Recommendation? ZT 0620: Tanto/Elmax vs ZT 0630: Clip/s35vn

[Deinos]

Looking to purchase my first ZT and really like the look of the 0620 for hard-use edc (price after going disco doesn't hurt either ). Can't seem to make up my mind between them, so I thought I would poll current ZT owners.

Don't know that I am fond of the tanto style (don't have a tanto in the collection yet). Seems like it might be more irritating to sharpen for little added usefulness overall... But Elmax would be nice. Would I be disappointed in s35vn vs Elmax, or is overall performance pretty close?

Thanks!

 

[woodsmanoh]

For my everyday tasks I have not found a reason to favor s35v over Elmax or vice versa. They appear to sharpen and perform very similar for me. Both are great steels that ZT seems to do well with. On chemical make up Elmax would appear to have an advantage in stain resistance as it has higher amount of CR. But for normal humans like me I cant tell the difference if they were not marked.

Here is a chart that compares them.

http://www.zknives.com/knives/steels/steelgraph.php?nm=S35VN,Elmax&ni=3045,667&hrn=1&gm=0

I would pick the knife you like best base on other features like scales lock style, ergonomics etc.

 

[Franciscomv]

I chose the spearpoint version because I find that blade shape more attractive and useful than a tanto. I honestly didn't consider the steel difference.

I'm very happy with my choice. I'll probably buy the tanto as well, because I just love ZTs.

To be honest, I don't think there's much difference in real world performance between good steels. I've got quite a few ZTs in several different steels and they all work just fine for EDC tasks.

 

[mt666tm]

For a more useful EDC blade get the 0630.

Not that you shouldn't also get the 0620. Get them both!

As for the steel, makes no real world differance, to me at least.

 

[cashville]

I'd personally prefer Elmax from ZT, but mostly because I rarely ever purchase a knife in Elmax. S35vn and S30v super common steels now. I've seen a lot of anecdotal reports of ZT having a hit or miss heat treat on their S35vn, but the same could be said about their Elmax a few years ago. CRK used to get ripped for having a "soft" heat treat also, but I personally find my CRK's to hold an edge extremely well relative to other manufacturers. All of my CRK's are with the new heat treat, but I'm not sure that it would really make a world a difference.
I'd take Elmax just because it is less common, but I would also be slightly skeptical of their S35vn right now. They may be a little less consistent with it, but who knows.

 

[Deinos]

For a more useful EDC blade get the 0630.

Not that you shouldn't also get the 0620. Get them both!

As for the steel, makes no real world differance, to me at least.

Just realized they actually have differing model numbers for the tanto(0620) and clip(0630). Updated title to reflect that. Thanks!

I'd personally prefer Elmax from ZT, but mostly because I rarely ever purchase a knife in Elmax. S35vn and S30v super common steels now. I've seen a lot of anecdotal reports of ZT having a hit or miss heat treat on their S35vn, but the same could be said about their Elmax a few years ago. CRK used to get ripped for having a "soft" heat treat also, but I personally find my CRK's to hold an edge extremely well relative to other manufacturers. All of my CRK's are with the new heat treat, but I'm not sure that it would really make a world a difference.
I'd take Elmax just because it is less common, but I would also be slightly skeptical of their S35vn right now. They may be a little less consistent with it, but who knows.

Thanks for the info. Still new-ish to the knife hobby, so I don't have the depth of knowledge or history on many brands outside of spyderco and a couple others. Exactly the kind of data I was looking for to help decide.

Edit: Added a poll as well, while I was at it.

 

[cashville]

I probably wouldn't put a huge emphasis on the steel because you may not be able to tell the difference, but all other things equal, I'd personal go Elmax

 

[madcap_magician]

I probably wouldn't put a huge emphasis on the steel because you may not be able to tell the difference, but all other things equal, I'd personal go Elmax

The thing that's kept me from this design is that I agree with you, but all other things aren't equal, because the Elmax is a tanto, and not as usable, I think, a tanto as, say, the CRK tanto.

 

[photoman12001]

The 0620/0630 is a great design (in my opinion) and either or both is worth owning. I've had a couple of 0630s and still have the limited ORG/BLK version. I'd say that its blade shape is generally more useful but I like the 0620 even though I'm not much of a tanto fan. My 0620 is the one I carry.

 

[Comeuppance]

Putting the difference in steel aside, for reasons that people have mentioned above, this really comes down to how you like to use your knives day to day. Tanto blades have a relatively unique feature in that they essentially have two tips, so you can use the front tip to do pulling cuts along a surface with precision and have a very well-reinforced piercing tip. It also gives you a bit of a chisel-like feature with the tanto tip grind.

The clip-point model is better suited for continuous sweeping cuts, and looks to have a better grind for slicing than the tanto model that has such wide flats.

So, if you puncture things or do drawing-cuts most frequently, the tanto will suit you best. If you tend to slice more, the clip-point will be the better option. Either way, the net difference is fairly minimal unless you're really into using the absolute best tool for a given task. It's most likely that you'll be perfectly happy with whichever you choose. If you're really on the fence about it, flip a coin and ignore the result because you'll probably know what you really want it to be when the coin is in the air.

 

[Lapedog]

Just note that my 620 and a friend's 620 both had some lockup issues, so make sure they test for lockup.

My 620 came with very weak spring pressure from the lockbar. So weak the knife would lock up early to the point of being unsafe. Also a spine tap (not whack) would cause the lock to fail. My friend's had a similar issue?

Edit: Bending the lock bar over to generate more pressure fixed the issue.

 

[sharp_edge]

I have owned both 0620cf and 0630 satin. They were both flawless. However, I have sold 0620 and likely will do so with 0630 as well. These are folding knives that if you don't try out you'll always have the itch. But once you play a while your interest in them will likely fade. They are heavy and with a thick blade such that you won't find many daily tasks that they excel at than many other knives, including some other ZTs.

Between them, unless you really want to try out a tanto, I'd go with 0630 though not the DLC version. Elmax and s35vn are not that different ASAIK.

 

[John_0917]

Or save $ and get a Kershaw CQC-11K...it's almost identical in shape and size to the 0630.

 

[Sigsog226]

I voted zt0620, but that is because i personally like dlc coatings and elmax more. Like mentioned before, you won't really be able to tell a difference in performance. I'm not a big tanto fan, but really like it on the 0620. And i like that the point of the tanto (on the belly, not the tip) is slightly rounded. It's not all that much more difficult to sharpen imo.
And imo, i dont like how the clip point version looks, but i would assume it would be a way better performing knife. Im sure most of us tend to use our knives for cutting and slicing, rather than stabbing and piercing, and the 630 would do better at that.

I've owned the 620 and not the 630 btw.

 

[RiderOnTheStorm]

You might want to consider the 620CF with CTS-204P , the earlier versions had M390 like mine:

 

[115Italian]

I really like the blade shape of the 630. Plus the finish on the 630 blade. Over all i think the 0630 is a nicer looking knife.

 

[BigKurtHaze]

Yeah, 0620CF in 204P is what I went for.