Comeuppance
Fixed Blade EDC Emisssary
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2013
- Messages
- 4,765
The Stedemon Shy IV is one of my favorite knives of all time, so I've been interested to see how the budget version by Zon Knife Company compared to the original.
Original: (Mine has Natural "Jade" G10, other colors available) S35vn steel, ceramic bearing pivot, $149 retail, nice presentation box.
Budget: (Mine has Black G10, other colors available) 440C steel, steel bearing pivot, $59 retail, crappy cardboard box.
Both have excellent lockup and smooth bearing pivots. The dimensions are essentially the same between the two knives. Aside from the pivot hardware and the pocket clip, they are nearly identical. The budget version is, unsurprisingly, not quite as smooth or fast to open as the S35vn version.
Note for the pictures below: I have turned the thumb plates on these 90 degrees so that I can easily flick these open with my middle finger. That is not how they arrive from the manufacturer. Also, for the lack of a better term, I'm calling the second grind that gives the a tanto blade its distinctive tip shape the "tanto portion".
The first thing I noticed is that the budget version has a much lower shine on the blade. It's nearly matte by comparison to the S35VN version (top knife), but that doesn't come through quite as dramatically in pictures.
While I was trying to photograph that, I noticed a small quality control issue that would have really bothered me if it were on the S35VN one. Look at the tanto portion of the budget knife - the grind line doesn't line up with the edge's transition to the tanto tip. That's a bit of a disappointment.
The angles of the flats are slightly different between the two, and the budget version has a much more rounded tanto portion.
The next big difference is the pocket clip. The original has a G10 pocket clip that has only one screw and can be slightly pivoted from side to side on the scale if you push it - even though there is a milled recess the clip base sits in. The budget version has a two-screw metal clip that does not move, but is notably less easy to clip to / remove from pockets. Pick your poison on that one.
The tang's lock interface is much steeper on the budget, whatever that's worth. I think this may be a conscious engineering redesign compared to the original, as the lockbar position on my original has already moved slightly to the right with off-and-on use/carry over about a year.
The grind leading to the tip - and the tip itself - is much thinner on the budget version. The base blade stocks are identical, however. Note that the blades are not different lengths as it might appear in the picture - the S35vn version's blade just sits a little lower in the handle by comparison.
Overall, they are both amazing knives, and I am glad I own both. The S35vn Stedemon is a beautifully finished and engineered knife, and the budget version retains the aesthetics and overall feel of the original with a material / slight QC downgrade befitting the price difference. What you really notice between the two is the stark difference between ceramic (Stedemon) and steel (ZKC) bearings. Both entirely merit their asking price, though, and you really do get what you pay for between the two.
Original: (Mine has Natural "Jade" G10, other colors available) S35vn steel, ceramic bearing pivot, $149 retail, nice presentation box.
Budget: (Mine has Black G10, other colors available) 440C steel, steel bearing pivot, $59 retail, crappy cardboard box.
Both have excellent lockup and smooth bearing pivots. The dimensions are essentially the same between the two knives. Aside from the pivot hardware and the pocket clip, they are nearly identical. The budget version is, unsurprisingly, not quite as smooth or fast to open as the S35vn version.
Note for the pictures below: I have turned the thumb plates on these 90 degrees so that I can easily flick these open with my middle finger. That is not how they arrive from the manufacturer. Also, for the lack of a better term, I'm calling the second grind that gives the a tanto blade its distinctive tip shape the "tanto portion".
The first thing I noticed is that the budget version has a much lower shine on the blade. It's nearly matte by comparison to the S35VN version (top knife), but that doesn't come through quite as dramatically in pictures.
While I was trying to photograph that, I noticed a small quality control issue that would have really bothered me if it were on the S35VN one. Look at the tanto portion of the budget knife - the grind line doesn't line up with the edge's transition to the tanto tip. That's a bit of a disappointment.
The angles of the flats are slightly different between the two, and the budget version has a much more rounded tanto portion.
The next big difference is the pocket clip. The original has a G10 pocket clip that has only one screw and can be slightly pivoted from side to side on the scale if you push it - even though there is a milled recess the clip base sits in. The budget version has a two-screw metal clip that does not move, but is notably less easy to clip to / remove from pockets. Pick your poison on that one.
The tang's lock interface is much steeper on the budget, whatever that's worth. I think this may be a conscious engineering redesign compared to the original, as the lockbar position on my original has already moved slightly to the right with off-and-on use/carry over about a year.
The grind leading to the tip - and the tip itself - is much thinner on the budget version. The base blade stocks are identical, however. Note that the blades are not different lengths as it might appear in the picture - the S35vn version's blade just sits a little lower in the handle by comparison.
Overall, they are both amazing knives, and I am glad I own both. The S35vn Stedemon is a beautifully finished and engineered knife, and the budget version retains the aesthetics and overall feel of the original with a material / slight QC downgrade befitting the price difference. What you really notice between the two is the stark difference between ceramic (Stedemon) and steel (ZKC) bearings. Both entirely merit their asking price, though, and you really do get what you pay for between the two.
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