ZT Scavenger 0400, anybody carry for SD, serrations or plain?

[diamdave]

I'd like to know your experience, do these serrations get caught when slashing or are they 'better' than other serrations you have used? I'm asking here, not Prac Tac, because I've read in other posts here about the unique quality of ZT serrations, compared to Spyderco, CS, etc. I like the knife, I'm considering plain or combo edge. Thanks...

 

[OpKey]

I don't want to turn this into some Prac-Tac discussion, but I do want to let you know that from my own experience and "knife-fighting" knowledge, that slash techniques are not very effective when your target has clothing. No matter how sharp the knife is, it's going to be a difficult task to slice through jacket and shirt(etc) and then through flesh to cause a wound. Stabbing would be more effective, unless you were in control and could make the precise artery cuts.

Now, more OT, I would have to say that I would imagine the serrations would actually help in a SD situation. If you're talking SD, you're probably talking about your attacker being human which means hopefully that they will have clothing on. I could see the serrations tearing through the fabric, whereas the plain edge may just glance off. I'm a plain edge guy, but then again if I was using the knife for SD I wouldn't be wasting time with slashes so I wouldn't need the serrations anyways.

Either way, that's my opinion. Good luck, man. Glad to see someone else likes the 0400 too.

 

[diamdave]

My knowledge is limited and I doubt very much I'd ever use it for slashing much of anything. Nevertheless, I am interested in knowing if the these serrations 'hang up' on , say, a shirt or khaki pants. I don't have the luxury of hanging a denim covered roast or other such thing and trying it out Thanks for you thoughts.

 

[Leek_Freak]

The serrations work very well on the 400. In my experience they do not get caught up on things like the other style of serrations. Plain or serrated will work for slashing and cutting, but the serrations definitely help with harder things. The downside is sharpening them.

My two cents.

 

[mley1]

. The downside is sharpening them.

My two cents.

Precisely why I don't care for serrations. I have a hard time sharpening them.

As for the self defense aspects of the 400, it should work fine. I saw a video of an inmate on inmate homicide once. The assailant killed his victim in less than a minute(58 seconds to be exact). Weapon used was a home made shank/knife, approx 6in long, and not real sharp by a knife nuts standard. But it worked quite well at disembowling the victim. So, yea. I recon the 400 would work.