ZT 550 now with deep carry clip?

I think everyone who still is carrying the 0550 will be, but that being said you would need to ask before you buy to be sure.
 
The new clip and the rest are nice changes. How about some new scales to go with that?

The scales on both the 551 and 550 aren't nearly as nice as they could be, and replacements are $$$.
 
Ya I never got into the 550/551, mainly because it wasn't a flip, just a manila thumb stud opener. I think the 560/561 are way better for not much more $. Just got a Cryo 1555TI, my first Hinderer, it kinda pushed me over the edge to get a 560, soon.


I guess can someone tell me what all the fuss is about? I don't see why the 550/551 get such great reviews? Its nice but with better out there, why? I do like the new upgrades to it, awesome.
 
It's a tank, and with a flick of my thumb the blade shots open. Best large folder I've owned, just saying you may not want to write the 550 off just yet.
 
I don't necessarily care whether it is flickable or not. It is my favorite over the 560 because it feels better: more comfortable in hand, better grip-shape, feels more robust, and debatably (IMO) blade steel that doesn't give away much from the performance of the ELMAX in the 560.

IMO, the 560 would have been a better knife if it had not had so much machining done to it. Less skeletonizing of the liner and the titanium frame would have been a great start. Lower profile thumb-jimping would have also contributed to a better feel in the hand. Yes, this would have made it heavier, but hey, it is a big knife.

In the 560 defense, it IS a great knife. With the KVT, it could have been head and shoulders a better knife than the 550 and even the 551, tweaked just a bit. But the way it is currently, even though I have one, I do not rate it is as much better than the 550 as its price suggests. Worth the price? Yeah, with all the machining done to it, and the materials used. But that doesn't make it that much better a knife than the 550, to me. It makes even the current (or old?) 550 that much of a steal of a knife.

Unfortunately, IMO, the changes to the 550 that I'm seeing in this thread don't really make it a better knife than the old 550. In fact, if I didn't already have a 550 and were planning on getting one, i'd probably be looking to find old stock instead of the new style.
 
560 is a nice enough folder, but i prefer 550. at first, i thought not having flipper will be a let down, but 550 will open very nicely with solid thud with thumb stud. it has good weight. feels like holding on to something very solid. it has nice profile that won't snag onto anything in the pocket and will not accidently open. with blade length at 3.5", it meets my max length for the edc. now i have to wait till my 550 comes back from ZT CS.
 
i too, prefer my 0550 to my 0560. don't get me wrong, i love them both, but, as other have stated, the 0550 just feels better in my hand. i also find its blade to handle ratio much more appealing. the blade on the 0560 is only 1/4 inch longer than the 0550, but the handle is more than 1/2 inch longer. this leaves a lot of "unnecessary" handle taking up room in your pocket. for those with larger hands, this may not be the case, but for me the 0550 is an all-around a better fit. i also find my 0550 easier to open, but that is going to vary between each knife. even after thousands of flicks my 0560 is somewhat stiff using the flipper and is absolutely impossible to open using the thumbstuds. my 0550 was hard to open when i first got it, but it is now buttery smooth. all in all, they are both great knives and if someone could whip up a 0550 with a flipper and KVT, i would be in heaven. you really can't go wrong with either of them!
 
Got a 550 when they first came out and am not sorry.
As far as where they milled the cutout on the lock lug, I don't care.
As far as where they the new clip sits on the "new" cutout, concerns me, it may be a problem pulling the knife out. Hanging up on the pocket???
 
I really dig the look of the new cutout... adds some appeal to the design of that side of the knife.
 
Anyone know if the frag scale that I have from MonkeyEdge will fit the new 0550?
 
:thumbup: Just got this answer back from KAI for those who are interested:

The G10 scale on the 0550 is still the same as always, so any custom scales should still fit in nicely.
 
I would like to see a flipper on the 550 as well, it is the perfect size for EDC and I would buy one to push my 350 out of my pocket. I didn't really like the recurve in the blade of the 350 and had it re-profiled more along the lines of the 550. I guess I will stick with my 350 for now.
 
I miss the words "MADE IN USA". In the photo, the new version sports the KAI USA as found on the 0560 / 0561.
 
hope to see my 550 back in my pocket. it's strangely empty without it on my side.
 
jimmer_5 said:
Sorry guys, but there will not be a ZT 0550 with KVT
Click to expand...

Understood. Honestly, the 0550's I've handled are plenty smooth without the KVT. My only issue is and remains the detent....but even that has gotten much better over time.
 
So what kind of washers are in the 550? Bronze Phosphorus or Teflon?

I am not a big fan of thumb stud only opening knives, but I do like the slanted thumb studs Kerhsaw has though. I like flippers.

I have never handled a 550, so I will have to look for one and check it out in person.
 
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