ZT 0350 M390 De-assist? Recurve? Experiences?

Comeuppance

Comeuppance

Fixed Blade EDC Emisssary
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
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I've been eyeing the relatively new 0350m390, as I'm a sucker for supersteels and overbuilt knives. I am not, however, any kind of fan of assisted knives, and I'm not so confident in my sharpening ability (I seem to need juuuust the right light level to get the edge flat onto stones or strops) to make a recurve appealing.

So, a few questions (if you can only answer one or two, please do!):
- Can the 0350m390 be de-assisted and keep its flipper functionality? I know that the 0350 can be de-assisted, but I've seen quite a few posts that tell of worn-out detents very early on, and centering issues on top of that.

- Is a recurve any more functional when cutting, and is it more difficult to sharpen and strop? I know M390 takes an insane edge, but I don't want to drop nearly 200 bucks on a knife that I can't keep a sharp edge on any more than 60% of the blade.

- Has anyone had much experience using one, and have any useful feedback on it? How's the edge retention and toughness? Any lockup issues or other usage issues (blade play, centering, sticky lock, hardware issues)?

Also, just sort of a quick aside: Why don't there seem to be any of these on the secondary market? I know that Knifeworks doesn't price gouge or anything, and ~180 for M390 is perfectly reasonable, but I've seen ZERO on the bay and few (if any) on the exchange. Is everyone just keeping theirs, or is it not selling as well as one might expect?

I know it's a lot of questions, but I try to put a lot of thought and research into a knife before I buy one - and there's seemingly very little info out there at the moment.
 
The 0350 de-assists very easily, I have done it with mine, flipper works great, detent is fine. I ended up re-assisting it though. I've had no problem sharpening recurves, and I like the way they cut.
 
I love mine.
The M390 is exactly why I got mine and I couldn't be happier.
No experience with de-assisting here.
I've used my edge quite a bit though and it cuts great, very sharp.
I have sharpened mine too (with a Lansky & a sharpmaker) with no issues.
Lock up is rock solid, blade is dead on centered.
I even took mine apart made some custom silver twill scales for it.....then took it apart again and made some custom canvas micarta scales for it.....then took it apart again and installed standoffs.
The lock up is still rock solid, blade is still dead on centered and the AO works flawlessly.
It's definitely worth every penny to me.
YMMV


 
Don't have the M390 version, but I can tell you that the first thing I did when I got my 350 S30V version was to remove the assist. It works like a champ and the detent is plenty strong without the torsion bar. When I reassembled it, the blade went right back to center like it knew where to go. Flipper function is the same only unassisted. Smooth as butter.

I can't imagine that it would be any different for the M390 version. If, for some reason, it doesn't work the way you want it to, you can always put it back in.
 
The 30X series has always called to me but I have never answered the call
I always go back and forth between the 300 and the 350 im always worried about how the frame lock will hold up even though I have a 560 and that is solid I really wish both these knives had stainless steel lock faces on the lock bar just for my peace of mind ..that and I think they look pretty cool
one last thing on my zt wish list ...an assisted 560!!!!!!
 
I had a regular 350, and it had no detent to speak of. Blade had one hole and that was for the assist. That knife kind of really sucked. Action was poor, blade was almost rubbing. I would try another if I get the chance, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.

I would hope the expensive variant would have a detent.
 
dkb45 said:
I had a regular 350, and it had no detent to speak of. Blade had one hole and that was for the assist. That knife kind of really sucked. Action was poor, blade was almost rubbing. I would try another if I get the chance, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.

I would hope the expensive variant would have a detent.
Click to expand...

Sure that wasn't a 0300? Was it a linerlock or a framelock? My understanding is that all 0350s have had detents...!
 
Comeuppance said:
Sure that wasn't a 0300? Was it a linerlock or a framelock? My understanding is that all 0350s have had detents...!
Click to expand...

Mine was a 350, but it definitely had no detent. Liner lock, and the lock was good and solid, but the centering was awful. The recurve was a real pain to deal with. It you reshaped it you might get a really nice knife, if it has a detent.
 
I deassisted my 0350 m390 very easily. I ve had to tighten the pivot screw to remove a slight bit o looseness in the lock up. When I did this the blade moved a little off center on closing. The flipper is a little stiff with the tighter pivot. The recurved blade is a great cutter and the knife seems very strong. I thinned the edge with my Wicked Edge and the slicing is very good. Touch up with the spyderco took a while indicating a high hardness. Overall a solid functional knife w/o the assist w an excellent steel. I like mine.
 
Comeuppance said:
Sure that wasn't a 0300? Was it a linerlock or a framelock? My understanding is that all 0350s have had detents...!
Click to expand...

This was my experience as well when I had an 0350 years ago. I had the Knifeworks noncoated version. I tried it without the torsion bar (deassisted) and the thing just flopped out without much effort at all. It was unsafe to carry without the assist mechanism. Also, I echo what the other guy said about the blade rubbing against the opposite liner. It's what really turned me off from the 0350s. I mailed it back to Kershaw twice to get it centered, but it always came back touching the liner. Maybe the newer ones are different. I dunno. Haven't handled one since the first one I had years ago which I sold. I really would like to give it another go, but no shops around me carry it.

EDIT: Also, the blade cut into the backspacer when closed.
 
Comeuppance said:
Sure that wasn't a 0300? Was it a linerlock or a framelock? My understanding is that all 0350s have had detents...!
Click to expand...

The earlier versions did not have a detent. Around the time of the first L.E.'s they started to put them in. So anything after the CB and ZDP versions will have them (the last couple yrs. they have had detents added).
 
bad_juju said:
The earlier versions did not have a detent. Around the time of the first L.E.'s they started to put them in. So anything after the CB and ZDP versions will have them (the last couple yrs. they have had detents added).
Click to expand...

Did they fix the problem with the blade not being centered to the point that it rubs against the opposing liner? In the early 0350s without detents, the torsion assist bar pushed against the blade which is what made the blade never centered.
 
I got my normal 0350 a few months ago, it is perfectly centered and de-assisted with no issues. Though the first one I ordered had some minor up and down blade play out the box so I sent it back, the replacement was flawless though and I still have it.
 
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