ZT hit its peak? Or are they just morphing into something else?

Status
Not open for further replies.
The titanium frame lock is only going to be so strong on any knife, no matter if it's fancy looking or not. Same with a liner lock.
 
jill jackson said:
I'm curious, since I find my 0562cf one of the best ZT'S I've owned, just what made it nearly unusable?
Click to expand...

Ergos. Immediate and painful hotspot on the pinky whenever it was grasped with any force at all. Cutting anything more than paper without gloves would have been out of the question.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
Ergos. Immediate and painful hotspot on the pinky whenever it was grasped with any force at all. Cutting anything more than paper without gloves would have been out of the question.
Click to expand...

jill jackson said:
I think it feels fantastic.
Click to expand...

What size gloves do you both wear?

I wear XL width/L length and I find the 562 fits me quite well. Mind you this was only through a cursory handling and no real usage (I was in a brick & mortar).
 
I've never understood this "hotspot" stuff?
Working with your hand generates calluses and blisters..
What kind of work does one do with a pocket knife that generates hot spots?
 
Hot spots are areas that are overly sharp or just uncomfortable in hand that will cause pain and blisters much faster than normal use of a comfortable handle would. Common hot spots are poorly placed or overly sharp jimping, pocket clips, lockbar relief cuts, and sharp edges on scales/liners.

Use cases that will be problematic with bad hotspots include, cutting medium to large amounts of cardboard, carving/whittling, cutting hard materials, etc.
 
NJBillK said:
What size gloves do you both wear?

I wear XL width/L length and I find the 562 fits me quite well. Mind you this was only through a cursory handling and no real usage (I was in a brick & mortar).
Click to expand...

2XL at least can go up to 3X depending on the glove sizing.
 
I wear a medium in women's, which I'm sure isn't more than small in men's, but I have tough skin on my hands from farm work. So, knives don't tend to bother me much on gripping.
 
jill jackson said:
I wear a medium in women's, which I'm sure isn't more than small in men's, but I have tough skin on my hands from farm work. So, knives don't tend to bother me much on gripping.
Click to expand...

Same here, I grew up on a farm, served in the Marines and I work on a pipeline. My hands are leather, I only wear gloves when I am using a shovel or an axe or trying to keep grease and chemicals off my hands. Jimping and rough areas don't tend to bother me, I can butcher 3 deer in a row or a cow or pig and never develop a blister.
I use a wooden shovel or and axe without gloves and my hands turn to hamburger in minutes..
I guess it's what were accustomed to doing with our hands?
 
Shooter.762 said:
Same here, I grew up on a farm, served in the Marines and I work on a pipeline. My hands are leather, I only wear gloves when I am using a shovel or an axe or trying to keep grease and chemicals off my hands. Jimping and rough areas don't tend to bother me, I can butcher 3 deer in a row or a cow or pig and never develop a blister.
I use a wooden shovel or and axe without gloves and my hands turn to hamburger in minutes..
I guess it's what were accustomed to doing with our hands?
Click to expand...

That's funny since I do landscaping in the summer part time (I am a Butcher f/t year round) and after the first two weeks of tossing mulch, shoveling debris, digging gardens, my hands are fine. To the tune that, when it comes time to split the bulk of my firewood (end of summer-mid fall) I often don't wear gloves unless I am dealing with some black locust.
I can't begin to describe my hatred of that plant...
 
I think your preconceived notions of what YOU think the brand is supposed to be is having you yet again waving your ZT crusade flag. While very few of their products speak to me these days I realize my specific tastes at the moment simply don't fall in line with what they are currently focusing on. But they must be doing something right when new models sell out nearly instantly and these useless art knives you speak sell out in even less time. What I want to know is if there will ever be a week that goes by that certain members dont start a thread like this. Once this one closes I give it a week before a nearly identical thread is made by the same person. We get it. We have been getting it. You dont like what ZT is doing. But instead of constantly criticizing them for not making knives the way YOU think they should be made why not start making some knives? Or why not start drawing up some designs for critique? ZT has stated numerous times that they didn't intend to sit on their laurels and continue to do the same thing over and over and over. That is why some companies stagnate and people become disinterested in their products. But I do find it funny that you regularly submit a rally cry to the forum for people to agree that ZT has lost their touch when you know very well that most are voting the opposite way with their wallet.


shinyedges said:
Exactly, bodog has a beef with zt. Hence the last few threads have targeted them.

.
Click to expand...
Last few threads? More like the last 3 years worth of threads and completely random unrelated jabs.
 
Last edited:
TBH.....of all the cops, EMTs & fireman I know, and it's a bunch, only ONE carries a high end knife. And he carries a Benchmade Infidel. Why??? It's really cool! Most of the others, if they carry one at all, shop at Walmart for their blades.
ZT is going to go with what sells.
I have 3, 450, 452cf and 562cf.........all 3 can handle whatever is thrown at them and I'm very satisfied with each one.
Same reason they make lots of flippers......they sell.
Not sure where the OP is hoping to go with this thread.......maybe hoping to hear a chorus of 'ZT SUCKS'??
Joe
 
He did the exact same thing to Hinderer over supposedly, cutting himself because of a weak detent. They closed their forum and left rather than deal with it.
 
palonej said:
TBH.....of all the cops, EMTs & fireman I know, and it's a bunch, only ONE carries a high end knife. And he carries a Benchmade Infidel. Why??? It's really cool! Most of the others, if they carry one at all, shop at Walmart for their blades.

Not sure where the OP is hoping to go with this thread.......maybe hoping to hear a chorus of 'ZT SUCKS'??
Joe
Click to expand...

That is exactly what I hear all the time. I know quite a few police officers and a few firefighters. The consensus from them is that they wont invest in a high end knife due to fear of damage or loss. They feel a knife is a disposable tool and not something most of them lean on. And when they do as long as it works that is all they care about. I think their is this misconception that if your job entails you to carry a knife that it means you are a knife enthusiast and will carry a premium product.

on your second point yes that is exactly what the op is hoping for and has been hoping for every time he has started this exact topic.
 
ZT designs, builds, and sells the knives that they think will generate the most profit. That is a generalization, with one exception being some Limited Editions (the 0999 being a prime example) which are akin to loss leaders, designed to flex their innovation muscles and generate "buzz" for the brand. If you don't like their offerings, don't buy them. The idea that "you" know how to run the company better than the people who've made it what it is is laughable.
 
i use all my ZT's and i like the style alot. i dont see any issues that the OP see's.

good materials - check
good heat treat - check
looks good - check
variation - check
made in usa and everything that comes with that - check
heavy use - check

im not big into any of the ken onion designs. never had a use for re-curves either. i do see how they went from looking rugged to looking flashier, but in no way has that deterred the knives from what they can be used for.

they do have lots of flippers now, but i like that. the emersons are not flippers.

Sales plays a big role in what they sell. nothing can be done about that.

Listen to this PODCAST http://www.geargeekslive.com/episode-23-a-kershaw-christmas
a little old and not perfectly on topic, but it goes into some sales aspects from Kai and its sub's.
 
Bring back the bayonet.
 
bodog said:
The point of the thread is exactly that. Is ZT anything more than pocket jewelry at this point?
Click to expand...
Your point is invalid.

I think you need to spend some time with some of the new ZTs before you critique the current line-up.
Check out the 0630 or any of the other Emerson collaborations.
The 0900 and 0456 are little tanks that can handle any amount of work you can throw at them.
The 0909 is one of the beefiest folders ZT has ever made. Too beefy for me, although I love the ruggedness of the knife.
The 0804 is no slouch either. Don't let the CF scale fool you.

ZT continues to make some of the best overbuilt knives in the business. Your argument is null.

I think you're just disgruntled because they've branched out into other knives like LEs and conceptual designs that you don't care for. If that's not your thing, cool. Like what you like, but slamming ZT for "loosing it's way" is ridiculous.

Furthermore, as someone else said, I don't know any LEOs, first responders or active military who have a duty knife as expensive as a ZT. Well, I actually know one who has a nice knife because I gave it to him :p. The whole mythos of "built for those who serve" is really kind of an illusion.
 
Pretty sure ZT's (KAI's) goal is to make some money by selling knives. If they can attract more sales by going more into style than pure raw functionality, then they will do that, assuming they are a well run company that is trying to make money and grow their business. If they thought there was a market for ZT kitchen knives, then they'd make ZT kitchen knives and try to market them to all of the tactical cooks out there.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top