Weight of ZT knives

mcrow

mcrow

Joined
Feb 7, 2013
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I was just looking around at knives and noticed that a lot of ZT knives are heavier than other brands of the same size and somewhat similiar in design.

What is the explaination for that?

I have no doubt that ZT are quality , well built knives an that contributes to the weight and the weight isn't excessive IMO but it does seem that their knives tend to be heavier.
 
Compare blade thickness and the thickness of the Ti in the 05xx series. That should account for MOST of the weight differences...

DD
 
ZT knives are built as tactical hard use knives and them being a little hefty is an advantage in those uses.
 
Without having one in hand it was pretty hard to tell but I was figuring it was just like you guys are saying. They seem to be built to last.

Just wanted to make sure I had it right because most other knives in the same category are a good 1-1.5 oz lighter, sometimes more.

I have a 566 on preorder and a 350SW on the way so I was just curious.

Thanks.
 
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The 0560 and 0561 are probably some of the lightest framelocks in their size range. If you look between the liners, you'll see a lot of skeletonization. Can't get lighter than that without going to a linerlock or zytel handle.

Now the 0300 series does weigh quite a bit.
 
Its relative. My 350 feels like a lightweight next to my 200. I never seem to complain though. The weight validates the look and feel. They are some nice heavy duty knives.
 
mcrow said:
I was just looking around at knives and noticed that a lot of ZT knives are heavier than other brands of the same size and somewhat similiar in design.

What is the explaination for that?

I have no doubt that ZT are quality , well built knives an that contributes to the weight and the weight isn't excessive IMO but it does seem that their knives tend to be heavier.
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Slab of a knife.
2lb0taq.jpg
 
Bugout Bill said:
The ZT200 I bought last weekend feels like a hand grenade. It doesn't carry too bad though.
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IME, knife weight is less of an issue if there is a good clip. I own a Clash and Brawler which pretty close to the same weight but the Brawler just seems lighter in the pocket.
 
mcrow said:
IME, knife weight is less of an issue if there is a good clip. I own a Clash and Brawler which pretty close to the same weight but the Brawler just seems lighter in the pocket.
Click to expand...

The clip on the ZT seemed a bit short at first, but it carries fine tip up.
 
The initial demographic for ZT knives was primarily for LEO and Mlitary, that explains the overbuilt qualities. Personally, I have not found a tougher knife for the money, combined with the iron clad warranty service.
 
RevDevil said:
The initial demographic for ZT knives was primarily for LEO and Mlitary, that explains the overbuilt qualities. Personally, I have not found a tougher knife for the money, combined with the iron clad warranty service.
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Makes sense then. You have to have a knife that won't bust on you in hard use, particularly in the military.
 
RevDevil said:
The initial demographic for ZT knives was primarily for LEO and Mlitary, that explains the overbuilt qualities. Personally, I have not found a tougher knife for the money, combined with the iron clad warranty service.
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Yeah, I can vouch for that. The ZT200 I bought was used hard, I mean the DLC coating (how do you scratch DLC?) was scratched up pretty bad. The lockup is rock solid and flips as smooth as silk. I think it's starting to turn me away from Benchmades as my go to higher end knives.
 
The ZT0350 is a small tanks. It's such an awesome folder with the price. It really is hard to go wrong at all with it. It was my first ZT and I loved it so much, I bought 3 more. :D
 
RevDevil said:
The ZT0350 is a small tanks. It's such an awesome folder with the price. It really is hard to go wrong at all with it. It was my first ZT and I loved it so much, I bought 3 more. :D
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Good to here. I was looking for something well built that would last for years to be my EDC knife so this seems like it will probably fit the bill.
 
Sure, ZT knives are heavier, but for a hard use knife, you will always want that. You could beat the hell out of it and it will come out unscathed.

On the other hand, the ZT0777 is one of THE lightest knives I own. At first, I was actually a little, almost disappointed because it was so lightweight. I'm one of those that hated when cell phones started becoming all lightweight plastic. I like to feel some heft in my "tools"

Only once I began to realize how sturdy it is, in addition to the light weight, did I really begin to appreciate it for what an amazing instrument it is.
 
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