ZT 300 or 560?

As the others have said, you can't go wrong with either one. Personally, I think they 0560 looks better and the fact that it has Elmax instead of S30V seals the deal for me. So that's what I would get first.

Get both! :D
 
So the consensus is... get both! Actually that is likely what will happen. As popular and well liked as the 560 is, I think I may have to go for the 300 series first. I'll probably always be cautious of the auto assist potentially breaking, but worst case scenario is it temporarily becomes a manual flipper- which doesn't bother me at all. The recurve still worries me, but its a justification to buy myself a sharpmaker and practice with it instead of the crappy stones I have been using. I think ultimately I just may just want the 300 series more for whatever reason (coolness, tankish build, or just its status as the benchmark for production folders). Its such an interesting knife and I think it speaks volumes that no one has ever had anything (that I've seen) bad to say about it.
 
NjHart said:
So the consensus is... get both! Actually that is likely what will happen. As popular and well liked as the 560 is, I think I may have to go for the 300 series first. I'll probably always be cautious of the auto assist potentially breaking, but worst case scenario is it temporarily becomes a manual flipper- which doesn't bother me at all. The recurve still worries me, but its a justification to buy myself a sharpmaker and practice with it instead of the crappy stones I have been using. I think ultimately I just may just want the 300 series more for whatever reason (coolness, tankish build, or just its status as the benchmark for production folders). Its such an interesting knife and I think it speaks volumes that no one has ever had anything (that I've seen) bad to say about it.
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I'm from the Philippines and that was a concern when I bought my first 301(I got a backup because I liked it so much), and I emailed KAI that I wanted to purchase some torsion bars in case I broke mine. Well, they sent me torsion bars, extra clips, extra screws(including pivot screws) and they wouldn't even let me pay for shipping. KAI is awesome!

ztparts.jpg
 
I've had the 0560 in my pocket ever since I got it... that said, you can't go wrong with either.
 
I prefer my 0551 to my 0301 so far. Both the 0301 and the 0560 are big knives. If you have a sharpmaker, the 0301 is pretty easy to sharpen. I don't like how blunt/stout the tip is but you won't go wrong either way and you'll probably end up with both! Talk to kershawguy... he might have some info that will help you make your decision.
 
@singularity35 That is truly awesome to know. I'd always heard good things about their customer service (most around here of course), but I can safely say having a few extra torsion bars around, even if I did pay for them, would make me a much happier knife owner. I think my next knife related purchase will have to be a sharpmaker- I need a decent sharpening setup and recurves shouldn't be an issue with it. Then I'll start saving/justifying a new knife to myself. As it stands, I think the 300 is in the lead but that tends to change pretty frequently with me. Either way, its good to know both are safe options depending on how I feel when I finally decide to go for it.
 
I've always liked the feel of the 0300, and find the recurve blade more useful for what I do. But you can't go wrong with either
 
NjHart said:
@singularity35 That is truly awesome to know. I'd always heard good things about their customer service (most around here of course), but I can safely say having a few extra torsion bars around, even if I did pay for them, would make me a much happier knife owner. I think my next knife related purchase will have to be a sharpmaker- I need a decent sharpening setup and recurves shouldn't be an issue with it. Then I'll start saving/justifying a new knife to myself. As it stands, I think the 300 is in the lead but that tends to change pretty frequently with me. Either way, its good to know both are safe options depending on how I feel when I finally decide to go for it.
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Good luck in your quest dude! The researching and decision making process is half the fun. :D
 
I've never extensively played with a recurve, but for quite a long time I did EDC (literally every day) a kershaw 1ton. I could go on and on and on about what I like and dislike about the inexpensive beast it is (dollar for dollar one of the better fun purchases I've ever made, but it does have a few annoying features), but I really grew to love the wide belly on the blade, and coupled with the ergonomics of the handle I felt like the I could transition from hacking down a tree to intricate whittling without and performance loss. Though I am really fond of my JYD and its glorious flipper, I have to say I miss blade shape and the closeness of the blade to the grip on the 1ton, and visually at least the 300 seems to be a much much better, bigger, beefer, overmade, and drastically outclassing 1ton.
 
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