Zt350 vs ZT566 opinions ?

J

Jfglockgrl

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Mar 1, 2014
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Looking to buy my first ZT knife. I am stuck between the 350 and 566. I've been obsessing over this for a week now. I know they are very similar and I probably "can't go wrong" with either one but I want to make sure I buy the best knife for the money. Can anyone list any major pros or cons of one over the other to help me decide? This knife will be my edc and it will be getting used on the regular.
Thanks !
Jill
 
0566- better steel, slimmer in the hand and in the pocket. Smoother as a manual, 0350 may have fired harder with the speedsafe in(got rid of it awhile ago so I can't compare on hand). More utilitarian blade shape on the 0566. The 0350the I had rubber a little bit when the pivot loosened up a little

The 0350 is a great knife, the 0566 is just a better fit for me.
 
If the recurve scares you then I would go with the 566! If the recurve does not scare you I would go with the 350! They are both really well built knives. In my opinion I think the 350 is a better knife if you have medium to large hands and the 566 is better if your hands are a tad bit smaller. That is just my opinion!
 
jkwithawave said:
0566- better steel, slimmer in the hand and in the pocket. Smoother as a manual, 0350 may have fired harder with the speedsafe in(got rid of it awhile ago so I can't compare on hand). More utilitarian blade shape on the 0566. The 0350the I had rubber a little bit when the pivot loosened up a little

The 0350 is a great knife, the 0566 is just a better fit for me.
Click to expand...

Just to clarify.... Elmax is not necessarily better than S30V.
 
Both are great knives. I'd lean slightly in favor of the 0566. It rides more comfortably and discretely in pocket, and the blade grind on it looks (and functions) great. The 0350 is a bit more comfortable in hand, on account of the wider and thicker handles. The recurve on the 0350 does offer some slight cutting performance advantages, but it can be a bit more difficult to maintain (depending on what you are using to touch-up and sharpen).

For my uses, typically I just draw the knife, make a few quick cuts, and then back in the pocket it goes. I've found the 0566 serves that role just a bit better on account of its more compact size. If you have the opportunity to handle the two before buying, I'd suggest that.
 
jkwithawave said:
0566- better steel, slimmer in the hand and in the pocket. Smoother as a manual, 0350 may have fired harder with the speedsafe in(got rid of it awhile ago so I can't compare on hand). More utilitarian blade shape on the 0566.
Click to expand...

I disagree. Like David Lowry stated, Elmax is not necessarily better than S30V. Especially in ZT's case, I would go for S30V. I don't know if ZT fixed the issue by now, but there were a lot of reports of the messed up heat treat or burned edges of ZT's Elmax on the 0560. Now if you would be ordering a custom from FerrumForge or something, I'd say go with Elmax, but with ZT I'm not so sure (yet). Their S30V is proven to be excellent at least. Further, it all depends on what you want. The recurve of the 0350 could be just as "utilitarian" for you, depending on your liking. Also, both knives have a detent-ball and -hole and can be de-assisted (which I'd prefer). Further, the 0350 has a bigger/beefier handle and could thereby be fitting you better/more comfortable than the smaller 0566.

To be honest, I'm doubting the same question as you. I like the 0350 more, except for it's ridiculous weight. I've inquired several knife pimpers already with the question if they could mill-out/skeletonize the liners of an 0350 but I didn't get any positive answer so far yet. Also since I'm used to edc a Millie I'm scared the blade will be just a little too short for my liking...
 
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I have both and prefer the 566. It fits my hand better than the 350, though I really like the 350 just not as much as the 566. Both steels are great.
 
You can't go wrong with either. That said, I owned a 350 and while I loved it, I can point out two minor issues. First, the G10 is grippy and is hard on your pocket. It can start to really cause wear on your pants. Finally, the recurve can be a little harder to resharpen. Not impossible but more difficult due to the recurve.

Now, as far as steel, I have a 561 with Elmax and prefer S30V. The Elmax does seem harder to keep a smooth cutting edge. It sharpens easily but seems to roll easily.

Now, I've pointed out negatives with both knives but they are honestly both worth the money.

I'd handle both if possible but you really can't go wrong with either.
 
While the scales on the 0350 are rather like fine sandpaper, they aren't nearly as harsh as the 0200. I ground down the 0200 scales, but I think the 0350 scales could be smoothed up fairly easily...or, you could just swap them out for something that suits you. Mine wears ironwood, now.



I've got no experience with the 0566; but I've read a number of comments about how hard it is to open.
 
I had both and got rid of the 0566. I was one of those who found the 0566 very difficult to deploy. I love flippers (both manual and AO) but found the 0566 to be maddening to deploy. The best way I can describe it is to say that it required a very precise technique to deploy properly. Any deviation in angle or pressure caused problems. I hated it. I actually returned it to KAI because I was convinced it was defective. KAI disagreed and said it was fine. Fair enough - but i had no use for it. I love the 0350 - but it is very different (size, blade shape, etc) from the 0566. You may love the the 0566 and not have the problems I describe - I hope so.
 
...and then, there is a third possibility, a 350 in collaboration with SKD Tactical, which produced this great knife, the ZT0360TS-SKD. The blade is still S30V, but the blade is 30% lighter, quicker to deploy. I have two of them NIB. Planning to gift one to a cop son-in-law. Carbide tip glass-breaker is an added nice factor for any EDC. Price is similar to other two in question.
Here is a pic along with album. Very nice, very quick flipper designed for tactical ops in addition to EDC.


http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg106/Sonnytoo/ZT0360/ZT0360TS-SKD_zps86d80e11.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://s246.photobucket.com/user/Sonnytoo/library/ZT0360
 
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Jeru said:
I disagree. Like David Lowry stated, Elmax is not necessarily better than S30V. Especially in ZT's case, I would go for S30V. I don't know if ZT fixed the issue by now, but there were a lot of reports of the messed up heat treat or burned edges of ZT's Elmax on the 0560. Now if you would be ordering a custom from FerrumForge or something, I'd say go with Elmax, but with ZT I'm not so sure (yet). Their S30V is proven to be excellent at least. Further, it all depends on what you want. The recurve of the 0350 could be just as "utilitarian" for you, depending on your liking. Also, both knives have a detent-ball and -hole and can be de-assisted (which I'd prefer). Further, the 0350 has a bigger/beefier handle and could thereby be fitting you better/more comfortable than the smaller 0566.

To be honest, I'm doubting the same question as you. I like the 0350 more, except for it's ridiculous weight. I've inquired several knife pimpers already with the question if they could mill-out/skeletonize the liners of an 0350 but I didn't get any positive answer so far yet. Also since I'm used to edc a Millie I'm scared the blade will be just a little too short for my liking...
Click to expand...

We utilize both S30V and Elmax, and have for some time now. We love them both, and so do the major majority.
 
I do not own the 0566 (yet), but I do own the big brother and a couple 0350s and the larger 030x counterparts. The 0350 was one of my most carried and used knives, right up until I bought my 0560. I started carrying and using the 0350 again last month, it's pretty good for my needs. As for weight, I don't see myself being at a disadvantage carrying either. It's not a featherweight, but it's not as exaggerated as some would like to think. Also, the latest ZT Elmax blade I received has no problems with the blade. I do want to pick up a 0566 thought, as well as the 0454. :D
 
I find myself carrying the 0566 more than my 0350 just due to pocket clip. If you switch the 0350 to tip up, it has too much exposed out of the pocket. The 0566 carries deep, and the steel side against the pocket makes for easy in and out vs the G10 on the 0350. The 0566 feels like it would be better with a variety of hand sizes as well, with the 0350 possibly cramping up larger hands. As far as being hard to open, I've experienced it as well. I handled 2 0566's in the store with the first one being next to impossible to deploy. I couldn't even use the studs whatsoever and the flipper was hell on the finger and it took both hands to disengage the lock. By far the stiffest knife I've ever handled. I'm sure it would have loosened up, but the 2nd one was much better and easier to deploy. I suggest handling both if possible.
 
Thank you everyone for your wonderful feedback. I really wasn't expecting so many people to give me a response, so I highly appreciate it. I do have small hands, and I have handled the 350 and really liked it, it flipped out very smoothly. With that being said I havn't handled the 566 because no one around here carries it. I feel if the 566 is hard to deploy that would irritate me. Is this a common issue with every 566?
 
I too have smaller hands and the 566 fits better imo. Mine was hard to open out of the box...stiff...I polished the washers with 1500 grit wet/dry and the areas on the blade, liner, frame lock as well. A little Benchmade lube, adjusting of the screw and plenty of "flicking" makes for a very smooth and fast opening knife now. It is not quite as fast as my 350 and the sound they make when locking into place is different...the 350 sounds a bit louder...suspect the solid steel frame lock side of the 566 dampens the sound somewhat.

They are both great knives but as I said earlier the 566 has a much better feel, ergonomic?, in my hand.
 
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