ZT 0630 stiff detent -- ZT should be ashamed

T

Tucson_Tom

Joined
Apr 6, 2016
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39
(Edit: the original title was simply "ZT should be ashamed", which rightfully put a lot of people off - so I adjusted the title after 2 days and 50+ postings. Also deleted some wrong info about this being like the EKI CQC-8).

I recently purchased my first ZT knife. A 0630CF - this is an Emerson Colab, with carbon fiber and M390 steel. All of this is nice and the knife is very nicely done, except for one thing. Apart from using the wave, there is no way to open it one handed. The detent that holds it closed is unbelievably stiff and there is no way to open it with a thumb one handed.

I did quite a bit of searching and reading about this online and I am by no means the first to complain and wonder about this. The word is that this will break in, that I should work the knife through 1000 or so open and close cycles while watching TV, maybe carefully dress the hole with a file, etc. etc. OK, that is what I plan to do, but wait, look, think .... This is no bargain knife. Why does it come from the factory needing end user tuning? I have a fair number of knives from other manufacturers at similar price points (or less) that are perfect out of the box. Why can't they get this right?
 
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So a production knife company should be ashamed that they didn't tailor the detent strength to your liking, before sending it to the dealer you bought it from? It's pretty simple to work with the dealer you bought it from, and ask them to find an example with a lighter detent among their inventory, then exchange it. Everyone has different preferences on detent setup.
 
I've played around with that model a few times and also went back and checked the one we have in stock and have never found the detent to be too bad. Perhaps yours is an outlier with an overly stiff detent?
 
I owned a 0620, 0630 and 0630ORBK never had any issues on the detent on the ZT/Emerson collaboration. Sounds like you just got unlucky,.
 
Check your hand when you are opening the knife. My ZT550, 620CF, and 630CF all were difficult to open at first, but then I looked at HOW I was opening it. I was putting slight pressure on the lockbar, and I mean SLIGHT pressure, and I was coming at the thumbstud/disk at the wrong angle. Once I figured that out muscle memory took over--that combined with just breaking the knives in (and yes, all three) and they would all easily fall shut with the lockbar disengaged (and it didn't take anywhere close to 1,000 openings to break-in).

With that said, it is entirely possible you got a lemon, it happens. However, if you did indeed get a lemon I wouldn't judge the entirety of ZT based off of one experience with a lemon--all companies have them from time to time. I would judge ZT based off of how they deal with the issue (customer service).

Edit: Words.
 
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Just pulled a brand new 3" XM-18 tumbled spanto out of the box. perfect flipping action. You shouldn't have that problem.
 
Holy click bait title. What a beautiful example of the outrage culture we live in. Did ZT insult your mom, or something?

In regards to the knife, sometimes there are tricks in the actual deployment of the blade that help overcome the detent. Sometimes it helps to, instead of pushing the thumb disk out to the side of the knife, push the disk straight forward almost parallel to the pivot. I've noticed, especially with my CRK Umnumzaan, that it's the easiest way to deploy the knife and overcome the detent. Also, it's a simplified machine. Sometimes a break in period is required to smooth out the detent. Just like a gun or a car, those moving parts need to wear and work a bit.
 
WhiteShampoo said:
Check your hand when you are opening the knife. My ZT550, 620CF, and 630CF all were difficult to open at first, but once I looked at HOW I was opening it. I was putting slight pressure on the lockbar, and I mean SLIGHT pressure, and I was coming at the thumbstud/disk at the wrong angle. Once I figured that out muscle memory took over--that combined with just breaking the knives in (and yes, all three) they would all easily fall shut with the lockbar disengaged (and it didn't take anywhere close to 1,000 openings to break-in).

With that said, it is entirely possible you got a lemon, it happens. However, if you did indeed get a lemon I wouldn't judge the entirety of ZT based off of one experience with a lemon--all companies have them from time to time. I would just ZT based off of how they deal with the issue (customer service).
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^My 0630 is imposible to open one handed with my fingers just resting on the lock bar. My 0551 was the same way.

Check your grip and give it sometime to break in.
 
Even for a knife pro in all aspects each model is different and some have unique quirks. As mentioned above you might unknowingly be putting pressure on lockbar. Happened to me with my first Shirogorov, thought it was a hard detent when in fact it was me putting pressure. Additionally, if the detent is very strong have you tried loosening the pivot screw a bit, while maintaining zero blade play. Finally, you might have just gotten a bad example.
 
WadeWilson said:
Holy click bait title. What a beautiful example of the outrage culture we live in. Did ZT insult your mom, or something?

In regards to the knife, sometimes there are tricks in the actual deployment of the blade that help overcome the detent. Sometimes it helps to, instead of pushing the thumb disk out to the side of the knife, push the disk straight forward almost parallel to the pivot. I've noticed, especially with my CRK Umnumzaan, that it's the easiest way to deploy the knife and overcome the detent. Also, it's a simplified machine. Sometimes a break in period is required to smooth out the detent. Just like a gun or a car, those moving parts need to wear and work a bit.
Click to expand...

I love that term. And it's so true about our culture today.
 
no issues here. send it back to the vendor for a replacement or get warranty to resolve the issue.

my 0850 rattles and doesnt even hold the blade in when shook lightly. very dangerous. shit happens. im going to send it in when i have some time, hopfully next week. you would think that for a $300+ knife that wouldnt happen. but sadly it does from time to time. ZT is one of those that gets it right most of the time tho.
 
Thin-Slice said:
Even for a knife pro in all aspects each model is different and some have unique quirks. As mentioned above you might unknowingly be putting pressure on lockbar. Happened to me with my first Shirogorov, thought it was a hard detent when in fact it was me putting pressure.
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For me, it was the CRK Umnumzaan. The geometry of the thumb stud/pivot means you have to push "up" rather than "out" in order to open it easily. I thought it was something wrong with the knife as opposed to me opening it wrong.
 
SpySmasher said:
For me, it was the CRK Umnumzaan. The geometry of the thumb stud/pivot means you have to push "up" rather than "out" in order to open it easily. I thought it was something wrong with the knife as opposed to me opening it wrong.
Click to expand...

HEHEHEHEHEHE same thing happened with my very first Zaan purchase as well (had the WC edition). I cursed that knife left/right/up/down and ended up returning it. However, I am almost 100% positive that previous Zaans with the OP open up easier than current ones. The current ones have the detent hole on blade fully drilled through versus the OP versions it was not all the way through. Thereby, (my belief) that the detent ball did not fall as much inside the blade. Now that is all based on feeling, no actual testing and such.
 
Tucson_Tom said:
I recently purchased my first ZT knife. A 0630CF - this is an Emerson Colab, sort of a rendition of the CQC-8 with carbon fiber and M390 steel. All of this is nice and the knife is very nicely done, except for one thing. Apart from using the wave, there is no way to open it one handed. The detent that holds it closed is unbelievably stiff and there is no way to open it with a thumb one handed. No way!

I did quite a bit of searching and reading about this online and I am by no means the first to complain and wonder about this. The word is that this will break in, that I should work the knife through 1000 or so open and close cycles while watching TV, maybe carefully dress the hole with a file, etc. etc. OK, that is what I plan to do, but wait, look, think .... This is no bargain knife. Why does it come from the factory needing end user tuning? I have a fair number of knives from other manufacturers at similar price points (or less) that are perfect out of the box. Why can't they get this right?
Click to expand...

Generally ZTs are considered to have some of the best detents.

I am willing to bet you are likely putting some pressure on the lockbar when you are opening the knife. Change the way you grip the knife so you are not touching the lockbar as you open the knife. Putting any pressure on the lockbar can make any framelock hard to open.
 
Yup!! It amazed me when I saw how just the slightest pressure on the lockbar affects opening.
No pressure at all on the lockbar!!
Also, most brand new knives will benefit with a little break in.
Lastly......I am sure ZT is now ashamed!! The nerve!!
 
SpySmasher said:
For me, it was the CRK Umnumzaan. The geometry of the thumb stud/pivot means you have to push "up" rather than "out" in order to open it easily. I thought it was something wrong with the knife as opposed to me opening it wrong.
Click to expand...

This is precisely the point I was making in my post. HOW you deploy the blade can make a HUGE difference.
 
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