Zero Tolerance Model 0350TS Assisted VS Kershaw Rake Assisted

Victorecombat · Apr 30, 2012

I'm looking for a little help. I'm getting a new knife, honestly, it's only going to be carried as protection. I'm not in any way against guns, I just prefer a knife. Attacks occur in close quarters, and knives don't jam or need re-loading. I'm also a Combatives instructor, and during a lot of more recent drilling, I have found (duh) a standard folder just isn't quick enough, and sometimes, even with practice, under duress, it can be difficult to actually lock open. I normally carry in rotation either my Emerson Commander or CQC-7B, or a Spyderco Tenacious. I'm looking for a good assisted opener, and have narrowed it down to either a ZT 0350TS, or a Kershaw Rake. I've never got my hands on a ZT, but heard a lot of great things. I handled the Rake yesterday, and really liked it. My budget for this purchase is around $150. I'm going to have to stay clear of full auto knives. They are legal in the state I currently live, but I will be moving soon, and won't be as far as I can tell. Any thoughts on these two, or another recommendation is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

n8swag · Apr 30, 2012

Hmmm... I have the 350. Love it! as far as for self defense.... i would prob go more the rake way. The blade shape on the zt is more for cutting and survivalist tasks. The zt is alot heavier, so i guess that would be a plus if you used it to whip the guy. I'm not sure how fast the rake deploys, but the zt is fairly fast. Not as fast as my scallion*duh*

BePrepared · Apr 30, 2012

Rake is nifty, and i am a diehard Kershaw fan... that said, my next purchase will be a ZT

I don't think there's any room to criticize either of them, but ZT makes some kickass knives

* it occurs to me that for your particular task, you might want to look at the kershaw Bump series. The blade shape is substantially better for stabbing than either of the others, and it has a VERY nasty recurve for deep cutting

it's the one i carry with me daily, and i think it's perfect for defensive work

nccole · Apr 30, 2012

BePrepared said:
Rake is nifty, and i am a diehard Kershaw fan... that said, my next purchase will be a ZT

I don't think there's any room to criticize either of them, but ZT makes some kickass knives

* it occurs to me that for your particular task, you might want to look at the kershaw Bump series. The blade shape is substantially better for stabbing than either of the others, and it has a VERY nasty recurve for deep cutting

it's the one i carry with me daily, and i think it's perfect for defensive work

I really doubt (and hope) I never have to use a knife for self-defense, but of all my knives the Speed Bump would be my choice for self-defense. I do carry it on walks with my dog should I ever need to fight off another dog attacking mine. I think it would cause the most damage fast and easily. The one negative I would have to give would be its deployment speed. Mine is not crazy fast, but is to be expected in such a large folder. Also, I do not use mine at all, as it is a pain to sharpen to my liking, so I used it once and then sent it off to get sharpened and have not cut anything with it since. I only paid $40 for mine, so I am happy to let it sit "just-in-case"

BePrepared · Apr 30, 2012

I sharpen mine with a Work Sharp WSKTS, and i can keep it scary sharp with minimal effort.

I had to convex the edge originally which is a bit tricky, but keeping it sharp is easy

nccole · Apr 30, 2012

BePrepared said:
I sharpen mine with a Work Sharp WSKTS, and i can keep it scary sharp with minimal effort.

I had to convex the edge originally which is a bit tricky, but keeping it sharp is easy

I have a GATCO guided rod system, and the s-curve was not turning out how I wanted it. It was a bit hard to hit the edge consistently at that severe of a curve. I have been eying that Work Sharp actually, but have not gotten it yet. I actually enjoy sharpening my knives, some nice quiet alone time out in the garage, so the Work Sharp has gotten put off for purchasing new knives. Is your Speed Bump a little slower compared to other Kershaw AO's?

Another thing about the Speed Bump I forgot to mention is how cool the thumbstud lock is. I find myself buying knives just to play with and appreciate different lock styles.

Victorecombat · Apr 30, 2012

Thanks for all the advice so far. I will check out the Bump series. I forgot to mention I also have a Benchmade SOCP I carry, and absolutely love. But, I'm in FL and find myself in boardshorts a lot, and it's not as comfy to carry clipped in a waistband. Thanks again. Any other recommendations are welcome and appreciated.

dozerd8 · Apr 30, 2012

Being that you have the budget now for the ZT i would suggest handling one,think you will feel safe.Was not in the market for but saw and handled a 0350 tiger stripe and had to have it,impressed so far.

Victorecombat · Apr 30, 2012

dozerd8 said:
Being that you have the budget now for the ZT i would suggest handling one,think you will feel safe.Was not in the market for but saw and handled a 0350 tiger stripe and had to have it,impressed so far.

I would love to be able to handle one, but I don't have anyplace close too. Have to order one. Surprisingly, I actually found the Kershaw at the flea market.

BladeChick777 · Apr 30, 2012

The Rake Has A More Penetrative Tip.
So I Would Go With That.
Also It's A Hell Of A Knife For EDC.

It's A Great Knife And You Can Get A Blem Model From KershawGuy For $59.
And On Top Of That You Can Also Get A ZT 0350 Blem For $95.

You Could Get Them Both If You Add $4 To Your $150.

unwisefool · Apr 30, 2012

The Bump is a fantastic knife for the price! I use a ceramic chef "steel" to sharpwen mine up and it works great.

Yarivan · May 1, 2012

+1 for Bumps. I have a s30V stonewashed blade. Great knife. It was pain to sharpen it to 20 Degree but now it cuts as razor.
I never deployed the blade for SD but used as Yavara. Works great... One punch - one down

Misanthropia · May 1, 2012

I have to go with the G10 Speed Bump as well, even though I just got my hands on a ZT0350CB. While the ZT is from what I can already tell an awesome knife, I don't really think it's as great of a SD knife as the Bump. From my understanding, it's more of a "hard use" knife, between the thick tip and pretty thick flat grind it doesn't seem to have the penetrative or slicing power of something that is hollow ground and thinner.

Sonnydaze · May 1, 2012

I always carry a knife. I have, among others, a CQC-7v with the wave feature, and I really don't know of any knife design that will deploy any more quickly than a Wave. I mean...it's open when it leaves your pocket...
All that being said, I also carry IWB a Glock or a light Walther 9mm.
Good luck in your move.
Sonny

Victorecombat · May 1, 2012

Sonnydaze said:
I always carry a knife. I have, among others, a CQC-7v with the wave feature, and I really don't know of any knife design that will deploy any more quickly than a Wave. I mean...it's open when it leaves your pocket...
All that being said, I also carry IWB a Glock or a light Walther 9mm.
Good luck in your move.
Sonny

I have an Emerson Commander that I actually had the wave feature removed on. I've always been a big Emerson fan, I have the Commander, CQC-7B, A-100 and CQC-T. I became an even bigger fan after attending his combat course in VA awhile back. I just could never get used to the wave feature and get it to work everytime. I will admit it was probably user error, but I just couldn't get used to it. After I created my own Combatives program, I've done a lot more drilling and experimenting. I found the wave feature, for me, didn't work on the ground at all. I have no desire to turn a real attack into a grappling match, but things happen, shit goes wrong, and you're on the ground. So far, I'm strongly leaning towards the Rake. If I had my way, and knife laws weren't so stupid, I would just carry a fixed blade and be done with it.

Victorecombat · May 1, 2012

Thanks! I think I am going to go with the Rake.

Victorecombat · May 1, 2012

BladeChick777 said:
The Rake Has A More Penetrative Tip.
So I Would Go With That.
Also It's A Hell Of A Knife For EDC.

It's A Great Knife And You Can Get A Blem Model From KershawGuy For $59.
And On Top Of That You Can Also Get A ZT 0350 Blem For $95.

You Could Get Them Both If You Add $4 To Your $150.

I meant to reply to you and somehow did a new reply on the whole thread. I can't figure out how to delete either, Oh well. Anyway...thanks! I'm going to go with the Rake. Probably place the order tonight.