Weak detent zt 0470

Crazyfarmer

Crazyfarmer

Joined
Feb 8, 2021
Messages
95
Is there anything that can be done? I absolutely love the size, weight, and feel of this knife. It looks amazing also but the detent seems to really annoy me. It works fine just compared to other knives the detent is weak. I can't lightly wrist flick it open which is good. But using the flipper you have to focus to get it to deploy snappy. It will deploy and maybe I'm to picky but I'm use to the snap crackle pop wham bam flying open. I know the 0470 has a smaller flipper tab which is great. Just wondering if it's anything that can be done. The pivot screw is really tight and I'm not big on taking it apart. Tried heating and it's still tight so rather than risk stripping anything I left it alone.

Just wondering if anyone else has this issue with the detent? Again it's a amazing knife with just one flaw to me. I just wish the detent was 25% stronger. Drop shuts like a dream and perfect blade centering. EDC in the pocket so far is amazing too. Didn't know if ZT could actually adjust anything on it? If not may have to let it go and continue the quest for the best sub 250 EDC
 
No, ZT won't make a detent "stiffer". You could possibly make the detent stronger by increasing the lock bar pressure, by bending the lock bar (which is something I've never done) and would doubt you want to do if you don't even like taking the knife apart. Also, enjoy your quest! But let me tell you as somebody who did something similar, there is no such thing as a perfect EDC but sure was fun trying out all those different knives.
 
Thanks. I'll probably end up selling. They were so so close to making one I actually thought was a 9/10 lol. Not sure why the pivot screw is so tight but just googled and I see others said it was also. Just not going to risk any damage that may or may not make the action better. Thanks for the help again.

Yes it sure is fun trying also
 
Crazyfarmer said:
Thanks. I'll probably end up selling. They were so so close to making one I actually thought was a 9/10 lol. Not sure why the pivot screw is so tight but just googled and I see others said it was also. Just not going to risk any damage that may or may not make the action better. Thanks for the help again.

Yes it sure is fun trying also
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By "tight" do you mean difficult to turn? I believe ZT uses blue loctite on screws.
 
Screw doesn't want to break loose. The 450 I have was a breeze. But this one doesn't seem to want to break loose. Just get to that point where I feel the other side pivot with the carbon scale will strip or the t8 head will strip.
 
If you can't shake the blade open, the detent might not be the issue. I'd say it's much more likely that the pivot is too tight (and the knife probably needs better lube). Over-tightening the pivot can cause dimpling in the bearing track or actually deform the bearings themselves (IIRC, ZT uses steel bearings, so it'd depend on the relative hardness of the ball bearings vs. the blade steel and steel race washers).

Because the flipper is much more suited to push-button activation rather than light-switch style, it may feel like something is off if you try to open it that way (especially if the pivot isn't set properly). The little nub just doesn't have a lot leverage if you try to light-switch, but try pushing the flipper straight into the spine of the knife, rather than pulling parallel to the spine.

Requisitioning my wife's blow dryer on high for a minute or so is usually enough to get a stubborn screw broken loose. As always, use a good quality bit and a driver that lets you easily control the amount of torque you're using.
 
If you do not feel gritness when rotating the blade open, then the pivot tightness is not the cause of your issue. I agree that most likely it is due to light detent. Bending the lockbar might make it flip better though it does not sound something I'd recommend the OP to do. Good idea to sell it cheaper to someone who can fix it and buy another one.
 
sharp_edge said:
If you do not feel gritness when rotating the blade open, then the pivot tightness is not the cause of your issue. I agree that most likely it is due to light detent. Bending the lockbar might make it flip better though it does not sound something I'd recommend the OP to do. Good idea to sell it cheaper to someone who can fix it and buy another one.
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I think that's going to be my choice. Thanks for help everyone. Still a very good piece. Think I'll release it and keep looking. It's one of my first 200 dollar knives
 
If you could take it apart you can usually bend the lock bar a bit in the direction you want to increase/decrease tension (though you'll typically need to also remove any over-travel devices if you're try to decrease tension as you'll need to bend beyond the new set point to get it there).
 
Crazyfarmer said:
It's almost impossible to grip it without touching the frame lock. Even the slightest bit of pressure makes a difference on it I see.
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When I first got my ZT 0470, I had to adjust my way of flipping open the blade. Try it this way:

N59Q5PK.jpg
 
Crazyfarmer said:
It's almost impossible to grip it without touching the frame lock. Even the slightest bit of pressure makes a difference on it I see.
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I find it's helpful to use the clip for grip and leverage (pulling the clip toward my palm), rather than pinching the scales with your fingers. Your fingertips will probably end up in the little flat spot between the clip and the edge of the scale. In some cases you can get away with pinching the clip (if the clip lands on the body of the knife and not the lock bar).
 
Crazyfarmer said:
Is there anything that can be done? I absolutely love the size, weight, and feel of this knife. It looks amazing also but the detent seems to really annoy me. It works fine just compared to other knives the detent is weak. I can't lightly wrist flick it open which is good. But using the flipper you have to focus to get it to deploy snappy. It will deploy and maybe I'm to picky but I'm use to the snap crackle pop wham bam flying open. I know the 0470 has a smaller flipper tab which is great. Just wondering if it's anything that can be done. The pivot screw is really tight and I'm not big on taking it apart. Tried heating and it's still tight so rather than risk stripping anything I left it alone.

Just wondering if anyone else has this issue with the detent? Again it's a amazing knife with just one flaw to me. I just wish the detent was 25% stronger. Drop shuts like a dream and perfect blade centering. EDC in the pocket so far is amazing too. Didn't know if ZT could actually adjust anything on it? If not may have to let it go and continue the quest for the best sub 250 EDC
Click to expand...

Earlier production ZT0470s had this problem. I understand that latter production models were improved. You can tell early vs late by the "obvious" milled lines in the chamfered parts of the handle. If NOT milled then it's early production. Production number is also a clue. I believe your's is early production just like mine.

Upon disassembly you'll likely notice a flat spot on the detent ball. This could be the issue. Josh of "Razor Edge knives" used to replace detent balls with a ceramic one to rectify this kind of issue, however his books are closed and he is no longer doing knife modifications. Perhaps you can find someone else who can.

As others have suggested, bending the lock bar in will help. I disassembled my 470 and bent it in just a little and there's an improvement. Next step is to try bending a little more, just haven't gotten around to it.

Lastly, I installed a "Kwik Thumb Stud" ($7.50 on Amazon). If you don't mind the look it works wonderfully; otherwise you can always remove it. It gives two more ways to open the knife, thumb flick and middle finger flick, in addition to the flipper tab. The blade "rockets" out with authority using the Kwik Thumb Stud. This knife is a user for me, so I don't mind the look at all. Hope this helps somewhat.

Here's a couple of quick photos of my Kwik Thumb Stud mod:
rT61QThl.jpg


dEiUoFcl.jpg
 
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I've had 2, both had the same, lighter detent. I sold one to fund other knives, but kept my original, and I don't find the detent a problem. Works just fine, can't shake the blade out. It's just the way the knife was designed and manufactured. I love the little thing.
You could try making the detent hole in the blade deeper.
My pivot screw was pretty well sealed shut. I didn't use any heat, just a good bit, make sure it's seated well, and twist. Worked for me. You can also put a driver in there and tap it with a hammer to shock the loctite loose. You could also send it back to zt and request they break the bond and leave it loctite free. Then you can use your preferred product.
 
I like the knife just hard to keep and get others . Wife will shoot me shortly. Thanks for info about the detent being sealed shut. I'm ordering the wiha bits also. The ones I have aren't the best and im just playing it safe.
 
sharp_edge said:
Also the handle of ZT 0470 is very narrow. Make sure any of your fingers is not toughing/pressing the lockbar when flipping open the knife. But I guess you know how to open a framelock flipper properly.
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I was looking for the answer to why my 0450CF is hard to flip open....my fat fingers were pressing on the narrow lockbar, making it hard to fire! In comparison, the 0456 snaps open with ease, and authority! Thanks for the enlightenment.
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