Review ZT 0022TIBRZ Revisiting a Recent Purchase

[Peregrin]

I posted my initial impression of this knife in late August. Here's the post.

This little ZT0022 showed up the other day. I really like this little knife. It's well-made, has great ergos, and good materials, and just about disappears when you carry it. Just right for around the house or out on the town. Unfortunately, it's probably going to the factory for some fine-tuning. It's a bear to open! I've got several flippers and some came a little tight, but did end up being just right. I don't think this one is going to get there on its own.
Other than being a bear to open it would have been nice to have some kind of lanyard attachment. It would help keep a grip on this little bugger.

Just to follow up. I did send it back to the factory and after 2 weeks, received it back with a form letter stating, "The result of our evaluation is that we did not find a defect in the materials or construction. The blade deploys as intended." There were a few recommendations about how to hold it properly etc, I'd already figured that out.

This response surprised me as no one I know would say the knife was opening properly.

I masked the defect by attaching a leather lanyard to the spacer. The leather kept the blade's detent from engaging completely, but it did engage adequately. The flip was decent; the blade stayed closed and wouldn't open when pulled. This did not represent a permanent solution to a manufacturing or quality control issue. The blade did eventually wear through the lanyard, making it impossible to use again.

I figured I'd try one last thing before taking it apart and attacking the detent hole with a file. I had some tapered rubber wedges that were intended to level furniture legs etc. I jammed a wedge behind the lock bar overnight and after 4 or 5 nights the knife was finally opening satisfactorily. I've been carrying it and using it for a few weeks now with no additional intervention. Hopefully, this resolves my issue. I don't offer this as a solution for everyone. I could have really messed up a $200 knife, but I didn't feel I had any other options. It was unusable.

I also replaced the original pocket clip with a bronze titanium clip from MXG Gear. It's a definite improvement.

If you're looking to buy a 0022 have your dealer check it out beforehand.

 

[brownshoe]

Thanks for the review. There’s another reviewer who had the same problem. You’ve been using it a lot despite its problems, it shows up in a lot of your pictures in the Mod/Trad thread. I have a ZT, GTC, 0055, that was hard to open at first. I found out it needed a little side pressure to open reliably and then after awhile it was fine.
.

 

[Peregrin]

Thanks for the review. There’s another reviewer who had the same problem. You’ve been using it a lot despite its problems, it shows up in a lot of your pictures in the Mod/Trad thread. I have a ZT, GTC, 0055, that was hard to open at first. I found out it needed a little side pressure to open reliably and then after awhile it was fine.

Thanks! I have been carrying it almost daily since I was able to use it. I really like the little knife. My original fix with the lanyard allowed that until it didn't. I think that relieving the lock bar tension some has solved the problem for me. I guess time will tell.

 

[norcalAF]

Nice review, luckily my copper scale version flips great. It's a neat little knife for sure!

 

[Peregrin]

A quick update: Reducing the lock bar tension resolved my issue with this knife. I've been carrying and using it regularly, and it’s functioning properly. I'm glad that my problem is resolved. It's a nice little knife.