ZT 0393glcf--Talk me out of it

I guess I will just leave confused.

 

GITD is always cool.

My yojimbo.



Anyway, I liked the design of the 0393, but when I handled one, I was not impressed. The one I handled was a GLCF too. Could be I tried a bad example, not sure.

 

There are groups of individuals who test edge retention on knives. Some of them have tested a bunch of Kershaw 20CV and some ZT 20CV, and it didn't appear to perform any better for them than decent S35VN.

But don't just take random people's word on the internet on the performance; if you really want to find out, buy the ZT you want and do some comparative cutting tests. After being disappointed with how my ZTs were sharpening and holding up in casual use, I finally got around to testing my 0308 in 20CV and it didn't noticeably outperform a Spyderco Tenacious I had on hand under identical conditions in cardboard cutting tests.

 

Ive done it to nearly every zt or Kershaw I own. The only brand I've not had to reprofile almost immediately has been Spyderco.

 

We can do things to keep our inner child happy without being immature. Being mature isn't the same as being a "fuddy duddy stick-in-the-mud". In some ways, it's easier and much safer to have more fun, the more mature you are!

 

Well, knives usually aren't for prying, which is how I see most tips broken. Sometimes you cut into something and hit something hard and the tip snaps. It's possible to have a slicey edge and a strong tip, but like anything else there are trade offs. I think one of the best examples I have of a grind like that is the spanto grind on my Chinese Kershaw Thermite. It's actually pretty thin stock, hollow ground except for the tip. If it were made out of better materials it would be a really tough knife. As it is, I bent one leaning against something! Bought a 2nd and had to swap the blade out because of lock rock. It was cheap though. If hinderer spantos were ground like that Kershaw it would probably be almost perfect.

Spydies are all about performance though. Some say they are still too thick behind the edge, but all of mine, including my shamans, cut so effortlessly.

 

I avoid ball-bearing knives. Phosphor bronze is pretty much self cleaning and can be very smooth when polished.

 

The Spydercos I've gotten recently have been thin grinds, but very uneven. Typically one side around 17 degrees and the other around 20.

 

A relative once said to me "Men have children so they can play with toys again."

I can't have kids, but I still collect stuff that could be called (and sometimes are) toys. Before disability, I used my income from work to collect all sorts of stuff. With the nephews over almost every weekend, Nerf swords and guns are the go too, and I'm glad I had a collection already (which has grown exponentially with 3 nephews).

There are other knives with GITD scales, and like with my Yojimbo, you can always get custom ones.

 

I've seen these...if its non triway im gonna cream my jeans

 

For me, one thing I like about the 393 is that it has a frame lock but still has scales on both sides. The GITD looks cool, but you don’t get the grippy g10 scales on both sides. If that isn’t a concern though, the cf scales certainly look great.

 

Buy it

 

My response may surprise you.
1. you already like the ZT line, so buy it. I have one or two of the 350 and I don't carry them - too heavy. I wear running shorts all day and now it 8 p.m. and I still am wearing shorts.
2. I like the 3.5 inch length. At the front door, I currently have 4-5 Spyderco Enduras in a basket in the same blade length. I buy them used and broken and restore them or modify them. A few months ago, I bought a closeout of kershaw 3655s at a delivered price of under $25 each, including tax. So there were that model in the basket by the door a while back.
3. The old mantra is that you go with what you have on you. So, if you looked in the suitcases, the windbreakers, the coats, you won't find a $280 knife. You won't find any of Benchmades. They are all Kershaw or Endura blades.

 

My GLCF no longer glows. Scale swapped, the new scales improve the feel, great in hand. Here it is with a couple other ZT’s.

I’d say buy it, you won’t regret it.

 

I cannot honestly say one should not buy a ZT unless they would be bankrupt because of the expense.