BD_01
Basic Member
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2016
- Messages
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BLUF: Buy this knife is you want superb fit, finish, and materials but don’t mind sacrificing a bit of practicality for bat guano loco style!
Part 1 REVIEW:
Has the form vs. function pendulum finally swung too far for ZT? Is the 0460 crippled by it’s modernistic Persian styling? I say NO! …but perhaps some concessions were made.
Enter the 0460. Let’s begin with the carbon fiber. Delicious. Bronze fibers of some kind are woven into the black CF in an alternating pattern. My son says it reminds him of a rattlesnake. There is angular chamfering around most of the margin, with more gradual tapering towards the butt. Holes for the frame screws are neatly relieved and there is a subtle texture on the surface. No imperfections or voids are present in my sample. The CF is REALLY well done.
The lock side titanium wears an excellent stone wash and has milling that matches the show side contours. Before I bought the knife, I really did not appreciate how well done the machining is along the lock bar, extending all the way back. It’s really quite fantastic.
Also note that the pivot is captive on the lock side, like the 0900 and a few other current ZT models. The pocket clip is attractive and holds the knife well. The ramp is a bit too shallow, however, favoring style over function.
Otherwise, the 0460 is fantastic in the pocket. It’s thin, narrow, and light (2.3 oz!). The contour hugs the back of you pocket. Coupled with a non-invasive texture and minimalist flipper tab (more below), you can access the bottom of your pocket without even knowing it’s there. Superb.
There’s no lanyard hole—thank goodness. Mind you, I don’t have anything ideologically against lanyards; I’ve got them on a few of my knives. I just think lanyard holes are a bit over done, as if otherwise good designs get weakened, just to add one in for marketing.
The upturned blade wears an attractive stone wash above the flat ground satin primary bevel. It looks quite stabby. It looks awesome! For a ZT it’s quite thin behind the edge—noticeably more so than the ZT 0450 or Benchmade 940—and is a pretty awesome slicer.
The billboarding is a travesty, however. With the blade open, the lock side writing is as follows: “Zero Tolerance 0460 KAI USA Sinkevich Design Ser. XXXX S35VN.” Are you kidding me? Enough is enough. This has become offensive and needs to stop!
The angular head of the scales extends quite a distance beyond the pivot, forming a point that's nearly in line with the flat at the top of the open blade. The design accentuates the knife’s flowing Persian aesthetic. The drawback is a plunge that extends well behind the scales’ front margin. This will make it very difficult for me to sharpen the knife, given my present equipment and feeble skill.
Most of my knives encourage a forward grip. That’s not optimal for the 0460. If I relax, my hand finds a position a bit further back, with my pinky on the flat that’s just in front of the knife’s butt. It works quite well for me; comfortable sturdy grip with nice control. It’s a bit similar to the grip posture of a Schemp Bowie, but much less dramatic. Note that ergonomics are highly individual; YMMV.
How’s the action? Break the detent, and this knife fires to lockup 100%. With the 0460 however, you can’t just make a lazy stroke with your index finger and expect the flipper tab to jump out and meet you. The tab is quite small—so small in fact that there is no room for jimping. Instead, there is a single prominent groove (a single jimp?) to provide purchase when you deeply bury your fingertip and curl it downward. Do it as a single brisk motion and “pop,” the blade is out and locked in a blink. This is not a push button flipper or one that promotes slow loading.
Is the small flipper tab another functional compromise in the name of style? Yes. It does, however, have the benefit of going easy on anything else in your pocket, and there’s less in the way of your hand when reaching down for keys, etc. It’s an awesome flipper, but some technique is necessary.
I haven’t had any difficulties with pressure from my middle finger retarding deployment. Because of the knife’s shape, there’s no real middle finger landing zone on the lock bar. The downward curve of the butt DOES provide a good landing zone for the ring and small fingers—it’s so far back that it doesn’t seem to affect lock bar tension. For perspective, I’ll add that I never really had middle finger lock bar issues with the 0450 either.
Part 2 & 3 below
Part 1 REVIEW:
Has the form vs. function pendulum finally swung too far for ZT? Is the 0460 crippled by it’s modernistic Persian styling? I say NO! …but perhaps some concessions were made.
Enter the 0460. Let’s begin with the carbon fiber. Delicious. Bronze fibers of some kind are woven into the black CF in an alternating pattern. My son says it reminds him of a rattlesnake. There is angular chamfering around most of the margin, with more gradual tapering towards the butt. Holes for the frame screws are neatly relieved and there is a subtle texture on the surface. No imperfections or voids are present in my sample. The CF is REALLY well done.
The lock side titanium wears an excellent stone wash and has milling that matches the show side contours. Before I bought the knife, I really did not appreciate how well done the machining is along the lock bar, extending all the way back. It’s really quite fantastic.
Also note that the pivot is captive on the lock side, like the 0900 and a few other current ZT models. The pocket clip is attractive and holds the knife well. The ramp is a bit too shallow, however, favoring style over function.
Otherwise, the 0460 is fantastic in the pocket. It’s thin, narrow, and light (2.3 oz!). The contour hugs the back of you pocket. Coupled with a non-invasive texture and minimalist flipper tab (more below), you can access the bottom of your pocket without even knowing it’s there. Superb.
There’s no lanyard hole—thank goodness. Mind you, I don’t have anything ideologically against lanyards; I’ve got them on a few of my knives. I just think lanyard holes are a bit over done, as if otherwise good designs get weakened, just to add one in for marketing.
The upturned blade wears an attractive stone wash above the flat ground satin primary bevel. It looks quite stabby. It looks awesome! For a ZT it’s quite thin behind the edge—noticeably more so than the ZT 0450 or Benchmade 940—and is a pretty awesome slicer.
The billboarding is a travesty, however. With the blade open, the lock side writing is as follows: “Zero Tolerance 0460 KAI USA Sinkevich Design Ser. XXXX S35VN.” Are you kidding me? Enough is enough. This has become offensive and needs to stop!
The angular head of the scales extends quite a distance beyond the pivot, forming a point that's nearly in line with the flat at the top of the open blade. The design accentuates the knife’s flowing Persian aesthetic. The drawback is a plunge that extends well behind the scales’ front margin. This will make it very difficult for me to sharpen the knife, given my present equipment and feeble skill.
Most of my knives encourage a forward grip. That’s not optimal for the 0460. If I relax, my hand finds a position a bit further back, with my pinky on the flat that’s just in front of the knife’s butt. It works quite well for me; comfortable sturdy grip with nice control. It’s a bit similar to the grip posture of a Schemp Bowie, but much less dramatic. Note that ergonomics are highly individual; YMMV.
How’s the action? Break the detent, and this knife fires to lockup 100%. With the 0460 however, you can’t just make a lazy stroke with your index finger and expect the flipper tab to jump out and meet you. The tab is quite small—so small in fact that there is no room for jimping. Instead, there is a single prominent groove (a single jimp?) to provide purchase when you deeply bury your fingertip and curl it downward. Do it as a single brisk motion and “pop,” the blade is out and locked in a blink. This is not a push button flipper or one that promotes slow loading.
Is the small flipper tab another functional compromise in the name of style? Yes. It does, however, have the benefit of going easy on anything else in your pocket, and there’s less in the way of your hand when reaching down for keys, etc. It’s an awesome flipper, but some technique is necessary.
I haven’t had any difficulties with pressure from my middle finger retarding deployment. Because of the knife’s shape, there’s no real middle finger landing zone on the lock bar. The downward curve of the butt DOES provide a good landing zone for the ring and small fingers—it’s so far back that it doesn’t seem to affect lock bar tension. For perspective, I’ll add that I never really had middle finger lock bar issues with the 0450 either.
Part 2 & 3 below
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! Though Persian knives style is not my cup of tea, this ZT interpretation was worth a second thought from my side 
. Enjoy your new pocket companion!
) in the sunlight. Bronze is indeed an apt description. 
