Zero Tolerance 0566

Joined
Jun 16, 2010
Messages
793
I bought the Zero Tolerance 0566 as I wasn't crazy about my Griptilain and wanted a full sized knife than could take some hard use. The grip just felt cheap, the handle was too thick in the pocket, and it felt like a 30$ knife, performed like it cost, but looked and felt cheap.

I received my ZT 0566 today, and I am in love. It is very thin profile reminded me a lot of my kershaw skyline I lost, but had a fairly beefy blade and just felt heavy and strong in the hand, lockup is completely solid no blade play, I generally hate linerlocks but this framelock is so strong it takes 2 fingers to close, I like it. I can't see it shutting from stabbing a box or having the top of the blade pushed on like Ive had cheap linerlocks do. Blade is perfectly centered, all in all the feeling of solidity and quality almost makes me not want to use it and keep it perfect. But Its a knife meant to be used and I bought it to be used. I slipped it into my pocket and the weight disappeared ,I couldn't tell I was carrying a knife unlike the grip which digs into my leg at all the wrong places. It reminded me of a cross between my kershaw skyline for size and portability and my benchmade 710 for solidity.


It came with a edge a sharp edge, it push cut notebook paper and would shave my arm, it wasn't necessarily an edge that a sharpening pro knife nut would be proud of but certainly an edge that belonged on a fairly high end knife.

I would say this knife comes close to being a perfect knife for me, I can't pick at it really. For me I love the weight, for those who gush over lightweight scales you would find this knife about 3 times too heavy feeling, it has full completely unmilled steel liners, another thing is the detent is EXTREMELY strong, I lift weight, I could bench press 300lbs at one point, I am still stronger than the average joe, the flipper is hard to use, and the thumbstuds are impossible to use. Again I like the solid lockup that won't knock the blade loose in my pocket, but if you're trapped and need to immediately open the blade in a emergency or are a smaller person, you might find the detent anywhere from very hard to physically impossible.


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I decided today I really needed to put my knife through some work if I wanted to really trust it and know if I wanted to keep it or not, so I went outside and sliced up a large pizza box into about 30 pieces, afterwards the blade would still cleanly slice newspaper, I went out to the woods and broke a branch off and sharpened it into a stick like one would use to roast marshmellows, I was not gentle, I smacked the knife through knots, I didn't torque the blade if I could help it but I cut into the wood pretty hard, then sharpened the thicker end, tore off another branch, did the same thing with both ends again chopping through knots, then I whittled the branch down until I could slice it in half. Then I started stripping bark off a dead tree, I sliced it the way around it down to the wood, and whittled on the tree some, then I went back and sliced up a bunch of cardboard laying around, probably 60 cuts again. At that pount it wouldn't cleanly slice newspaper anymore, it would still cut paper cleanly if I didn't jerk the wrong way, but it wouldn't shave down at the base of the blade. I cleaned the blade off and looked at edge under a jewelers loop and bright like and could not find a SINGLE, chip edge roll etc. edge was completely undamaged, still zero blade play, I am pretty impressed by this knife.


On the downside, after like an hour of playing with the sharpmaker the end of the blade is sharper but the base is not much sharper then when I started.
 
Thx for review. 0566 is my 1st real knife. I got here used,so blade needs a new edge. Looking forward to using it. A new 0350 is in mail now! Will compare both to see which will be my EDC.
 
Great review. Have you tried taking the speedsafe out yet? I did almost immediately after I got mine. Both thumb studs are easy to use and the flipper flies out now. No effect on closed retention.
 
Good review. ZT's Hinderer designs are all good. I am anxious to get the 0562.
 
I bought the Zero Tolerance 0566 as I wasn't crazy about my Griptilain and wanted a full sized knife than could take some hard use.

Hopefully you don't mean that the Griptilian cannot take hard use because it is WAY more than capable of it. :)

I lift weight, I could bench press 300lbs at one point, I am still stronger than the average joe, the flipper is hard to use, and the thumbstuds are impossible to use. Again I like the solid lockup that won't knock the blade loose in my pocket, but if you're trapped and need to immediately open the blade in a emergency or are a smaller person, you might find the detent anywhere from very hard to physically impossible.

Well if you are stronger than the average joe, then I must be Godzilla. I don't find the flipper hard to use at all (even without the torsion bar). Nor do I find the detent to be difficult to overcome with the "thumbstuds".

Are you sure you are not putting your fingers on the frame lock and inadvertently pressing on it while trying to open it? That will push the detent into the blade and make it more difficult to open. If you are not doing that, might I suggest some strength training for your hands? :D



Nice overview otherwise.
 
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Great review, but one thing of note: I've read somewhere (maybe here on Blade Forums ?) that the "thumbstuds" aren't meant for that.... they're actually blade stops for the flipper action.
 
On the downside, after like an hour of playing with the sharpmaker the end of the blade is sharper but the base is not much sharper then when I started.
It probably wouldn't be given that the Sharpmaker isn't really meant to "sharpen" so much as "maintain" the edge. It might be dull at the base to begin with, in which case you'd need to sharpen it properly(not with the sharpmaker if you don't want to spend hours at it) enough to raise a burr there.
 
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