ZT vs Shirogorov

It’s tough to beat ZT for bang for the buck or in this case action for the buck. Although I’ve never handled a Shirogorov. If it is better hard to imagine it’s $400 better.
 
I have both... I have and have had a ZT: 0808, 0609, 0562cf, 0470, 0393 and Shiro 95t and Neon Zero...

My thoughts... My 0562cf was my gold standard flipper... And it is fantastic... When I got my 95t I sold the ZT like the next day or two...

I really enjoy my ZTs and still have my 0470 and 0393 - but Shiros are next level flippers for sure and honestly kinda ruined me for flippers lol.

Are they worth 400 more? Depends on what value you put on experience... But once I got a Shiro... It made the ZT feel pedestrian honestly... Still fun knives and I still like and carry ZT tho :-)
 
Just to add... If I was comparing my overall experience with my samples, I would say the shiro opening experience i would say is 30 % more "enjoyable" - smoother/fun/satisfying... But I would say the closing experience is 50% more enjoyable. But that's just my .02. YMMV.
 
Maybe I should pose the question this way. I have 3 ZT (0095,0562,0452). Sell them all and get the Shiro or enjoy what I have.
 
I don't regret the ZTs I sold to assist with shiro money... I do like my 0470 and 0393 enough that I'm probably gonna hang onto them for awhile ... Tho my recent shiro neon zero has kicked the 0470 out of my pocket... So I may not keep it forever.

Idk for me anymore I would take 1 that I love vs 3 I like... But that's just me
 
I've had 8 ZTs and sold off 4. I've had 9 Shiro's, kept 8, and only sold the one to fund another. My 4 ZTs are an 0452CF, an 0450 modded with a CF scale to match its big brother, and 2 0801s--a BW and one ano'd and pimped. My take on ZTs is that they mostly flip aggressively due to stiff detents. I like my two Sinkevich's but my 0452 caused my forefinger great distress for a long time until it finally broke in. The two Rexfords are more my type of flipper--certain, but more subtle, their flipping action more a product of good design than restraint by an overly tight detent.

That's how I see my Shiros. They flip quickly, but easily, coming out certainly and with sufficient authority but not trying to jump out of your hand either. My measure of a good flipper is how lightly I can depress that tab and get a sure opening and my Shirogorovs uphold that standard better than any other knives I've handled.

The other thing I look for in frame and liner lock knives is ease of disengagement. Some of my ZTs gave me fits unlocking, but I have considerable arthritis in my hands from almost 50 years of carpentry work. No problem unlocking my Shiros--with easy access and disengagement, they don't hang up on the detent ball, and they either free-drop or close with a light shake depending on how I have them tuned. Mostly I index finger flick them closed, though.

I don't know that you can quantify in dollars how much better one knife is than another. Various knives cost what they cost and it's up to you whether it's worth it or not. Given the choice, I'd rather have one Shiro than 3 ZTs, but if I just wanted to try one out I'd think about selling one knife and saving up the rest of what it took to take advantage of a good deal on the Exchange.
 
I have a question. Expanding the original question. Considering a company that bridges the gap


Shiro vs olamic vs zt?
rileybassman1 said:
Just to add... If I was comparing my overall experience with my samples, I would say the shiro opening experience i would say is 30 % more "enjoyable" - smoother/fun/satisfying... But I would say the closing experience is 50% more enjoyable. But that's just my .02. YMMV.
Click to expand...
Percentage that Shiro is better then Olamic?
 
UmnumMAN said:
I have a question. Expanding the original question. Considering a company that bridges the gap


Shiro vs olamic vs zt?

Percentage that Shiro is better then Olamic?
Click to expand...
So I have had a 247 as well - for ME I would say opening shiro has maybe 10-15% but closing I would say shiro by quite a ways... Ballpark 30% with regards to smoothness etc. 247 was a good knife but I still pick the shiro. 247 was a stouter knife and flipped better then most ZTs I have tried ... I would say I preferred the closing experience of the 0562 to that if the olamic tho.
 
Just to add to my last... The olamic has a detent ramp so it is less clunky then ZTs or even shiros for getting onto the detent path, but there is a fair amount of tension as compared to the shiro once there and is definitely not fall shutty from the couple I have touched... The thing I underestimated about shiros is how easy they are to unlock.
 
I've got the rainmaker by Olamic. It drops right shut, and opening is silly smooth. Lockup is early, Id say maybe 25% tops? It unlocks flawlessly.

Yet everyone I've spoken with who owns knives from both makers, has said the Shiro blows Olamic away.
Like wow, I can't imagine anything being much better then this. I guess they really are the "chris Reeves of flippers".
I'll definitely be grabbing a Shiro one day to experience this firsthand
 
rileybassman1 said:
Just to add to my last... The olamic has a detent ramp so it is less clunky then ZTs or even shiros for getting onto the detent path, but there is a fair amount of tension as compared to the shiro once there and is definitely not fall shutty from the couple I have touched... The thing I underestimated about shiros is how easy they are to unlock.
Click to expand...
Totally agree. I wish more knives had detent ramps as I hate the ball getting hung up on the blade tang when closing. On the other hand, when unlocking a flipper I generally let the tab hit my thumb before moving it out of the blade path and either flicking or free-dropping closed. My Shiros fall past the detent ball when disengaging, so the lack of a ramp is irrelevant. Knives with longer flipper tabs--like some ZTs and Hinderers--tend to hang up on the ball when closing and require moving my thumb further back on the lockbar to avoid that hitch.

As rb1 stated, there's considerable lockbar pressure on the 247, so I flick mine closed. The 247's a great knife and I'll not be parting with mine, but it's quite a different animal than a Shirogorov. I tend not to grade my knives or rate them relative to each other--the ones I keep I like for what each one is itself.
 
UmnumMAN said:
I've got the rainmaker by Olamic. It drops right shut, and opening is silly smooth. Lockup is early, Id say maybe 25% tops? It unlocks flawlessly.

Yet everyone I've spoken with who owns knives from both makers, has said the Shiro blows Olamic away.
Like wow, I can't imagine anything being much better then this. I guess they really are the "chris Reeves of flippers".
I'll definitely be grabbing a Shiro one day to experience this firsthand
Click to expand...
A Rainmaker is definitely on my short list.

Edit: I'm actually more interested in the older liner lock version.
 
ChazzyP said:
Totally agree. I wish more knives had detent ramps as I hate the ball getting hung up on the blade tang when closing. On the other hand, when unlocking a flipper I generally let the tab hit my thumb before moving it out of the blade path and either flicking or free-dropping closed. My Shiros fall past the detent ball when disengaging, so the lack of a ramp is irrelevant. Knives with longer flipper tabs--like some ZTs and Hinderers--tend to hang up on the ball when closing and require moving my thumb further back on the lockbar to avoid that hitch.

As rb1 stated, there's considerable lockbar pressure on the 247, so I flick mine closed. The 247's a great knife and I'll not be parting with mine, but it's quite a different animal than a Shirogorov. I tend not to grade my knives or rate them relative to each other--the ones I keep I like for what each one is itself.
Click to expand...

100%. I do the same closing my Shiros and never miss the detent ramp.

Each knife is an adventure and each knife has its pros and cons and I try and not compare too much either... But for the sake of the given question... For ME Shiro>Olamic>ZT with regards to opening and closing experience :-)
 
This is a super interesting thread with a lot of great knife knowledge. Now I’m starting to look more closely at Shiros. The big sticking point for me is price and I completely agree with Nick Shabazz in that regard. Maybe it will just take a while for me to get past that.

I’m in total agreement with most of you guys regarding the harsher nature of ZTs in general, certainly with the 452 and 95, not so much with the 470 which is very smooth. I have calluses on my right thumb to prove it, Lol. I really do like the tight detent tho as I do competitive shooting and it’s a fun way to strengthen my trigger finger. I have higher end knives but there’s something just plain badass about ZTs I can’t let go of.

Now, a question I have for the Shiro experts. If any of you were fortunate enough to score a Holt Specter how would you say the action compares? I’m trying to determine if it’s really worth my time to try to win one of those silly lotteries.
 
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