Zero Tolerance 566 and 0770 Aluminum -- wonderful designs but not perfect

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flash900

Joined
Jan 17, 2010
Messages
2,439
My Zero Tolerance 566 and ZT 0770
aluminum arrived on the same day. ZT has finally heard those of us
who have been asking for smaller, pocket-sized folders.

Yippee!! They are beautifully designed.
They are less expensive than their larger brothers.

Sadly, they do not move me the way I
had hoped. For me, each disappoints in execution. But I fully
recognize that they may be exactly what others are looking for.

ZT 566
Pros:

Size
Stonewashed Elmax blade
Flipper
Thumb studs
Hinderer lock
Deep-pocket clip

Nits
Stainless steel instead of titanium
Assisted opening
Weight

This is the pocket EDC that fans of the
hugely popular 560 series have been waiting for. As beautiful as they
are, the 560 and 561 are just too large for me to consider carrying
in an urban, office environment.

The new 566 is closer to the size of the 550, but thinner and with a flipper.

That is so great!

The 566 also fits perfectly in my hand.
It feels great. But it is no lightweight. I have not weighed it but
it feels every bit as heavy as its larger brothers.

ZT has replaced the titanium on the 560s with a solid stainless steel construction. That saves money and lowers the price. That's certainly a fair tradeoff, but not one I would have made for the smaller model I've been eagerly awaiting. I wanted smaller and lighter.

The unsculpted G10 scale on the ZT 566 feels like those used in Skylines and others in the less expensive Kershaw line.

Overall, the weight and assisted opening give the 566 the feel of a Cryo or Kershaw Thermite but with an upscale blade.

ZT 0770 Aluminum

Pros
Size
Weight
Stonewashed Elmax blade
Flipper
Deep-pocket clip

Nits
Aluminum handles
Assisted opening

This model is in short supply. It is apparently being replaced with a more expensive CF version.

I love the looks and this thing is light! I'd call it a modified wharnie. Nice!

Looking for a gentleman's ZT, something you can carry without calling attention to your pocket? Here it is.

One of my favorite ZT's is the 0801 with titanium handles. But it is no lightweight. The 0770 is.

The upside of aluminum is the weight; the downside is that it's slippery. The 0770 fails my desk calender test: it slips right off the top of my Filofax.

The 0770 is just about the same size as Kershaw's popular Knockout, which also has aluminum handles (and is also slippery.) Both have assisted opening.

But one is $50-$60 street price with Sandvik steel. The other is nearly three times that price with Elmax. Just from looking at them, it's had to tell any meaningful difference.

As to the assisted opening on these two folders, for many it will be a plus, not a nit. I get that.

I will await reports from others here as to whether these two models can successfully be deassisted. My dealer declined to try, which did not give me confidence.

Addendum: See below for a user vid that shows how easy it should be to deassist the 566.
This is good news.

Follow-up on the 566:

Wow. Just wow. Deassisting the 566 has made all the difference for me. I love a manual flipper. Especially a manual flipper, with thumb studs , that's a small ZT, that fits my hand.

ZT publicly said on BF that the 566 can be deassisted. Plenty of others have commented that they were disappointed that it is A/O.

Well, ZT was right. Thank you.

Tightened as much as I dare, mine is centered. The detent is weak and wrist flick is needed to flip it. That's OK with me. I love it. Despite the weight.

It's fun to flip. And the thumb studs work fine. I'm throwing away that little spring that I never wanted in the first place.
 
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I believe they can both be deassisted. Certainly the 566 can be (that's the first thing I did on mine - next will be to make/find a replacement scale for the G10, maybe CF). It makes a fine manual flipper. I like the steel liners. Titanium is nice, but the benefits of steel are numerous, and the weight doesn't bother me.
 
Thanks, liamstrain.

How about some more details on the deassisting and how well it works. Does it open and close like a 560 -- or does it feel different?
 
Thanks -- that's great that the 566 opens smoothly on washers, without the bearings used in the 560 series. I wish ZT hadn't put torsion bars in there.

(In contrast, I note that the two 0770 vids show that deassisting it wasn't completely successful at first try.)

Update: The screws in my 566 seem to be locked tight with Loctite; I may have to send it for service. I wonder if ZT will remove the torsion bar -- some manufacturers won't do any work that they consider a modification.
 
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Not sure if these knives do it for me. The 0566 does not from looking at it as I prefer the 0550. With the announcement of the Brous blades Bionic I think it will be a good small affordable EDC. The 0770 I am still undesired about but the Carbon Fiber might win me over.
 
It does not feel like a KVT/bearing blade. But it does open very smoothly and consistently. I didn't even polish the washers.

I had no problem with the screws. YMMV.
 
I really love the 0560 and that being said I wish that they literally would have shrunk down the 0560 and kept everything that makes it awesome, but in a smaller size I guess that wouldn't be very cost effective though.
 
BenLong1018 said:
I really love the 0560 and that being said I wish that they literally would have shrunk down the 0560 and kept everything that makes it awesome, but in a smaller size I guess that wouldn't be very cost effective though.
Click to expand...

That's what a lot of customers were hoping.

At least the 566 is cheaper so that more people can enjoy it. Maybe they will add blackwash for the next update.
 
flash900 said:
That's what a lot of customers were hoping.

At least the 566 is cheaper so that more people can enjoy it. Maybe they will add blackwash for the next update.
Click to expand...

I really would love to get a knife with the blackwash finish, but I already have the original 0560 and 0550.
 
drwbck3 said:
I agree I like the lightweight of the 0770 aluminum but it is very slippery.
Click to expand...

Do you own one though? I do, and the aluminum is not slippery.

I agree with the OP but there's a copy/paste issue in the post as the 0770 doesn't have a Hinderer lock. Sure I would have preferred it to be bearing driven and not assisted but it is a fantastic knife that I do not hesitate to recommend!
 
Follow-up:

I needed a pocket knife for the morning dog walk. I checked the possibilities and chose the 0770. Mainly for its weight.

I really wanted the 566. I love the great looks and like everything about it better than the 0770 -- except the weight. It's just too darn heavy for the light-weight running pants I wear around the house and to walk my dogs.

So the 566 ends up like the larger 560 and 561 -- something I will carry only in a coat pocket. Despite its comfortable size, it won't be a pocket EDC for me. Your pants may be heavier than mine and YMMV.

Like the thread title says, a wonderful knife, but not perfect.
 
It's tough to keep everyone happy that's for sure,but I do think ZT is moving in the right direction.I just got my 770 and I love it ! don't care for the clip much,it's kind of thin but maybe the intention is to keep it as inconspicuous as possible and it definitely does that ,overall super knife.
one last thing,been a little nervous about Elmax so I gave it a good go on some wood,paper and cardboard with excellent results,kept a screaming sharp edge afterwards,tape and rope are next.
 
I hope you come back with an update on the Elmax.

Please note: I meant to compare the 0770 with the Kershaw Knockout -- not the Piston, which has G10 scales. I have both and confused the names.

Here is the correction:

The 0770 is just about the same size as Kershaw's popular Knockout, which also has aluminum handles (and is also slippery.) Both have assisted opening.

But one is $50-$60 street price with Sandvik steel. The other is nearly three times that price with Elmax. Just from looking at them, it's had to tell any meaningful difference.
 
Nice review of the 0770. I almost bit on the aluminum but am going to hold out for the CF.
Interested on how the blade performs.
 
Update -- deassisting the 566.

My first try was not as much fun as I had hoped.

While the three small screws came out easily, the pivot screw was heavily loctited; I needed help to get it out.

After the G10 handle came off, removing the spring was the easiest part. But getting the tension right so that the blade opens smoothly is not so easy. Tightening the pivot to center the blade makes it too tight to flip.

I had to loosen it. Now it flips with just a little bit of wrist action. But there is side to side blade play and the blade is not quite centered.

If I tighten it just a bit, it is harder to open and even more off-center.

I hate that we have to go through this to get rid of the assisted opening that I didn't want in the first place.
 
flash900 said:
.....
I hate that we have to go through this to get rid of the assisted opening that I didn't want in the first place.
Click to expand...

You don't have to go through this. The knife was designed as a SpeedSafe knife. You knew that when you bought it, so I don't see the reason to complain. However, if you read this thread you'll find a lot of people that successfully de-assisted theirs.

Just keep messing with the body/pivot screws. You'll get it where you want it eventually.
 
SPXTrader said:
You don't have to go through this. The knife was designed as a SpeedSafe knife. You knew that when you bought it, so I don't see the reason to complain. However, if you read this thread you'll find a lot of people that successfully de-assisted theirs.

Just keep messing with the body/pivot screws. You'll get it where you want it eventually.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the link.

According to KAI/ZT/Kershaw, the 566 was designed so that it could be deassisted. That's what I knew before I bought it.

The fact that it's off-center and has blade play is reason enough to note it here.
 
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