The new ZT0550 Hinderer!!

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Schuey2002

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I thought that I'd post these pictures over here for those of you who haven't seen this new knife yet.

It's a collaboration between Rick Hinderer and Zero Tolerance knives..

Enjoy. :D

ZT-0550.gif

ZT0550-5.gif

Next to a ZT 0350 as a size comparison...
ZT0550-3.gif

ZT1.gif

ETA: The MSRP is reported to be around $250. That means it should have a street price of around $200 or so.. :eek:
 
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You get a beefy titanium and G10 framelock folder that has Zero Tolerances build quality, and Rick Hinderer's design. The drop point blade is approx. 3.25" long and is made of Vanax 35 steel. I don't know anything about the steel yet.

Also, from all the hints that I have read, this will be lighter than their ZT0200 and ZT0300 line of knives.

It looks like this is going to be an affordable competitor to the Strider SNG.... ;)
 
No love for this knife? :confused:

This has to be one of the hottest blades coming down the pipeline.... :uhoh:

Obtw, I misspoke above. The overall blade length on this will be 3.5 inches...
 
It's a knife. An uninspired folding pocket knife that just happens to be made of titanium so they can hype it up and ramp the price sky-high far beyond its actual worth. It's not worth $250.
 
No love...
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Schuey2002,

I had the chance to handle it at Blade and while it's a well made Ti framelock with opposing G10 scale there's nothing groundbreaking in design or materials other than the Vanax blade steel. The best thing about it is that ZT has decided to offer a knife without the recurve blade design here. I agree with your reservations at BF on it, but just aren't as excited as most folks seem to be. I also would suggest they drop the choil since it didn't seem to do anything useful. I only handled it very briefly and can't make up my mind about the "screw driver/glass breaker" considering the position, but time will tell.
 
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Thomas mentioned they are going to offer this knife without screwdriver/glass breaker, in case you missed it, hso..
.

As far as the knife, I am just excited about seeing a ZT knife that is not a recurve. That and the weight of their current knives are the only two things that have kept me from buying one. This is the one ZT offering that will change that for me.. ;)
 
ZT does MAP, so lowest advertised price is going to be right at $200. If ZT's reputation holds, it should be very competitive performance wise with Strider's offerings in that size class.

It's a knife. An uninspired folding pocket knife that just happens to be made of titanium so they can hype it up and ramp the price sky-high far beyond its actual worth. It's not worth $250.
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Steel frames in this size class get heavy fast. The ZT350 tips the scales at 6.2 oz. Ti construction can bring it down by 20%. Isn't much, but apparently a pretty big deal for buyers in this price range.

I also would suggest they drop the choil since it didn't seem to do anything useful. I only handled it very briefly and can't make up my mind about the "screw driver/glass breaker" considering the position, but time will tell.
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Glassbreaker is going away in the production model.

Doubt the choil will go away though. The XM-18 has the exact same thing and the only things that it's good for is removing useful blade length and slicing your index finger open. That's pretty much going to be a dealbreaker for me.

Least they're not doing the Spanto blade design though. Blade might be stronger against lateral forces, but kinda defeats the point of a knife since it's terrible for actual cutting.
 
This has to be one of the hottest blades coming down the pipeline....
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I guess this is where you and I part ways in terms of opinion. I have nothing against zero tolerance, Rick Hinderer or this knife in particular, but by the same token, there is nothing about his knife that makes me even remotely think of as the hottest blade coming down the pipeline. Cool? Yes, but in the same way that I think probably 10 or 15 other knives are cool. I can appreciate that it is a beefy, presumably tough and reliable folder and I generally like Hinderer designs. It's just, you know, not all that different or interesting to me.

The weight reduction of Ti does nothing for me, but that is just my opinion and I know some guys will buy just about anything with titanium in it. It isn't my money, so god bless them.

Anyway, I am not trying to be snarky or rain on your parade, and if you were my buddy and showed me this knife, I would definitely think it was cool. Just nothing that makes ME all that excited about it.
 
Not sure what it is, but I just don't love this one (and I love plenty of ugly knives *cough*Strider AR*cough*). I do like that they got ride of the crazy texture on their scales. I have a ZT200, and the scales have pretty much relegated it to being a safe queen.
 
For the price I'd rather get custom fixed blade from valkman adn use the remaining cash to buy a couple Spyderco Tenacious's. I'd get one for $75, but mixed material scales and oversized jimping isn't really my thing. And as others have said, that choil looks like a hazard and a reduction in functionality. Sorry if we've been trashing your dream knife, everyone has different likes and dislikes. ie- one of my favorite knives is the spyderco dodo.
 
Looks like a nice knife....but for a pocket knife that's WAY out of my price range. Considering this is a pocket knife the last thing I would want to do is lose $200 dollars, so that would make this a stay at home shelf-queen vs. something I would take out and use in the everyday world.

That said I wish I could afford spending that amount of money on this knife.
 
Some people are really into knives.
To me, a knife is a knife, whether it is Titanium or not.

I do try to buy US made, or Swiss made, or anything but made in China for Walmart.

Now a gun, well that is a different story altogether!
 
I guess I am not the normal, as I am a huge fan of both Guns and knifes, this 550 will be an awesome knife. I will buy one the minute that they are released. I just received my ZT 301 today and I like it way better than my Strider SMF, ZT makes some of the finest production blades on the market :)
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For the price I'd rather get custom fixed blade from valkman
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I believe Don is done making knives unfortunately , I know he sold his grinder , and his mill , and much other stuff.

As for the new ZT , I would have preferred if it had the scales and framelock contoured ( like the Strider CC models do ). Flat sides just don't do it for me anymore , feels like a brick (aka Sebenza ) :)
 
I believe Don is done making knives unfortunately , I know he sold his grinder , and his mill , and much other stuff.
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That probably explains why his sites haven't been updated in a while. Damn that sucks.
 
No, unfortunately I tangled with a table saw a year ago and even though I recovered OK I lost all desire to make knives. I have sold most of my equipment.
 
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