ZT 0566 Review: Is This the "Just Right" Hinderer ZT?
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- Опубліковано 1 лис 2024
- Here's my initial review of the Zero Tolerance ZT0566, the third in a line of ZT's designed by legendary knife maker, Rick Hinderer. In this video I'll discuss my impressions of the knife, as well as how it stacks up against the rest of the ZT/Hinderer lineup. Enjoy!
Just got mine today, S35VN! She’s a smooth little monster. Carries a lot lighter than I thought given the weight. It’s my first ZT (shut up, VISA card), and I’m very impressed.
I have had an 0566 since it was a new model, and it has held up really well. The 0566 and 0450 are my favorite ZTs. The 0566 has a super comfortable, and I have gotten mine plenty sharp with my DMT rod. I have never taken mine apart, so I have had no issue with the screws. I prefer manual, but I have no issue with being as assisted opener. It is a knife that feels like a great purchase years after the new knife thrill has been gone.
Reviving this thread! I have a ZT0566CF in S35VN and I really like it overall. As you state in your video, the detent is so strong, my thumb is sore from trying to open it with the thumb stud. Other than that, this is one beast of a knife. I love the feel of it in my hand, and for a factory edge this thing was hair poppin' sharp out of the box. All in all I love mine.
I just picked one of these up from Cabelas. I deassisted it, and it's a nice manual flipper.
+Ryan's Range Report I have got to where I cannot stand assisted knives! There do not lend themselves to one handed operation, which is important to me.
I did the same and it's been great.
I got one a few months ago and, being new to folding knives, I learned a few lessons. At first, the knife did not flip and I was pretty disappointed. I tried de-assisting the knife and did not like the action. Then, I completely took it apart, lubed very thing, polished the washers and moved the pocket clip to the other end so it wouldn't press on the lock bar. I also put the torsion bar back in. After that, it was a completely different knife. It flips easily and the blade shoots out with the sound of a robust thawak !!! Moving the pocket clip also made it easier to unlock and close the knife. Everyone says it should have been titanium. I agree, but then it would cost a lot more. I much prefer it assisted but appreciate the option to go unassisted. It seems like a lot of knife and quality for a relatively low cost.
I bought this as a spur of the moment decision. Overall, I like it. I also fought like crazy to make it open with the thumb studs. For some reason, the left hand thumb flip worked perfectly. But, on the right, it may have been cemented shut. Then, on day while playing around with it, the right thumb popped open like lightening. Then it wouldn't. Well, I finally realized that by putting my thumb in "front" of the stud and not on the side or top like I normally would, it would fly open. Sort of a push back toward the pivot and it pops open wonderfully. Much more happy with this knife now. Still gonna be going for a 0550 to compliment it.
Just a update to anyone who searches for this knife. Newer versions of the zt 0566 have s35vn steel. I know, i just got one.
lalaboiz damn I feel bad for you. Just got one today in elmax.
I got an s35vn and carbon fiber scale
Love the knife and I have both Cf and GT scales but much tighter deploy than i see with Apostles P
But the knives are workhorses
I just got one last week. De assisted it and absolutely love it. Perfect grinds and razor sharp just like my 801. So yes... This is my light weight summer shorts edc haha! I like the weight of it. I got a benchmade 943 and it certainly is a lot of blade for such a light package - but feels like a toy in hand to me. What can I say, Im a big hands hammer swingin' kind of guy.
I let you know my opinion of sharpening the Elmax of these ever go dull. The 801 had been in my pocket since November and I've only needed to strop it a couple times. ; ) that's the truth. So far I love it.
My thumb studs were impossible to use until after I de-assisted the knife. It is very smooth and flips well with either the thumb studs or the flipper now. It is a bit heavy though.
good review, 0566 one of my favorites. I still keep my spring in there and starting to get used to it. LIke the small size for edc but when out hiking or something I got my 0560 in the pocket.
I wish you could have de-assisted it and played with it some that way... it completely changes the changes the character of the knife. Extremely smooth (like Hinderer smooth) when de-assisted. And yes, de-assisted the thumbstud deployment (at least on mine) was much like the 0550... very nice. I honestly don't recall what it was like assisted because I de-assisted the knife immediately upon receipt. As you know I had great luck with the Elmax on mine... not only did it hold its factory edge very well, but it sharpened up quite easily for me on the WE. Perhaps I just got a really good blade and indeed ZT is still struggling to figure out their Elmax... but I had zero complaints with mine.
Of course, I didn't try to change the clip over so didn't notice any of the issues you did regarding screws and whatnot... you really do have the curse of the southpaw... especially when it comes to ZTs! ;-) As I said in my follow up vid of the 0566... I came to terms with lack of Ti and the subsequent weight after owning the knife for a while and it really didn't bother me. But yes, initially it did bother me and I couldn't help but wish it was Ti framed. I suspect that had this been your knife (not that you'd buy a ZT by choice ;-) ) that you'd come to terms with this too. At least there's no worry about lock stick. :)
Anyway, to me the general physical attractiveness of the knife, the overall excellent dimensions, the outstanding ergos, the smoothness and flip-a-bility once de-assisted and the good Elmax that I was on mine all combined to make it a great little knife for the money. Perfect? No. But in my experience with it, it's a good offering from ZT (perhaps they should just offer their knives RH only). ;-)
All that said (sorry to be so long-winded)... once the newness of mine wore off I found myself rarely carrying it... and I recently sold it to fund a Sebenza purchase... so take that into account too. :)
All good points, my friend! This is definitely not a bad knife -- it's just not as good as it could be, and it lacks some key elements of appeal TO ME personally. Also, as with most Kershaw/ZT products, it's the little misses that condemn it for me. With this one, it's the lack of forethought in hardware choices... again. I could just never feel confident carrying a knife with a supposed "hard use" application knowing that 1 1/2 threads on each body screw hold the handle together. It would bother me like a miniscule bit of blade play bothers other OCD knife knuts. I will say that my experience with Elmax on this particular knife is very similar to yours -- it showed no evidence of overheating during factory sharpening, and it sharpened up well for me. But cost considered, I'd still prefer a CPM steel or perhaps CTS XHP.
Come on... You like it.
What's a few short screws to a guy who cuts sharpening notches. Making charts??? Thou doest protest too much Rob.
TheApostleP "miniscule" is a relative term in the world of OCD! ;-) But I hear ya... in the end mine wasn't enticing enough for me to keep it either (or the Seb was more so)...so I guess that must say something. :)
Haha. I know that's right! I had a fake Hinderer (not proud of that) that I carried for months. It was actually a pretty good knife but had the kind of problems that I couldn't deal with - Like lock up and crappy hardware (as would be expected) what I liked about the knife more than anything was the feel of it. This knife blows that knife away. That doesn't sound like such high praise but considering the price. This knife is a great deal. It feels great in hand and flips like butta. I would advise anyone wanting a budget Hinderer to buy this knife and de assist it, then send it to ApostleP to put an awesome edge on and replace the short screws and tiny washer ;)
Hey Rob! You should get paid by knife companies for your reviews! You are the most knowledgeable reviewer I've come across on youtube! Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Take care, Irène.
Melusine Centun Thanks Irene! I do appreciate the kind words. I'm not sure I'd be a very good paid spokesman, however. I like to be able to talk about the positive and negative aspects of the knives :)
Great vid apostle, wonderful comparison... Bring on the next vid
Removing the torsion bar makes this a much better knife. I de-assisted mine from day 1, and it's very smooth. I did replace the washer on the speedsafe side with a full sized washer. Kershaw sent me a couple for free. The thumb studs work great also.
Major faux pas, Iceman!!! It was your video I was remembering, not Patrick's.. I'll annotate accordingly. Btw, did the studs work well before de-assisting or was that a good side affect of the process?
TheApostleP Hard to remember, I've had the knife since they where released last year.
Did you need to do anything else before replacing with the biger washer or was it as simple as swaping out?
Thanks for the spreadsheet as it only made the benchmade 940 still reign supreme. In my humble opinion : ) Overbuilt is a good way of saying unnecessarily heavy. Thumb stud fail.
On a positive note that stonewashed blade looks good.
You were on the edge with sarcasm a few times, I could hear you keeping it well mannered : ) Hey it's not a KOA blade!
LOL! Stay tuned for P4 of the KOA saga... it just gets better and better :(
Hey, I don't mean to be rude, but is it possible that when you attempt to open the knife with the thumb studs you're pressing down on the frame? That is something I have seen others do. Regardless, excellent review.
No. You'll break your thumb, before you'll deploy it, with the blade stops "thumb studs". Even de-assisted I can't use mine as thumb studs.
Bought one in blackwash, removed the torsion bar and it's been a great manual flipper ever since.
I have a 0566 and once its de-assisted its a much better knife. And I agree, they should have used titanium instead of stainless steel. Who knows, maybe ZT wil listen to us and make a limited edition 0566. Really enjoy your videos BTW.
How much are you sharpening services and how would i go about having you sharpen my knives? Also, if you could only pic one, would you go with zt 0452cf (s-35) or zt 0562cf (204-p) and why would you make that choice. Thank you.
I carry the ZT0452cf as my EDT because it's nice and long, and very suited for EDC stuff. 4.1" blade that weighs only 4oz! I carry my ZT0562CF when I'm more likely to need a slightly more heavy duty blade for something. I love both, but for EDC the 452cf is almost 3oz lighter, and much slimmer in the pocket
what are your sharpening rates??
Love your vids and sharpening results...lil help please...i have the lansky diamond kit and a super sapphire stone also diff. Strops..how would u suggest i sharpen with them??? Ive done a few knives but when i clamp and pick angle i sharpen up and down accross the blade till i get burr..they come out razor sharp just dont get that mirror shine real clean at all???
You have to strop it with compound and the mirror age will occur
I think most of the issues you mention have been addressed on the 0566CF. You should review that one.
Nice review! I was all ready to pick one of these up, but decided to put a pre-order in for the new 0562CF so I could get m390. Hoping that one is "just right"
I think you're onto something :)
Best knife reviewer on the web, hands down, bar none.
The ZT 0566 is very similar, almost identical to Kershaw Cryo II BX. Both are designed by Hinderer
i'm wondering, do bearings reduce de stability of a knife? my concern is that you have less material for the blade to sit on, don't you?
Yannick Bislin In my estimation, they must reduce the stability of a knife. Versus phosphor bronze washers with hundreds of times the surface area, ball bearings lose big in that area.
I've been trying to pick out my first ZT and I think I found it. Wish it was in Ti though.
You, sir, are an artist: that edge is absolutely beautiful. I've got one of these on its way to me right now, and I was wondering how much for you to do your magic on its edge? Also, the next time you take one of these apart to sharpen/clean/grease/oil, could you make a vid? A LOT of us are buying this knife and we'd love to see you do your thing!
OK. just saw your sharpening service video!
Check out my video "TheApostleP Sharpening Service..." It tells you everything you need to know. But in short, for sharpening, disassembly, cleaning and lubrication, the ZT0566 costs $30 plus $6 for return postage, USPS Priority Mail. That price includes the $5 surcharge for Elmax and other low grindablity "super steels." I will try to do a disassembly maintenance video soon as well.
You're way ahead of me! Thanks for the kind words in your first comment, my friend!
Awesome! Still waiting to recieve my new ZT from blade hq
I got one of the poor quality control ones. New out of the box off centered blade and when properly adjusted the flipper wouldn't work. SAD!
Where does the 0562 fit in here. Would you prefer it to the 0566?
From watching his video on the 562 I'd say, "Yes."" He really likes the 562, except for minor flaws...aka...pivot screw. He also, likes the 550. Other than that he doesn't seem to care much for the Hinderer/ZT collaboration, that I've noticed.
"A real beast" My issue with them is when I look at the price point, there are Spyderco's I like better for comparable costs. If I did go crazy I would probably pop for a 0561. Or I could just get a Domino, right?
Absolutely :)
Or you could wait for a Zero Tolerance 0562 that's made in the USA, has a real carbon fiber scale, and has an even better M390 blade. Or, if you can live without a ball bearing pivot and flipper opening, the featherweight made in USA Benchmade 940-1 with full carbon fiber (real cf) handle and S90V blade is available now...
Or you could buy the Domino that comes from Taiwan with a faux carbon fiber scale and a CTS-XHP blade that might perform as well as domestically heat treated Elmax.
Sleeplessdawg Totally agree, the TZ 0562CF looks great and I actually have a 940-1 :D The Domino is not perfect, and the Taiwan thing doesnt bother me that much, still we all have our separate tastes.
Well I'm just a day late and a dollar short.
I also own Taiwan made Spydercos (including a Chaparral). I've found the quality, particularly the internal finish (which has caused serious corrosion issues), to not be up to the standard of Spyderco's US and Japan made folders. I also think that a knife made in Taiwan, presumably to reduce costs, should cost less than a comparable US made knife. That's not the case with the Domino. So, costs being equal or close to equal I'll support American manufacturing every time.
Zechs00GT The people that have issues with a knife being made in Taiwan should own or look at the Spyderco Sage. It is one of the best made knives which I own in terms of quality control and attention to details.
The 0566 kinda reminded me of the thermite, only with elmax, now it seems more along the new cryo I was one of the first to receive one under 300 in serial numbers and I ended up returning it. I was hoping this would be the hinder for me i waited almost a yr, The flipper was extremely stiff to deploy and the clip lost alot of coating. Thumb stub was a no way. Now i have my eyes set on the new 0562 hope this will be a winner but 135 for and elmax cryo, no way... Bummer
i love this knife,i have four,two in bw,two in satin,if zt made it in tiger stripe i would buy it
+TheApostleP
The studs are not supposed to be used to open The knife on This modell, they are acculy Only there as blade stoppers
For a 115 bucks this knife is great. I enjoy mine.
I bought one of these. Worked with it for a month trying to get it to open with he flipper. It improved from nearly impossible to painful in that time. Seriously, for the price of this I could've bought 5 Kershaw Cryo2's that open as smooth as butter. Sent the 0566 back for a refund.. Not impressed with my first ZT purchase.
I got the ZT 0566 a couple months back and when I got it, it was difficult (and somewhat painful) to open with the flipper. I was hoping it would get easier, but after 200+ deployments of the blade, nothing had changed. I made sure that when I was holding it, that I was not accidentally putting pressure on the lock, so that wasn't the issue. Needless to say, I was also very disappointed, so I sent it back to ZT for them to look it over and see if they could fix it. (I filled out the warranty form on their website to cover it.) I got it back two weeks later with no paperwork in the package (just the knife), so I have no idea what they did to it, but the difference was very clear the first time I used the flipper. It opened easily and smoothly and without pain to my finger. It's been great ever since and is now my favorite carry knife. I'm really glad I sent it back to ZT because I probably would have just sold it otherwise.
Apostle: "'A real beast, built like a tank, overbuilt in the USA'...yeah we get it."
LOL
So... why is an assist spring "stupid"??
Love you videos! I'm personally not a fan of assisted knives.....to each his own.
You put down everything. You made money sharpening the man's knife, then you proceed to pick apart the knife to no end. I'm sure this made Eric feel good. Your very talented at negativity. Your UA-cam handle fits. Have a good day.
Michael Mostardi take everything he says with a grain of salt.
The assisted opening killed it for me.
ZT must have listened to you. Just bought one in sv35vn! Enjoy your videos sir.
nice sharpening job!
The elmax, the design screw ups, the weights... I just can't warm up (yet) to ZT. The weights alone are a turn off. Too many ZT's could cause an island to tip over. : )
LOL! You should run for Congress, brother :)
ZT fixed their Elmax heat treat and sharpening problems long ago. Now you're getting a blade that has better edge retention than S30V or S35VN at the same hardness that's also much tougher. The so-called design screw ups are highly subjective.
A year removed from your review. Looking back, I wonder if you have any regrets.
Captain Sunday Looks like I'd better go watch it again...
+TheApostleP
I just de-assited mine in CF. It really feels like a way better knife now, no kidding.
I was wondering, did you get one?
the pivot actually uses ball bearings and mine was manual, I took it apart
Danton Faulkner then it wasn't a ZT0566.
TheApostleP it says 0566bw on the side so idk
Danton Faulkner Very interesting! It's either a new revision I don't know about or a fake. It would be a great revision!
TheApostleP it most certainly would be a great revision and I'm certain it's authentic, plus the action is great
I agree with your "perfect" design but screw the flipper. Thumb Stud only like the 0550.
After owning this knife for about a year I was about to post it for sale since I'd never really been happy with the action of the heavy spring and deassisting it resulted in sub-par flipping action. Then I got a crazy idea to try it deassisted using just the thumb studs. And it worked wonderfully. So I got rid of that pesky flipper tab.... Now it's almost a mini 0550...except for the tiny washer on the lock side, the Elmax, and the lack of titanium. But at least now I love it again. Made a short video if anyone wants to see.... ua-cam.com/video/lQWuR4YtUGs/v-deo.html
What's wrong with your thumbnail?
I purchased Zero Tolerance 0566. I own a Zero Tolerance 0561 and thought, hey great, a smaller Zero Tolerance 0561 that is spring assisted. What could go wrong? Well, the Zero Tolerance 0566 spring assistance just make this knife harder to close, it’s hard to open, and the frame lock is hard to disengage. I like Zero Tolerance knives, but I would highly recommend you not purchase a spring assisted Zero Tolerance knife, especially this one.
+Edward Valenti
It takes under to minutes to removed the torsion bar. The knife is way better manual.
+EasternGateGuardian ..Actually just loosening the pivot screw and oiling the mechanism made the knife perform perfectly. I just had to get a Torx screwdriver. I love Zero Tolerance knives and was surprised at the issues with this knife, but you are right and my problems were easily addressed.
This knife reminds me of a Chinese knock off but with "Elmax" steel with a way higher price point
Trying not to chuckle... :)
I have mine in s35vn
Can't love ZT.
No one's cares how you would build it. Don't see your name on the side of any premium knife. Cheers
Daniel That’s a strong bit of comedy there, Daniel! Dude with zero UA-cam videos scolds Knife reviewer with 27K subs and 800 videos for his presumptuous critique, while speaking for every viewer of this video. A bit ambitious, don’t you think?
TheApostleP ooooh expose him