ZT's why do so many have to be sent back?

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I have to agree with most of you guys. I have only sent one knife back to Kai CS; my first orange Skyline had a sloppy detent, which was truely a safety issue, as it allowed the point of the blade to hang out of the handle in the closed position; it was taken care of quickly. On the other hand, I have two ZT0780's; one is perfect and is currently a safe queen, and the other one is my EDC knife, which has sharp jimping on the butt end (which I actually kind of like), an almost imperceptable amount of vertical blade play, and a bit of lock rock (hopefully I have a correct understanding of the term; if you muscle the blade, the lock bar slides over a bit but doesn't come close to unlocking); I wouldn't even think of sending it in (at least not until it's pretty much worn out) for fear of not getting it back! Also, my ZT0550 had a bit of a sticky lock when brand new, but with a bit of compulsive flipping (even though I haven't carried it yet) it's getting much better. Bottom line: if there is truely an issue, it will be taken care of, and for everyone who has extremely high standards of "perfection", I think the fact that they take care of all of those "issues"as well is a testament to the quality of the great company that Kai is.
 
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My issues with ZT have only been lockup-wise. I can deal with other knife issues, but if the lockup isn't solid, then I become unhappy. FYI I have a ZT 0551 that had sent in for repairs and when I got it back it was okay, for a week, then it developed the same up down blade play. Same story with a 0560, and my new 0561 has recently developed play. I seriously don't know what to do anymore other than getting a carbidizer which will probably be worth it over shipping my knives over and over. ZT please start putting the steel insert in your titanium R.I.L. knives.
 
I only have three ZT's,a 560,0200 and a 0400 and have NOT had a bit of trouble. ZT is my favorite knife brand.
 
I too have never had an issue with Kershaw or ZT's level of quality. After 8 years the torsion bar broke on one of my leeks. I sent it in and got a brand new knife back. I have gotten replacement screw sets & clips too, with no questions asked. Mass manufacturing leads to production quality issues. I know this first hand as I worked for GM for almost a decade welding seat frames. Every mass manufactured item has the potential to fail....funny though, people keep buying their products...look at apple, gm, hell ford sold cars that blew up when they got a love tap....people still bought them!

My point is this: unless you buy custom, or like kershawguy says...be specific in your order... The potential for an issue is always there. You buy Kershaw/ZT because you know they will fix it, and if they cannot they will replace it.

Now lets beat this dead horse!
 
Umm.. I actually like the fact that 0561 takes a wee bit of practice to deploy properly. Driving a lambo is nothing like driving a yugo. Kinda interesting to see others try to deploy my 0561 and struggling a bit.

And no I don't own a lambo (very far from it). But driving one for the first time was quite an experience.
 
I want to say first I am not bad mouthing ZT. I just bought a 200 and a 301 and they are perfect. The blades are centered, both opens easy. The 301 flies open so fast you cannot see the blade. The blade grinds look perfect to me also. I have owned several 200's and 3, 300's and they all were like customs. I guess I thought the 550 would be to. I handled the 550 before I bought it and I told the dealer it seems hard to opens. He said I was pushing the stud out instead up. I said OK, but I could not push it up. The detent seem REAL strong to me. I guess maybe I should not have posted this. I made a mistake. Dont get me wrong, I think ZT makes the best knives made and will keep buying them. I have the 301 in my pocket as I type this.
 
I thought my 560 was impossible to open via the thunbstuds, until I tried doing it with my left hand. It opens like butter. Turns out I was resting my fingers on the pocket clip, which is resting on the lockbar... Maybe that's a design flaw I dunno, but I've adjusted to the knive now. If I want to open it a discreetly I use the thumbstud but with a little extra pressure on the flipper with my index finger. It works for me.
 
I've owned alot of zts lets see the 300,301,350,550,551,560x3,and 561 the only one that didn't have any problems were the 0300 0301 and the 0561 the rest had blade play or lock rock, I got rid of them, They all had uneven blade grinds too, I used to love ZT and thought they were the be all end all knife but all the newer versons except one all had problems, If i make some people mad, sorry , but the truth is the truth, I'll keep my 0300 and maybe buy another one of those in the future as it really is that good of a knife but the hinderer collabs. I just got tired of paying that much for a knife that always had problems. Bash me if you want too I'm just stating my expierences with the knives that I have owned and personally I will never buy another zt unless it is the 30x series, that's just my opinion so if people wanna bash me , let the bashing begin...
 
I've owned a little over 30 ZT's and have never had to send one back, including 8 0551s.
 
ZT is one line of knives that I've never had any issues with. As a matter of fact, I've only ever had issues with one Kershaw that I've owned. It was a Groove with the flipper. It would open up in my pocket creating a dangerous situation. My ZT's have been practically bullet proof.
 
My three ZTs (0560 and 0550) have been perfect. The strength of each detent will vary because it's a result the configuration of at least three things working together. That's not a defect, however.
 
I have quite a few ZTs myself and not a problem with a single one, so I'll be vocal about my experiences and say I'm 100% satisfied with their knives.
 
Most every ZT I've had pass through my hands, or I have now has been as good as any other knife at the same price point. A few bugs have been in some of some models, but at least they will take care of you if you are unlucky enough to buy one. In fact they are pretty damn willing to do so.
 
I just got my 0550 in the mail on Monday. I hurt my thumb opening it on Monday night (mind you I opened and closed it probably close to 100 times that night). This was probably compounded by the fact that I clipped my nails on Monday and clipped my right thumb a bit short. The action on the 0550 does take some getting used to and breaking in. The detent is stiff and as has been mentioned, the thumb stud needs to be pressed "up" (I prefer forward) rather than out from the handle. I absolutely love this knife and have gotten the opening down. Now I just need to quit opening it so dang often to give my thumb a little bit of a break.
 
Folks, I do my best to avoid closing threads, but I think it's time to close this one. I understand that knives needing repair can be a real frustration, but let's keep in mind that the forum community represents a surprisingly small cross section of overall ZT sales.

This is not to say that your opinions and issues don't matter - they do, and these thread s do get read by myself and others at KAI-USA. However, we need to remember that even if several forum members have the same issue, it's not necessarily a widespread problem.

Forum members represent our most passionate fanbase, and along with that that, forum members are also some of our most detail oriented customers. We will continue to do our best to meet and exceed your expectations. If we ever fall short, that's why we have a warranty department.

Thanks for your support, and for your feedback, positive and negative.

- Jim
 
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