I just got a ZT/Rick Hinderer 0550. It’s a lovely knife.
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| What a great looking knife, a great handle and a very nice blade. Too bad for ZT. |
At least I thought so until I went to open it.
I thought I was going to bust my right thumb pushing on the
opening stud. I changed to my left thumb. Still no joy.
The knife remained sealed shut.
No, there’s no lock.
Just grab the blade anywhere and it pops open. But you’ll snap the bone in your thumb if you
try to force it open using the opening stud. I am so surprised about this considering the
reputation Zero Tolerance has for quality knives.
It’s hard to sell a tactical knife you can’t open with one
hand, so I called my distributor.
They didn’t want to believe me. They sell a lot of ZTs and they never had
opening trouble before.
“Tell you what,” Bob said.
“I’ll go out to the warehouse and get one and call you back.”
Five minutes later my phone rings.
“You know what the problem is?” It was Bob back from the warehouse. I expected to be told I was holding the knife
wrong, or it just needed a touch of oil, or I didn’t use the super-secret
unlock feature.
“Damn stud is in the wrong position! I can’t get it open either if I hold the
knife in the regular grip.”
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| The ZT 0550 is a tactical knife that can't be opened tactically.... NYC would love it!! |
At least it wasn’t me.
“If I hold the knife low in my hand and come at the stud
from the 6:45 pm position and press sideways while I jump up and land on my
left foot, assuming you’re right handed…..”
I kind of zoned out on the rest of the opening ritual.
Huh, no. This isn’t going to work. It’s going back. So if you’re thinking of buying a Zero Tolerance
Hinderer 0550, make sure you can return
it. Unless you like jumping onto your
left foot to open a knife.
