Zero Tolerance ZT 0600
Nick Clayton
The Zero Tolerance Knives ZT0600 is a limited edition model designed by R.J. Martin. The knife won collaboration of the year in 2012 from Blade Magazine but while I think it is the closest production knife to a custom R.J., it's not really in the same league. That should really go without saying but I feel the need to express it in light of this review. I'll explain later.
The 0600 is a big knife. I mean really big. It's got a 4.25" blade and it weighs in at 7.3 oz. The size and weight wouldn't be a huge issue if it weren't for a few things that I'll get into later. The blade stock is equally as hefty at 4.8mm on my calipers.
The grind is a hollow grind with a recurve and is distinctly R.J. Martin. The blade steel is B75P which is a powdered version of BG-42, a ball bearing steel.
The handles feature a really nice 3D machined diamond pattern that I like a lot in comparison to, say, the 0560. The presentation side in inlaid with carbon fiber and I find the whole look interesting and elegant.
The handle is also sculpted to provide a good feeling in hand. While this knife is big and heavy, it is easy to hold.
The knife features a sculpted Ti clip that could use a bit more tension, especially for a knife this big. It does a good job of keeping the knife where you want it though.
The 0600 also features a full titanium backspacer that is milled to match the traction at the butt of the knife as well as a cutout for a lanyard. I think there is a few ounces in this piece alone. The execution is there but it does not match both sides of the frame evenly, being a bit more raised on one side than the other.
The knife features a bearing system for the pivot and it is quite smooth. That combined with the heavy blade stock let the blade freely fall on it's own weight. This might also be due to the relatively light lockbar tension and detent. This knife was made before ZT moved to the stiffer detent they are using now and, in my opinion, it could use a bit more detent as the action of the knife is not that great. The heavy blade and weaker detent don't really allow it to rocket out. A few pain points for me are the flipper tab and the back of the knife right under the flipper. The tab itself has no traction cut into it at all. This makes it slippery if you're not paying attention and I've slid off it a few times. Under the flipper, there is no jimping but the frame is cut harshly on the inside and, being that the blade is so thick, creating a large gap between the slabs, your finger goes down into the gap and it doesn't feel great hitting the harshly cut handle scales.
The frame does not feature two screws on each side but rather just one side for the handle. The reveals a rather rough tap for the screws and looks unfinished. I will probably take a deburring tool to it or sand down the inside just to finish it a little better.
Overall I am disappointed with this knife. An R.J. Martin custom is one of my grail knives and I was hoping that this would be close enough to keep me from wanting too hard (a custom R.J. is in the thousands not hundreds of dollars) but alas, it has not. I think with some tweaking, this knife would be fantastic. Looking ahead, it seems ZT has stepped away from features like custom milling and moved more toward good basic designs. The 0392 was one of the best production knives I've handled and that philosophy shows there. If that philosophy was applied to a R.J. design, that may do it for me. Are you listening ZT?