ZT 0350 problem

K

Kyle_4

Joined
Mar 21, 2013
Messages
616
Hi,

I just recently purchased a ZT 0350 and noticed a problem. The blade seemed to be very close to the handle when closed. After opening and closing a few times I noticed a metal on metal on sound and upon closer inspection there appears to blade marks in the handle. Is there an easy fix to this? Or will it have to go to warranty?
Not very pleased so far with my first ZT :jerk it:
 
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Sounds like you need to adjust the pivot. If that doesn't work you may need to send it in. Sorry to hear you aren't pleased. I assure you you're in the minority as a displeased customer. I've got a 0550 (flawless) and my little brother has a 0350. He's let me use the crap out of it and its solid as any other model. It's an awesome knife. Hopefully you get it sorted out. ZT is an outstanding company.
 
xjzhx said:
Sounds like you need to adjust the pivot. If that doesn't work you may need to send it in. Sorry to hear you aren't pleased. I assure you you're in the minority as a displeased customer. I've got a 0550 (flawless) and my little brother has a 0350. He's let me use the crap out of it and its solid as any other model. It's an awesome knife. Hopefully you get it sorted out. ZT is an outstanding company.
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How would you recommend adjusting the pivot? Open to ideas as I live in Canada and don't want to wait another month for a new knife to show up
 
Torx driver set. Maybe some lube. Tighten it. Loosen it. See if you get any movement. Can you maybe post a pic showing the defect. It seems pretty straight forward but sometimes a visual can help a lot. Good luck.
 
Kyle_4 said:
How would you recommend adjusting the pivot? Open to ideas as I live in Canada and don't want to wait another month for a new knife to show up
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Something I've noticed on my 0350.

You can move the blade by tightening / loosening the body screws as well as the pivot screw.

I have taken mine apart several times and always have to tweak the handle to get the blade centered.

Best, Ric
 
Get the proper Torx driver and adjust the pivot. There are numerous resources on centering a blade, so you should avail yourself of them as well.

If you find you're not up to the task then I recommend you bring it back to the dealer and ask for an exchange. Surely a big boy with a ZT can figure out how to tighten a screw, right?
 
I will be adjusting the screws later tonight, thanks for the advice guys. Here are a couple pictures(I don't have a macro lens). Blade is a little off center and blade touches handle when shut.

IMG_3725_zpsb0a9e2d7.jpg


In this pic you can make out where it has been scratching after being closed maybe 10 times.
0350_zps5f66ac91.jpg


sticktodrum said:
Get the proper Torx driver and adjust the pivot. There are numerous resources on centering a blade, so you should avail yourself of them as well.

If you find you're not up to the task then I recommend you bring it back to the dealer and ask for an exchange. Surely a big boy with a ZT can figure out how to tighten a screw, right?
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Hahaha of course I am up to the task, I ain't no wussy boy from New York. The fact that I just spent this much money on a knife that already has a problem has me a little pissed.
 
Is the blade hitting the back spacer as well as being off center? If it's hitting the back spacer, then simply adjusting the screws might not fix your problem 100%.
 
nopyo said:
Is the blade hitting the back spacer as well as being off center? If it's hitting the back spacer, then simply adjusting the screws might not fix your problem 100%.
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Yes the blade is hitting the back spacer. The only time it does not hit back spacer is when it is very lightly closed. The blade tip rests on the back spacer when fully closed.
 
Kyle_4 said:
Hahaha of course I am up to the task, I ain't no wussy boy from New York.
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I'm from New York and I tighten screws with my fingernails, I straighten off-center blades by yelling at them to get back in line, and I sharpen knives by stropping them on my forearms.

:grumpy:
 
I never owned a 350, but generally, a blade shouldn't be hitting its own back spacer. I'd recommend an exchange over a self-fix.
 
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I had a 350 and it was also off center. Ironic that a ZT has such bad tolerances, apparently :D

What I did was adjust the pivot until I found the "sweet spot". One thing you could look at doing is to adjust the lock tension. I have had many a knife where the lock put too much force on the blade, pushing it off center. A slight adjustment to the tension goes a long way (but be careful, too much adjustment and your lock won't work too well). Luckily the liners are steel, so you can do it by hand.
 
I've had few ZT's and I've been happy with them except for the 350. I had the same problems: blade offcenter (my suspicion is the linerlock pushing it too much(?)) and the blade hitting the backspacer.
 
A.L. said:
I've had few ZT's and I've been happy with them except for the 350. I had the same problems: blade offcenter (my suspicion is the linerlock pushing it too much(?)) and the blade hitting the backspacer.
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I will second this. Out my 6 ZT's, only the 350 had any blade alignment problems. In my knifes case they were not severe enough to cause unwanted mechanical contact between blade and other parts of the knife so no adjustment was needed. But the tip of the blade is clearly off a bit. Still pretty happy with the knife.

If my 350 was misaligned that badly I would return it for repair. A $20 folder is one thing. A $150 ZT needs to be held to a higher standard.

My 350.
zt0350_tip.jpg
 
Wow it seems like ZT is really half assing things. All the reviews seemed to be good for this knife. To the people who have had the problem with the blade hitting the back spacer did you return it to ZT?
 
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