ZT0770 - Is this supposed to be bent?

Moxy

Moxy

Joined
Oct 30, 2011
Messages
1,648
Noticed something worrying while de-assisting my new ZT0770. I don't think this liner is supposed to be bent like this. It bulges outward towards the blade and the flipper rubs on it. The crease makes it very difficult to reassemble. The handles won't lay flat and the small washer doesn't seat against the blade evenly. I cannot believe this part was used by the assembler when the knife was in production. This is my first new ZT in a while. I absolutely love the knife, but I'm not impressed with the build quality. The blade is off center and the de-assisted flipping action is terrible. It wasn't noticeable when it was assisted but now it is painfully bad. With the pivot tightened sufficiently so there is no blade play the knife needs 2 hands to open. I'm sure ZT will make it right, but this is unacceptable for such an expensive knife.
...just needed to vent.



 
Mine is like that. I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be that way. But I did have to send my 0770CF in to ZT because the flipper was actually rubbing against the inside of that liner when it was being closed. The blade wasn't closing straight for some reason. Hopefully they'll send it back to me fixed. But that bent liner is fine. All the videos on youtube have it as well.
 
Well I'm not impressed with the design then. There is so much slop in that thin plate. It's not a good foundation for the washer. And since the CF scale is so milled out there is alot of flex in the handles where the stop pin is mounted. Not to mention, the stop pin is already developing slop since it's not reenforced. It's just nested in the CF. I love this knife, maybe this was just a bad egg, but I wish the design was sold to Spyderco and made by Taichung rather than KAI.
 
Moxy said:
Well I'm not impressed with the design then. There is so much slop in that thin plate. It's not a good foundation for the washer. And since the CF scale is so milled out there is alot of flex in the handles where the stop pin is mounted. Not to mention, the stop pin is already developing slop since it's not reenforced. It's just nested in the CF. I love this knife, maybe this was just a bad egg, but I wish the design was sold to Spyderco and made by Taichung rather than KAI.
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Send it back for a refund, or replacement. If that isn't an option, contact KAI and have them look at it. They will surely address all of your concerns. As far as critique on the internal workings on them, unless you know how it is supposed to be, it might not be worth it to get too far ahead of yourself in that department.
 
Yes, the "bend" supposed to be there. However, mine has no scratches on it like yours....
 
Definitely send it back in! ZT will have it back to you in no time!
 
Perhaps the act of de assisting the knife without any knowledge of how the design worked caused the problem. Not recommended on any knife even Taichung.
 
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Moxy said:
. . . the stop pin is already developing slop since it's not reenforced. It's just nested in the CF.
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I actually ran that question by Thomas. He said the stop pin loosening up shouldn't be an issue if the knife is used as intended. (He reminded me that the 0770CF is a sub-4.0 oz. knife and he told me that under normal use "there is little to worry about, it's plenty strong" . . . his words, not mine.)
 
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bld522 said:
I actually ran that question by Thomas. He said the stop pin loosening up shouldn't be an issue if the knife is used as intended. (He reminded me that the 0770CF is a sub-4.0 oz. knife and he told me that under normal use "there is little to worry about, it's plenty strong" . . . his words, not mine.)
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I wouldn't think it would be an issue to the point of failure. It's just something I observed. Only time will tell.

Didn't mean to step on anyones toes. I guess I've just been unlucky with Zero Tolerance in the past. It wouldn't be the first time I've had to send something in. I know they're praised to no end on this forum, but I'm left with a bad taste in my mouth.

I think I'll try the aluminum version. I've never really been a big carbon fiber fan anyways. Thanks for the advice.
 
No worries here, Moxy. Everyone has their own experience, and based on a single instance of dealing with ZT's warranty service, mine has been extremely positive. That may not be statistically significant, but it left me with a smile on my face nonetheless. :)

As far as the stop pin is concerned, I'm willing to give Thomas the benefit of the doubt. He's tested the knife far more than I have. If it starts to develop problems, I'm confident ZT will repair it or replace the knife. And for me, at least, moving to the aluminum version isn't a solution. One of the big reasons I bought the CF version was because it only weighs 3.1 ounces.
 
Mine is bent also and it is quite thin, but it doesn't support the pivot in any way, so just think of it as an additional washer that just happens to extend out and cover the torsion bar (that's really its only function is to keep the torsion bar from falling out of the knife). The design of it being assisted only makes the scales thin in one area and mine doesn't appear to have too much flex (not compared to say, the Skyline which has similar thin G10 supporting one side). IMO, that's just something you deal with in a thin linerless CF or G10 scale on a lightweight linerlock folder.

I used to hate that part of the design on any frame-lock / liner-lock folder without a liner on the non-lock-bar side because I equated flex with weakness or failure, but that's not the case and on a lightweight folder like the 0770CF, it reall makes a difference in weight.

I'd actually love to mic the plate with my calipers to see how thick it is and replace it with a smaller washer to reduce the weight even more :)
 
bld522 said:
I actually ran that question by Thomas. He said the stop pin loosening up shouldn't be an issue if the knife is used as intended. (He reminded me that the 0770CF is a sub-4.0 oz. knife and he told me that under normal use "there is little to worry about, it's plenty strong" . . . his words, not mine.)
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I'm pretty sure Thomas said he wanted to keep things on USN...
 
If Thomas says something on USN (or anywhere else for that matter) that bears repeating here, I intend to repeat it here.
 
I have de assisted my 3 blurs, 0350, and 0770 and every liner looks just like the one you posted. Its bnt like that so the torsion bar can move. I would not woody about it at all. But your milage may vary.
 
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