ZT 200 Hard Use

B

Bugout Bill

Joined
Jan 2, 2013
Messages
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So I decided to carry my ZT200 to work today instead of my Spyderco Millie. I have been putting it through what might be described as hard use. I have been using it to dig, probe, and cut some sod. The edge (a deliciously toothy one at that) has held up well, as has the point. I am somewhat disappointed in it's performance in mud, however. I would expect a "hard use knife" to hold up a little better. The lock has jammed up a few times so far. Anyway, the evaluation continues.
 
Would you care to elaborate on what performance in mud means? i.e. what you were trying to do :confused:
 
do you use the Military similarly? How do they compare from your one day of carry? (Military is my favorite working knife)

EDIT: Mud is a hard thing to judge from one single exposure. all mud is different, a knife that is fine getting muddy a dozen times might then experience problems from one simple drop in mud the next day. Hard to quantify.
 
Wait... you are complaining that the lock is having problems when you are getting stuff in the locking mechanism? Well of course there's likely to be problems. :p
 
goodeyesniper said:
do you use the Military similarly? How do they compare from your one day of carry? (Military is my favorite working knife)

EDIT: Mud is a hard thing to judge from one single exposure. all mud is different, a knife that is fine getting muddy a dozen times might then experience problems from one simple drop in mud the next day. Hard to quantify.
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No, I don't use the Millie in a similar manner. I use it hard, but I don't do things that could be seen as abusive, like probing or digging. I have gotten it very muddy and had no functional problems. The mud I have encountered has been the same, non-rocky or sandy with alot of organic matter.
 
Bugout Bill said:
But...it's a hard use knife.:rolleyes:
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But a dirty use knife? Muck, dirt, and grit can make all sorts of mechanical assemblies fail. My favorite is the "abuse" tests for AK rifle variants when they toss them in the dirty and mud... with the dust cover closed. :p

If you are going to be playing in the mud, use a fixed blade. :thumbup:
 
This is why they need to bring back the MUDD knife!
 
texas gun person said:
But a dirty use knife? Muck, dirt, and grit can make all sorts of mechanical assemblies fail. My favorite is the "abuse" tests for AK rifle variants when they toss them in the dirty and mud... with the dust cover closed. :p

If you are going to be playing in the mud, use a fixed blade. :thumbup:
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My Glock Feldmesser is probably a much more suitable tool for what I am doing, but still. Why should hard use not include use under adverse conditions?
 
Bugout Bill said:
So I decided to carry my ZT200 to work today instead of my Spyderco Millie. I have been putting it through what might be described as hard use. I have been using it to dig, probe, and cut some sod. The edge (a deliciously toothy one at that) has held up well, as has the point. I am somewhat disappointed in it's performance in mud, however. I would expect a "hard use knife" to hold up a little better. The lock has jammed up a few times so far. Anyway, the evaluation continues.
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I had two 0200's and loved em both! :thumbup:

When you say jammed up, do you mean you were unable to unlock the knife? Just looking for clarity.
 
Bugout Bill said:
No, I don't use the Millie in a similar manner. I use it hard, but I don't do things that could be seen as abusive, like probing or digging. I have gotten it very muddy and had no functional problems. The mud I have encountered has been the same, non-rocky or sandy with alot of organic matter.
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I've done some digging with the Military and other knives with similarly slicey, "not tough" designs to no ill effect. Granted I'm just more aware how I'm putting pressure on that fine tip when I do it. Sometimes it's nice to have piece of mind knowing you can stab willy nilly into the earth or wood with a knife and not fear any real damage, which the Military doesn't quite offer. Other than that it is an extremely resilient knife, very capable of hard use.

I will echo the sentiment that if I got in that line of work again it would be fixed blade or bust, though. Just too much hassle worrying about the pivots being so full of gunk.
 
chad2 said:
GSO 4.1 this knife will solve all your problems
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Very nice knife, but not one that I particularly need. The ZT functioned just fine, with the exception of mud jamming the lock on a few occasions. I wasn't really having any sort of problem, I merely decided to put a "hard use knife" to hard use and post about the results. I pretty much abused the blade and it performed quite admirably. The edge is ok, even though it was used to cut sod and dirt. The point was used for probing and scrapping while cleaning out water shutoff boxes, and did not experience any blunting.

As much as I like to make fun of "hard use knives", I certainly appreciated mine today. Could I have used a different tool for all the tasks I had to do? Sure. But it would not have been as fun or informative. I am still skeptical of hard use folders though. I like my ZT200, but it has taken alot of work to get the knife to perform well. It is also completely outclassed as a cutting tool by the Spyderco Military or Benchmade Griptillian.
 
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