ZT 561 one day of use chipped blade

Kitten Party

Kitten Party

Joined
Jun 9, 2014
Messages
1,125
After one day at work using my 561 the blade has chipped in 3 places. I have a 566 in elmax I have been using about 6 months for the same task and it has 0 chips. What gives? This is just stuff like breaking down boxesd mostly. Did I get a blade with a bum heat treat? I see that ZT does blade replacements for 30 bucks and the blades are sterile ( worth 30 bucks IMO) but I have had the thing for one day :(
 
Photos?

What exactly were you doing with the knife....

I am guessing you were using the factory edge.....
 
I did sharpen them out but i am surprised that it chipped seeing that I have a large knife collection and havent really chipped my blades beofore.
 
opening boxes and cutting plastic packing material. I have been carrying knives at work for years and never seen one so beat up after one days work. I have sharpened out the chips so photos are not an option. Not the biggest deal, I use my knives but having it 1 day and it chipping is new to me seeeing that I have carried a 566 with the same blade steel about 40-50 times and it has never chipped at work doing the same task.
 
Was it actually full-on chipping or was it rolling? As far as blade replacements they aren't fully sterile. They are exactly the same as the original factory blades but they don't have a serial number.
 
It was chipped. I had seen pictures of somebody getting a sterile blade but I guess it depends on the model.
 
It is possible it was just a fluke of me doing some heavy cutting task ( I suspect the plastic:confused: warping on boxes) and I'm not knocking the knife, I just havent seen that kind of damage before after a days work
 
So it "chipped" and you came on here to complain about it without any evidence? Further, you sharpened it out? So what exactly do you want from us? Sounds like the problem is resolved. Put it back to work. If it happens again, document it and post some pics. Then we might have advice for you. Blade replacement is an option at that point. They might even do it under warranty if it continues to happen. Bad heat treat or over heating during factory sharpening can happen.

Chipping can happen on the factory edge of almost any knife. I haven't seen it on any of my ZTs but I have from other brands.

And can we please avoid the classic "I hear ZTs Elmax isn't any good". That issue was resolved long ago. If you care to learn about it, go look it up.
 
I had the same experience with a 0561. A good reprofile on the bevel edge should do the trick. If not contact ZT.
 
Kitten Party said:
It is possible it was just a fluke of me doing some heavy cutting task ( I suspect the plastic:confused: warping on boxes) and I'm not knocking the knife, I just havent seen that kind of damage before after a days work
Click to expand...

No, plastic shouldn't make it chip. Now that the factory edge is gone, go give it some more use. That will be a good test.
 
We actually like to see photos of the problem to confirm that there might be a problem....

As has been posted the supposed issues with ELMAX have been resolved awhile back, I seriously doubt there was actually a real issue.....

Using the out of box edge on any production knife isn't really a good idea in the 1st place, but I won't get into that here...
 
craytab said:
No, plastic shouldn't make it chip. Now that the factory edge is gone, go give it some more use. That will be a good test.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I will see how it works out over the next couple of weeks. I think I was just a little discouraged because the thing was brand new and I am a little more careful when I first get my knives...Like not wanting to get your brand new fancy boots muddy lol :D
 
Ankerson said:
We actually like to see photos of the problem to confirm that there might be a problem....

As has been posted the supposed issues with ELMAX have been resolved awhile back, I seriously doubt there was actually a real issue.....

Using the out of box edge on any production knife isn't really a good idea in the 1st place, but I won't get into that here...
Click to expand...

I had never heard that before, care to elaborate?
 
Kitten Party, sorry to hear about the issues. I recently purchased a ZT0620 and ZT0620CF version. The M390 on the ZT0620CF had multiple chips along it's edge during the 1st day of use so I feel your pain. I normally use Emerson's and have not have this problem before with their 154CM. Kind of disappointed by this "SuperSteel" that wasn't any more super than the old Emerson 154CM to me (possibly worse, chipping?). Makes me think of the Cobalt Steel n690 knives I had. Elmax did the same thing on me with the ZT0770 I had for a week. Didn't keep the ZT0566 long enough to even use it due to disappointment with it's quality of build. I can say the same about the ZT0620s I have even though there are fanboys that say their perfect in the fit and finish dept compared to a Emerson but I disagree. Sorry if I sound like I'm venting about ZT but just wanted to share my recent experience with them. I do have a ZT0561 enroute. Hopefully that will be better but I have low expectations in hopes of actually being impressed.
 
Kitten Party said:
I had never heard that before, care to elaborate?
Click to expand...

Production knives are sharpened using POWER EQUIPMENT..... As part of the production process so there is a good chance that the edge will get overheated somewhat and could cause some problems.

MOST of the time it's not really an issue for MOST people, but for those who do actually use their knives it's a good idea to sharpen them out of the box BEFORE using them just in case.....

It's much easier to sharpen a knife out of the box before use than it is to use the factory edge and chip it out and have to remove that...
 
Ankerson said:
Production knives are sharpened using POWER EQUIPMENT..... As part of the production process so there is a good chance that the edge will get overheated somewhat and could cause some problems.

MOST of the time it's not really an issue for MOST people, but for those who do actually use their knives it's a good idea to sharpen them out of the box BEFORE using them just in case.....

It's much easier to sharpen a knife out of the box before use than it is to use the factory edge and chip it out and have to remove that...
Click to expand...

You know I've always kept my edges factory (until needed) on new knives in the event I try to sell them if I don't like them/need the funds. However, I have had micro chipping on two knives, and I may just take your advice and put everything through the sharpmaker now. Thanks for pointing this out.
 
Kitten Party said:
I had never heard that before, care to elaborate?
Click to expand...

Pictures of the chipped edges are always good to demonstrate the actual issue. some people define a chip as big as a dime, others as big as a 28 ga wire. It's how we all subsequently learn and teach here. As far as chipping vs rolling, harder steels will usually chip out while softer will roll on the edge. The steel rayster eludes to on the Emerson knives is much softer on purpose than say what you will find similarly on a Benchmade knife (same steel). Elmax is a good combination of toughness, stain resistance, and hardness (if all can be attainable by the manufacturer) during heat treat.
 
K.O.D. said:
You know I've always kept my edges factory (until needed) on new knives in the event I try to sell them if I don't like them/need the funds. However, I have had micro chipping on two knives, and I may just take your advice and put everything through the sharpmaker now. Thanks for pointing this out.
Click to expand...

I tend to put an edge on them straight out of the box just because anyway, had no idea it was possibly helping to prevent chips and rolls.
 
K.O.D. said:
You know I've always kept my edges factory (until needed) on new knives in the event I try to sell them if I don't like them/need the funds. However, I have had micro chipping on two knives, and I may just take your advice and put everything through the sharpmaker now. Thanks for pointing this out.
Click to expand...


I understand. :)

It's something that has been known for as long as I can remember, I have been doing it for the better part of 40 years.

I am not saying it's a 100% thing, but it is a good idea to do it just in case.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top