zero tolerance sharp?

Popsickle

Popsickle

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Jul 25, 2010
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how sharp do zero tolerance knives comes out of the box? i bought a "NIB" 0551 and overall its a AMAZING knife, but it leaves something to be desired in the sharp department.
 
yes i can sharpen, currently i have the sharpmaker and an edge pro im waiting to sell for a wicked edge
 
Factory sharp to me has never been that impressive regardless of brand, most are around a 300 grit and at far too obtuse of a angle. My 0551 came with a 22+ per side bevel and was not even close to shaving sharp, also had a bit of recurve from too much pressure or simply over grinding. Sounds like bad luck to most but to me its average and the reason my first task is to always sharpen my new blade.
 
Hair shaving is typically sharp enough for any task. Though the hair popping edge I got on my Spyderco Bill Moran truly impressed me.
 
A factory edge may or may not satisfy you, but it cannot satisfy everyone. Each of us has different cutting needs, and should know how to sharpen to achieve the edge we want. That said, it is easier to make an obtuse edge more acute than to put back the steel taken off an edge too acute for your needs.

It is not all that hard for a manufacturer to ship with a clean, sharp edge. Some companies do this routinely, other leave it to us. Kershaw is actually one of the better manufacturers for out-of-the-box sharpness.
 
Both of the 0551's I got didn't come very sharp out of the box, I traded one, and the other I got a decent edge that I'm happy with on the Sharpmaker.
 
Received my first ZT two weeks ago. It was a model 0551. Was sharp but not sharp enough. Stropped it with 0.50 and then 0.25 diamond spray. It's now one of the sharpest I own. Just had to be bumped up a notch.
 
My 0551 arrived a couple weeks ago and no it wasn't shaving sharp but I wasn't bothered by it since the knife itself far exceeded my expectations even with all the hype surrounding it. I can easily touch up the blade on my Sharpmaker and it's not the first time I've received a new knife that wasn't extremely sharp.

ZT hit it out of the park with the 0551, I prefer it to my son's SNG (just my opinion) and considering the price difference that's impressive.
 
My 0551, 0303, and Skyline came very sharp out of the box. I usually wear down the factory edge before sharpening. No sense in removing more metal if it isn't needed.
 
puyallupn8ive said:
Both of the 0551's I got didn't come very sharp out of the box, I traded one, and the other I got a decent edge that I'm happy with on the Sharpmaker.
Click to expand...

I have just the opposite experience. I currently own two and they both came sharp enough to shave the hair off my arm. That is plenty sharp for me.
 
My ZT0121, ZT0200, ZT0350, ZT0500, ZT0302 came very sharp out of the box. The ZT0551 came lacking in the sharp department out of the box. Definetly need to fix that.
 
My Zing came dull, the Skyline came sharp. I think it's hit or miss with most. My CRKT M21-02 was one of the sharpest ever for me,......go figure.
 
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