ZT 0551 Dull Factory Edge?

I bought two paraframes once, both had an extremely dull edge--I took them back and demonstrated to the returns employee by running my finger over the edge fast :p I thought she was going to have a heart attack!! lol
 
goat37 said:
Holy crap - I didn't expect to be jumped on just asking if anyone else's -0551 came dull. When I say dull, i don't mean 'not really sharp', I mean I couldn't use it to cut a sandwich. It was just sort of a surprise and was looking to see if it was common.
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Don't worry too much about it. I've found there's some that can't or won't reply with a simple useful comment. They'd rather act superior or reply with sarcasm....No different than everyday life, I ignore it :D
 
Hi goat37 -

Negative - #19 was as sharp as I expect Kershaw stuff to be - and that is very sharp.

best regards -

mqqn
 
goat37 said:
It is sharp now and the knife is nice, but I am just not super crazy about it like I am with some of the other ZT knives. Maybe it's the Elmax... not sure.

I was just trying to find out more if others had experienced the same issue as I did and were disappointed.
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This post would be why you perceived being jumped on. Your post above makes it seem like you have no real interest in the knife. It's understood that not everyone is a hardcore knife nut, but if you own a $300+ sharpening system, and want to get rid of an ELMAX knife - that is worthy of confusion.
Why would you say you aren't sure if the steel is why you are now wanting to pass the knife along? Have you used the steel before? Did it disappoint in some way none of us have heard of yet?
 
I don't have the ZT551, but I did have a Kershaw Vapor and Volt come to me comparitively dull. In both cases, a few swipes with a cheap ceramic rod got them to shaving sharp.
 
Hate to hear that about your knife. Maybe it slipped through QC. Maybe somebunny messed with the edge before you got it.
Maybe I was just really lucky with #049. It came really sharp out of the box. It was probably the sharpest production knife out-of-the-box that I have ever bought. Popped hair off of my arm.
It was a low SN, so maybe mine was one of the few that were sent back to have the liners refinished...maybe they spent a little extra time on it. I don't know.
However, it wasn't the sharpness of the blade that impressed me, it was the steel. Spend some time with that Elmax. I like it.
The knife grows on you, and gets really nice after it breaks in.
 
RevDevil said:
This post would be why you perceived being jumped on. Your post above makes it seem like you have no real interest in the knife. It's understood that not everyone is a hardcore knife nut, but if you own a $300+ sharpening system, and want to get rid of an ELMAX knife - that is worthy of confusion.
Why would you say you aren't sure if the steel is why you are now wanting to pass the knife along? Have you used the steel before? Did it disappoint in some way none of us have heard of yet?
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I'll be honest, this is my first experience with Elmax and honestly didn't know what to expect. The knife definitely feels sturdy, I guess it was a combination of the extremely dull edge out of the box plus unsure of exactly what it was that I should have been expecting.

As I said before, it took a great edge once I put it on my sharpener.... so no complaints about that. I'll have to EDC it to really be able to form an honest opinion about it.
 
My 0551 was sharp out of the box same with my 0350 ...I'm really impressed with ZT's quality . But as said prior to me ... a sharp blade or dull is not the most important factor .
 
Elmax has a very good reputation as a blade steel. It isn't run of the mill. I'd enjoy it if it were my choice considering it isn't really abundant yet. And in fact, I'm going to ;) I have three of these 0551's . . . And the one I'm carrying has broken into the performance of many $500 to $600 knives. It's buttery smooth, locks up dead solid and carries pretty well for a nearly 6 ounce knife. It's even a pretty good one handed knife. It has supassed all my expectations.
 
In the past few weeks, I've acquired five different ZT's. Four are 0300 series knives and one is an 0350. Only one of them had what I'd consider a "sharp" factory edge. The others cleaned up very quickly on the Sharpmaker.

However, I couldn't really care less. None of my guitars ever arrive in tune from the factory either, but it's an easy fix. :)
 
I am really surprised by this post for several reasons. The first is that you were able to find a ZT 0551 at a local dealer at all. Second, that it was for a good price (less than $199?). and finally, that it had a dull factory edge.
When this model was released, it was scrutinized by the knife community unlike any I've ever seen. And after all of the fanfare and examinations, I don't think anyone noted a dull factory blade. And also, after the initial release and identification of rusted liners, the company fired one of its employees for failure to adequately control the quality, and gave eagle eye attention to subsequent production. I know that the one I received was very sharp out of the box. Not a polished edge, but very sharp. I found the steel to be very hard and abrasion resistant. Tough to hone.
The only thing that I can imagine, it that yours already been harshly used before being sold.
 
Mine was butter knife sharp and had a bad recurve through the middle, I just don't care about or mention those things because I feel its not needed. The first thing I do to a new knife is sharpen it so a factory edge to me is just excess grinding I didn't have to do.

The price of a knife means nothing to how sharp a knife will be, its all about the skill level of the person sharpening.
 
I think people were confused by your judgement of the knife based on the dull edge. That's like judging a new car based on how much gas was in the tank when you got it. . .
 
Enjoy your knife. I think that you will be pleasantly surprised by ELMAX, seems to be a real winner.
 
RevDevil said:
Enjoy your knife. I think that you will be pleasantly surprised by ELMAX, seems to be a real winner.
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ELMAX is an excellent steel. :thumbup:

It's tough.

Strong

Takes a very fine edge.

Has great edge retention.

Very stain resistant.

Pretty easy to sharpen.

Hopefully we will see a lot more knives in this steel in the future.
 
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