Frenchy
Sydney

Jul 06, 2018

Pros: Lock Type, Handle Material, Blade Sharpness, Blade Material, Ease of Opening, Handle Feel, Weight, Lock Ease of Use, Overall Quality

Cons: Weight, None

Lived with this knife for over 6 months

I've carried this knife EDC ever since my best mate gave it to me as a wedding engagement gift (how's that for a mate, seriously). I've never owned a ZT before, so this has been very interesting for me. The long and the short of it is the steel S35VN is only comparable in quality to my Spyderco Paramilitary 2 CPM S30V - I'm sure the more refined users can tell the bigger differences between the steels, but for me, using these premium steels mean SERIOUSLY sharp blades that hold their edge. I think I can discern that this knife is harder to sharpen than the PM2, but it's tough as nail. Aside from the the steel, it's not a light knife - but that plays into personal preference as to whether that is a pro or con. I prefer to view this knife as more of a 'tank' - it feels SOLID. What prompted me to write this review was that I was in a situation today (really long story) but I was having to remove some wood from floorboards at my investment property. The Stanley knife wasn't cutting it (lol), the blades were snapping - so I deployed the ZT sharpened on a Worksharp Ken Onion (more on this below) and it just SMASHED the task. I had to use the knife in a hacking manner - and that's the thing, no movement at all between the blade and the handle.. I'm genuinely shocked at how solid the lock up is on this. It's like a fixed blade. Weight: it helped me in this situation, but it is a heavy knife compared to a PM2. I've never lamented carrying it due to the weight, but that's the thing - depends on what you want or need. I prefer to carry a tank because it will do what it should 100% without fail, whereas a lighter blade (PM2) does not deploy as dependably, has flex (albeit minor) in the lockup and also the handle and will not protect your hand slipping forward like this knife will. Moving on: because the hilt protrudes into the blade, I find the edge hard to sharpen all the way back (to the closest point to your hand) due to this protrusion. I'm happy I can get almost to the hilt, but I'm missing about 4mm (0.16"). Not a deal breaker, but not perfect. I love this blade - it's a fiercely dependable deploy-able blade that has ZERO flex when griping strongly and the index finger is very well protected from slipping if the knife had to be used in an aggressive manner. It's built like a tank and the tip from factory is stiletto sharp.

Roger
Boise, Id

Jul 04, 2016

Pros: Blade Material, Lock Ease of Use, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Handle Feel, Ease of Opening, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Pocket Clip, None

Another homerun by ZT

I bought this knife on an impulse and at first i had a little buyers remorse and I was planning on selling it since i had also just bought the ZT0804cf I decided to give it a couple weeks before i did and i am so glad i did. I absolutely love this knife now. I keep going back and forth between the 0804cf and the 0095bw as my favorites. they are both such great knives i just cant decide which is best. one mod i did was sand the flats on the handles to give the knife a two tone look and WOW it is so beautiful now. They really should offer it in a two tone finish because it is now the best looking knife i own. I look forward to possible other versions of this knife. I would love to see them offer it in a silver or solid black finish instead of the blackwash. Carbon fiber handles would be awesome as well. But the bottom line is you will be very happy with this knife. the blade steel is great, the shape of the blade with lots of belly make it an awesome slicer. The ball bearing make it incredibly smooth. In my opinion zero tolerance makes the best flippers on the market. I have $500+ midtech knives that aren't as good. Ive never found a better flipper then the ones ZT makes. they flipper and smoothness of the the blade are just as good as $1500+ customs. There just isnt any more room for improvement on their flipper functioning. my only complaint is i wish it came with a deep carry pocket clip, but thats an easy fix.

Sampson
Boston

Mar 03, 2016

Pros: Handle Material, Blade Material, Lock Ease of Use, Handle Feel, Overall Quality, Ease of Opening, Lock Type

Cons: None

BUY. IT. NOW.

Zero Tolerance is living up to it's name yet again. You're buying a high quality mass production knife. Perfect construction with everything lining up the way you imagined it. Solid lock with no blade play. The grip is very ergonomic in both forward and reverse grip. The frame lock is very easy to disengage thanks to a cut out on one of the titanium slabs. Pure freaking genius. The blackwash is AMAZING. Every edge is a silver line so it really brings out the geometry of the knife. The flipping action was a bit on the stiff side when I first received the knife but now that I've been breaking it in, it's been getting more and more smooth like it was designed to be. KVT! There is a nice heft to the knife making it feel very solid. Not your lightest knife but not heavy either. One hand action is easy and my hands are small. One thing I really didn't like was that the gimping groove on the very tip of the flipper is very sharp. It's been killing my index finger from breaking it in. Just that one groove. It's weird. The other grooves are smoothed out. Overall this knife is a solid buy. No regrets.

Rob
Santa Ynez

Feb 23, 2016

Pros: Ease of Opening, Overall Quality, Handle Feel, Weight, Blade Sharpness, Lock Ease of Use, Lock Type

Cons: None

Next knife ever

Use it for all purpose Trimming plants, cutting boxes down Best part, totally big enough for everything, small enough not to be bulky The wash is beautiful Action so slick

Norsk H
Bismarck, Nd

Apr 29, 2017

Pros: Lock Type, Handle Material, Handle Feel, Blade Sharpness, Blade Material, Ease of Opening, Weight, Lock Ease of Use, Overall Quality

Cons: None

ZT 0095

The 0095 is, in my opinion, the most beautiful of all ZT's in my collection. I just can't leave it alone. Silky smooth, perfectly balanced and dead on in alignment. I may get another one so I can keep one in pristine shape. Mine is razor sharp S90V, so not sure how I'll sharpen it, but I really don't care. Feels really good in the hand and the coating is luxurious and silky. If you buy this instant classic, you won't regret it.

Robert
Memphis

Mar 30, 2018

Pros: Overall Quality, Lock Type, Ease of Opening, Blade Material, Handle Material, Lock Ease of Use, Blade Sharpness, Weight, Sheath, Handle Feel, Pocket Clip

Cons: None

Great knife

It's my everyday knife, it was razor sharp right out of the box. It was a little stiff and hard to flip open at first but with a little practice I got better.

Frank L.
Massachusetts

Feb 07, 2016

Pros: Blade Sharpness, Ease of Opening, Overall Quality, Lock Ease of Use, Blade Material, None

Cons: Handle Material, Weight, Handle Feel

Nice, but not a tactical folder

Nice knife. Build quality is good. Very slim profile. But ZT states that this is a tactical folder. It's not. Somewhat slippery in hand. No gimping on spine. Handle has no grip. More of an EDC.

Jv
Weymouth MA

Feb 13, 2016

Pros: Blade Material, Handle Material, None

Cons: Ease of Opening, Handle Feel

Ok so far

EDC - owned for 2 days so far Love the style, lines and finish. Handle is a little cramped. with the flipper and curved handle, your fingers feel a bit restricted for moving knife around on intricate work. Having issues with flipping open. Maybe because it is brand new and not broken in much yet. If I close the knife hard, I can't seem to then flip it back open with index finger, almost like the blade was stuck. I sprayed some oil inside, seems to have improved a bit. Will see as time goes by. Lockup is as solid as can be. I dig it.