. However this may end up having a reverse psychology effect pushing you into buying it.:p

Okay here goes. First of all I believe the 0566 is the ZT/Hinderer equivalent of the ZT/Onion 0350.

A budget version of the actual winner. Strategically placed on the market for a specific audience. The people who want the brand but aren't prepared to make the investment. Once this audience obtains their budget product they will proceed to rave about it to others for obvious reasons. It's why these knives 0350/0566 are so revered eventhough they truly lack the soul of the original product.

Think of them as the knife equivalent of the BMW 1 series. They are for people who either can't or won't shell out for the full fledged thing.

The 0566 is a ZT in name but needlessly weighty for it's size because of it's stainless handle and it lacks the style, class and soul of the actual product, the 0560.

I probably ticked off more than a few folk around here with this but no amount of hate will change the fact the 0566 is a Frank Sinatra impersonator wearing a cheap suit.:cool:
Click to expand...

Ticked off? No. Entertained, yes.

The 'soul' of the Hinderer ZTs is...what? A blade designed for barbecues and posting pictures on forums? While the 560 is great for those purposes, it is, at it's core, a hard use design. The 550 doesn't even pretend to be about fashion, instead appearing visibly blue collar. The titanium slab side isn't a necessary component for fashion or function, and is not where the soul of these designs resides.

The souls of these blades resides in the blade steels and shapes. It lives in handle shapes that allow for great comfort in a hammer grip. It is in the lock design, not the lock bar material. It is in the smooth clip side, with those users in mind who frequently slide the blade in and out of pocket. It is in the large lanyard hole.

So, what is the 566?

It has a thinner blade stock than the 560 or 550, giving it less drag in slicing. It has a physically smaller size envelope, which means it takes up less space in pocket and is slightly less intimidating to non-knife people. Despite the lack of titanium, it is lighter than the 550 and 560. It is not as good for tactical applications, but is actually a better package for many or most folks' EDC wants.

The 566 is one to buy when you're not necessarily working for emergency services, and use a knife for things like slicing cardboard or plastic packaging on a frequent basis.

For fashionistas, the 560 wins, no question. I freely admit that when I went to buy the 560, it was because I have a blade crush on the aesthetics of that knife. I love it. Beautiful. I had the money, ready to go. What turned me to the 566 was...

Function.

I am not alone. There are a lot of people for whom the 566 is a better fit for actual usage considerations.

Many of us will also own 550s and 560s. I will continue carrying the 566 to work.
 
Here's what I don't get:

0566:

• Made in the USA
• SpeedSafe® assisted opening system
• Frame lock, lockbar stabilizer
• Quad-mount (tip-up/tip-down; left/right hand), deep-carry clip
• Steel: ELMAX®, stonewashed finish
• Handle: Textured G-10 front, stainless steel back
• Blade Length: 3.25 in. (8.25 cm)
• Closed Length: 4.45 in. (11.3 cm)
• Overall Length: 7.70 in. (19.6 cm)
• Weight: 5.3 oz. (150.3 g)

0562:

• Made in the USA
• KVT ball-bearing opening
• Reversible deep-carry clip
• Frame lock, lockbar stabilizer
• Steel: ELMAX®, stonewashed & satin finish
• Handle: Textured G-10 front, stonewashed titanium back
• Blade Length: 3.5 in. (8.9 cm)
• Closed Length: 4.8 in. (12.2 cm)
• Weight: 5.5 oz. (156 g)

So for all practical purposes, it looks like ZT built the same knife twice. :confused:

Anyway, if I were willing to carry a pocket brick, I'd hold out for the 0562 . . . and I'd especially hold out for the 0562CF. IMO, KVT and a Ti frame are worth the difference in cost between the 0562 and the 0566. But I'm not. So this discussion, while interesting, is largely academic for me. I keep hoping ZT wakes up one day and builds a version of this knife:

XM-18, 3.0"

• Blade Length: 3“
• Handle Length: 4.125“
• Overall Length: 7“
• Blade Thickness: .140“
• Lockside Thickness: .125″
• Liner Thickness: .050“
• Overall Handle Thickness: .425“
• Weight 3.6oz

Could that happen? Anything is possible. In the meantime I've got my 0770CF to keep me warm. :)
 
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Wow this is an entertaining thread! I like my 0566, moreso since I de-assisted it. Its a smallish, tough, well built EDC blade with a good steel and incredible lockup. That being said, I wasn't really "wowed" by it like when I got my 0550. To me, it kind of has more of a Kershaw feel to it than a ZT feel to it, if that makes sense. I do like it and carry it often, but you can get a gen 1 0550 from Kershaw guy for about the same price as a 0566. But then again, I drive a Honda.
 
bld522 said:
Here's what I don't get:

0566:

• Made in the USA
• SpeedSafe® assisted opening system
• Frame lock, lockbar stabilizer
• Quad-mount (tip-up/tip-down; left/right hand), deep-carry clip
• Steel: ELMAX®, stonewashed finish
• Handle: Textured G-10 front, stainless steel back
• Blade Length: 3.25 in. (8.25 cm)
• Closed Length: 4.45 in. (11.3 cm)
• Overall Length: 7.70 in. (19.6 cm)
• Weight: 5.3 oz. (150.3 g)

0562:

• Made in the USA
• KVT ball-bearing opening
• Reversible deep-carry clip
• Frame lock, lockbar stabilizer
• Steel: ELMAX®, stonewashed & satin finish
• Handle: Textured G-10 front, stonewashed titanium back
• Blade Length: 3.5 in. (8.9 cm)
• Closed Length: 4.8 in. (12.2 cm)
• Weight: 5.5 oz. (156 g)

So for all practical purposes, it looks like ZT built the same knife twice. :confused:

Anyway, if I were willing to carry a pocket brick, I'd hold out for the 0562 . . . and I'd especially hold out for the 0562CF. But I'm not. So this discussion, while interesting, is academic for me. I keep hoping ZT wakes up one day and builds a version of this knife:

XM-18, 3.0"

• Blade Length: 3“
• Handle Length: 4.125“
• Overall Length: 7“
• Blade Thickness: .140“
• Lockside Thickness: .125″
• Liner Thickness: .050“
• Overall Handle Thickness: .425“
• Weight 3.6oz

Could that happen? I hope so. In the meantime I've got my 0770CF to keep me warm. :)
Click to expand...

Titanium and a slicer grind on the 0562 are a huge difference. The weight is a huge difference. The fact that the whole of the 0562 is a completely different material then the 566 makes it a completely different knife.

I reread you breakdown and you do mention the titanium but to me that is the biggest difference and not to be dismissed.
 
I'm not dismissing anything. I just find it interesting that there's not a whole lot of difference between the 0566 and the 0562 from a size and weight perspective. Compare the difference in size and weight between an XM-18 3.0" and an XM-18 3.5" and you'll see what I'm talking about.

In my view, with the release of the 0566 and the 0562, it appears that ZT has doubled down on creating a version of the XM-18 3.5" at the expense of the XM-18 3.0". :(
 
oxman198 said:
Wow this is an entertaining thread! I like my 0566, moreso since I de-assisted it. Its a smallish, tough, well built EDC blade with a good steel and incredible lockup. That being said, I wasn't really "wowed" by it like when I got my 0550. To me, it kind of has more of a Kershaw feel to it than a ZT feel to it, if that makes sense. I do like it and carry it often, but you can get a gen 1 0550 from Kershaw guy for about the same price as a 0566. But then again, I drive a Honda.
Click to expand...

This does make sense! I attribute it to the steel rather than titanium. The 566 felt more like my Thermite than my 550 or 0560.
 
bld522 said:
I'm not dismissing anything. I just find it interesting that there's not a whole lot of difference between the 0566 and the 0562 from a size and weight perspective. Compare the difference in size and weight between an XM-18 3.0" and an XM-18 3.5" and you'll see what I'm talking about.

In my view, with the release of the 0566 and the 0562, it appears that ZT has doubled down on creating a version of the XM-18 3.5" at the expense of the XM-18 3.0". :(
Click to expand...

I know we like different sizes in knives. And that is fine but the size and weight are what make a big difference to me. I will gladly take an added .2 oz and get a beefier titanium 3.5" knife over a thinner steel 3.25" knife. This to me is the difference in owning a 0566 or not, and I don't anymore. I think completely different materials, size to weight ratio, and blade grind are significant enough differences to own one over the other. To each their own though.
 
Yep. That's pretty much what I was saying. IMO, the 0562 all but relegates the 0566 to the status of a beefed-up Cryo. My hope is that ZT eventually retires it in favor of building a true variant of the XM-18 3.0". To do that, however, ZT would have to keep moving in a direction I'm not sure they have a whole lot of faith in.

Time will tell . . .
 
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