- Joined
- Jan 27, 2006
- Messages
- 497
.....or DO You? 
If you've ever wished a certain knife of your dreams might result from a collaboration between two Knife Manufacturers, in my case Kershaw/Zero Tolerance and Spyderco, I'm about to give you a peek into one of mine.
Ken Onion should be mentioned here too, for without his wonderfully designed ZT-0200 "canvas" from which to work, .......I would never have been able to start, let alone finish,... one of my favorite "hard use" and frequent EDC knives!
Every knife is a compromise in some areas, and the intended use dictates overall design priorities. In this case, my intended use priorities varied a little, and the changes I made got me a little closer. I still have a few wants with this design, and a plain un-coated blade chief among them. I missed the first offering of an uncoated ZT-0200, but if I find a used one or it reissues, I get to do this all over again!
I've owned many ZT-0200 knives over the last TEN years, about a dozen initially before I gave several away on a knife forum. The knife forum recipients were chosen as most deserving through their contributions to the forum. I was fairly new there so I let the more seasoned forum members vote on the 3 or 4 winners. (I forget which?
Some were given away as gifts over the years too, and I sold some on the bay also. But I always kept two in my permanent collection. This is a good thing too, because it allows me to show the changes I made in side by side comparison photos, some of which are subtle.
Anyway, I've been meaning to post about this for several years, and the recent Kershaw/ZT Post Your Photo Thread reminded me again.
Both of my remaining TWO ZT-0200 knives are fairly early (under 1000 serial number made in 2007). I've always thought it had a very comfortable grip, and would make a great backup to a fixed blade Woodcraft or Bushcraft use knife.
The 1/4" Solid Steel Pivot BOLT & NUT, Phosphor Bronze washers, Steel Liners, and very grippy G10 Scales on both sides told me there was a lot more potential than what most folks would use it for.
As much as I loved the ZT-0200 solid construction, I've always hated having to sharpen the recurve blade, especially since I still use flat stones (old school, like me). MANY a Kudzu Vine has fallen to it's edge over the years in my back yard, but thought removing the recurve would make it better suited for that use over extended cutting, and for more usual wood processing tasks. Frankly, I also have much more experience with straighter edged blades, so pot bellied blade went on a diet!
This is where I ended up...but there are details incorporated that might not be obvious that I'll detail below.
As you can see, the flipper is no longer there. I decided early on it had to go, because in a strong grip, especially over extended time periods, the flipper would often dig into my index finger.
The Photo below shows a stock ZT-0200 on top, with my modded example below.
I had seen a youtube video where someone had sent theirs out and had the recurve removed. and had also left the one piece thumbstud OUT, using the opening like a very small Spyderco Spydie Hole.
He complained a little that the scales in front of the hole somewhat interfered with opening, and he never enlarged the previous thumb stud hole either. I addressed BOTH of those issues by substantially enlarging the opening hole, and pulled the scales and liners back to allow easier access to the hole to deploy the knife easier, and without liner/scale interference.
Here's a close up. In case you didn't notice, the Spydie Hole had to be enlarged mostly down and forward, using a 1/2" diameter Diamond grinding bur. Can't go UP, as it's not thick enough to take much of anything away. So if I wanted a decent sized hole, with the least interference of your thumb hitting the area just behind where the thumbstud was previously, then the hole enlargement HAD to go down and forward.
I stopped enlarging the hole when it got near the start of the blade grind taper. Just getting the hole enlarged and re-positioned took about 3-1/2 to 4 hours alone, as building heat had to be stopped with frequent dips in water. The 154CM steel in pretty hard too, and the diamond bur was not very course,....maybe 200 grit or so, ....so it's a slow go to get it done.
In case you're wondering just HOW much the hole was enlarged, this photo gives a pretty good idea. The thumbstud that was originally a TIGHT press fit into the blade is now resting within the hole.
By the way, use of a Spydie Hole makes a lot of sense for a knife used for wood processing in the outdoors, or even the more usual slicing veggies, cheese, meats, and breads. Thumbstuds can interfere with a cut in that area of the blade,....the hole won't!
With the flipper removed, I noticed there was a hooked/hollow spot in the previous blade tang and flipper area where I could incorporate the use of a hardened steel pin to serve as a strong wedge. This would block the blade from falling and serve as a backup to the lockbar under VERY hard use, such as light batoning over extended time periods perhaps.
I will probably never baton with it,.... did it more to see if the idea had merit. I think somewhere down the line someone will incorporate the idea into a knife design,....but you saw it first here!
I fitted a 1/8" pin initially, but there is just a hint of play if I release the lockbar so the pin is the sole way of keeping the blade open. A #39 drill bit is slightly larger and should be a tighter fit to eliminate all play.
I might only use a pin if I needed to baton some lighter wood for kindling, and normally I would have a fixed blade for that. But if I'm caught in desperate circumstances with just this knife on me, it wouldn't hurt to have as strong a lockup possible with redundant backup safeguards. And OK,.. I WAS curious IF this would work too! It works well, BTW.....
I still need to pick up a #39 Drill bit and fabricate it to fit, with a notch on each end that will hold a hard version O-Ring to keep it in place. But a better way to fabricate this would be to have a machinist make me a tight pin with one end having a small knob, and the other end a groove for the O-Ring. (I don't have a lathe, unfortunately, or would do it myself)
You can see the hole I made to back up the lockbar at the bottom, below the pivot nut. The hole goes straight through, with a matching hole on the other side.
One other small change I made was to round out the bottom of the liners and scales just to the right of the finger choil area. I found the slight "hump" there cramped my hand a little, so I tapered it out a little and also took a little off the top hump at the center of the spine. It's a small change visually, but my hand feels the difference.
...here's a little better view of the re-contouring of the "humps" on top and bottom center of the grip. Notice also the entire outer G10 edges have been smoothly beveled, which were a hot spot to my hand previously,...but no more
I also found the top edges and corners of the scales to be a bit rough for extended use, so I sanded and beveled the sharpness off to where it feels pretty smooth to the hand. Its is a much more ergonomic fit to my hand now. It's hard to see here but all the way around the G10 edges, the pattern of G10 jimping CNC cuts were sanded, and then burnished fairly smooth.
The grip feels great in my hand! I'm actually right handed, but needed that to hold the camera The "action" is super smooth too, and was helped by adding a very smooth and tapered detent ball ramp on the blade tang. That feature is starting to catch on today, at Spyderco for sure and probably other makers also.
The original thumbstud was surprisingly heavy, and with it gone and the other blade changes, the knife lightened almost 1/2 ounce. Still a "beefy" folder for sure, ....but then "Strong Don't Come Light" (you can quote me on that , and as Nutnfancy once said (paraphrased)... "I'll take the weight if I get something for it!" So true!
Oh, this photo shows the smoothed up outer scale edges fairly well at the bottom curve area.
I've found this is a very efficient wood processing tool in this configuration, and I feel confident it will hold up for a long time. As long as reasonable tasks are assigned it can do them well and safely. As a backup to a fixed blade it excels!
For several years I even carried it regularly as my main EDC for self defense if ever needed. I usually carried in my waistband (IWB), where my belt covered the clip very well. I pulled my (tucked in) shirt UP about an inch, creating a small flap,....and the top of the knife exiting the waistband is completely hidden also!
Worn far to my far right side IWB, it is surprisingly comfortable, and less likely to ever be lost. My belt locks against the "up bend" in the clip, and stops it from accidentally falling away.
Who knows,....maybe we'll see a similar Factory version someday?
If you've ever wished a certain knife of your dreams might result from a collaboration between two Knife Manufacturers, in my case Kershaw/Zero Tolerance and Spyderco, I'm about to give you a peek into one of mine.
Ken Onion should be mentioned here too, for without his wonderfully designed ZT-0200 "canvas" from which to work, .......I would never have been able to start, let alone finish,... one of my favorite "hard use" and frequent EDC knives!
Every knife is a compromise in some areas, and the intended use dictates overall design priorities. In this case, my intended use priorities varied a little, and the changes I made got me a little closer. I still have a few wants with this design, and a plain un-coated blade chief among them. I missed the first offering of an uncoated ZT-0200, but if I find a used one or it reissues, I get to do this all over again!
I've owned many ZT-0200 knives over the last TEN years, about a dozen initially before I gave several away on a knife forum. The knife forum recipients were chosen as most deserving through their contributions to the forum. I was fairly new there so I let the more seasoned forum members vote on the 3 or 4 winners. (I forget which?
Some were given away as gifts over the years too, and I sold some on the bay also. But I always kept two in my permanent collection. This is a good thing too, because it allows me to show the changes I made in side by side comparison photos, some of which are subtle.Anyway, I've been meaning to post about this for several years, and the recent Kershaw/ZT Post Your Photo Thread reminded me again.
Both of my remaining TWO ZT-0200 knives are fairly early (under 1000 serial number made in 2007). I've always thought it had a very comfortable grip, and would make a great backup to a fixed blade Woodcraft or Bushcraft use knife.
The 1/4" Solid Steel Pivot BOLT & NUT, Phosphor Bronze washers, Steel Liners, and very grippy G10 Scales on both sides told me there was a lot more potential than what most folks would use it for.
As much as I loved the ZT-0200 solid construction, I've always hated having to sharpen the recurve blade, especially since I still use flat stones (old school, like me). MANY a Kudzu Vine has fallen to it's edge over the years in my back yard, but thought removing the recurve would make it better suited for that use over extended cutting, and for more usual wood processing tasks. Frankly, I also have much more experience with straighter edged blades, so pot bellied blade went on a diet!
This is where I ended up...but there are details incorporated that might not be obvious that I'll detail below.
As you can see, the flipper is no longer there. I decided early on it had to go, because in a strong grip, especially over extended time periods, the flipper would often dig into my index finger.
The Photo below shows a stock ZT-0200 on top, with my modded example below.
I had seen a youtube video where someone had sent theirs out and had the recurve removed. and had also left the one piece thumbstud OUT, using the opening like a very small Spyderco Spydie Hole.
He complained a little that the scales in front of the hole somewhat interfered with opening, and he never enlarged the previous thumb stud hole either. I addressed BOTH of those issues by substantially enlarging the opening hole, and pulled the scales and liners back to allow easier access to the hole to deploy the knife easier, and without liner/scale interference.
Here's a close up. In case you didn't notice, the Spydie Hole had to be enlarged mostly down and forward, using a 1/2" diameter Diamond grinding bur. Can't go UP, as it's not thick enough to take much of anything away. So if I wanted a decent sized hole, with the least interference of your thumb hitting the area just behind where the thumbstud was previously, then the hole enlargement HAD to go down and forward.
I stopped enlarging the hole when it got near the start of the blade grind taper. Just getting the hole enlarged and re-positioned took about 3-1/2 to 4 hours alone, as building heat had to be stopped with frequent dips in water. The 154CM steel in pretty hard too, and the diamond bur was not very course,....maybe 200 grit or so, ....so it's a slow go to get it done.
In case you're wondering just HOW much the hole was enlarged, this photo gives a pretty good idea. The thumbstud that was originally a TIGHT press fit into the blade is now resting within the hole.
By the way, use of a Spydie Hole makes a lot of sense for a knife used for wood processing in the outdoors, or even the more usual slicing veggies, cheese, meats, and breads. Thumbstuds can interfere with a cut in that area of the blade,....the hole won't!
With the flipper removed, I noticed there was a hooked/hollow spot in the previous blade tang and flipper area where I could incorporate the use of a hardened steel pin to serve as a strong wedge. This would block the blade from falling and serve as a backup to the lockbar under VERY hard use, such as light batoning over extended time periods perhaps.
I will probably never baton with it,.... did it more to see if the idea had merit. I think somewhere down the line someone will incorporate the idea into a knife design,....but you saw it first here!
I fitted a 1/8" pin initially, but there is just a hint of play if I release the lockbar so the pin is the sole way of keeping the blade open. A #39 drill bit is slightly larger and should be a tighter fit to eliminate all play.
I might only use a pin if I needed to baton some lighter wood for kindling, and normally I would have a fixed blade for that. But if I'm caught in desperate circumstances with just this knife on me, it wouldn't hurt to have as strong a lockup possible with redundant backup safeguards. And OK,.. I WAS curious IF this would work too! It works well, BTW.....
I still need to pick up a #39 Drill bit and fabricate it to fit, with a notch on each end that will hold a hard version O-Ring to keep it in place. But a better way to fabricate this would be to have a machinist make me a tight pin with one end having a small knob, and the other end a groove for the O-Ring. (I don't have a lathe, unfortunately, or would do it myself)
You can see the hole I made to back up the lockbar at the bottom, below the pivot nut. The hole goes straight through, with a matching hole on the other side.
One other small change I made was to round out the bottom of the liners and scales just to the right of the finger choil area. I found the slight "hump" there cramped my hand a little, so I tapered it out a little and also took a little off the top hump at the center of the spine. It's a small change visually, but my hand feels the difference.
...here's a little better view of the re-contouring of the "humps" on top and bottom center of the grip. Notice also the entire outer G10 edges have been smoothly beveled, which were a hot spot to my hand previously,...but no more
I also found the top edges and corners of the scales to be a bit rough for extended use, so I sanded and beveled the sharpness off to where it feels pretty smooth to the hand. Its is a much more ergonomic fit to my hand now. It's hard to see here but all the way around the G10 edges, the pattern of G10 jimping CNC cuts were sanded, and then burnished fairly smooth.
The grip feels great in my hand! I'm actually right handed, but needed that to hold the camera
The "action" is super smooth too, and was helped by adding a very smooth and tapered detent ball ramp on the blade tang. That feature is starting to catch on today, at Spyderco for sure and probably other makers also.
The original thumbstud was surprisingly heavy, and with it gone and the other blade changes, the knife lightened almost 1/2 ounce. Still a "beefy" folder for sure, ....but then "Strong Don't Come Light" (you can quote me on that
, and as Nutnfancy once said (paraphrased)... "I'll take the weight if I get something for it!" So true!Oh, this photo shows the smoothed up outer scale edges fairly well at the bottom curve area.
I've found this is a very efficient wood processing tool in this configuration, and I feel confident it will hold up for a long time. As long as reasonable tasks are assigned it can do them well and safely. As a backup to a fixed blade it excels!
For several years I even carried it regularly as my main EDC for self defense if ever needed. I usually carried in my waistband (IWB), where my belt covered the clip very well. I pulled my (tucked in) shirt UP about an inch, creating a small flap,....and the top of the knife exiting the waistband is completely hidden also!
Worn far to my far right side IWB, it is surprisingly comfortable, and less likely to ever be lost. My belt locks against the "up bend" in the clip, and stops it from accidentally falling away.
Who knows,....maybe we'll see a similar Factory version someday?
Last edited:
