While visiting Shot Show, I was fortunate enough to stop by the ZT booth and handle several of these new knives. The one that stood out to me was the sophisticated Zero Tolerance 0450CF, with its striking carbon fiber front handle. For its weight, carbon fiber is stronger than steel and is downright sexy. I’ve spent half of my life in some sort of wheeled racing machine and have grown an affinity for this dark matter. To keep weight at a minimum, the back half of the handle is made from Titanium, another lightweight space-age material. The published weight is 2.72oz however, I recorded 2.4oz on several different scales.
The blade is a compact version of a Dmitry Sinkevich design and cut from S35VN steel, a very tough, wear resistant material that’s easy to resharpen. Both the blade and the Titanium handle are further coated with a black Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) continuing it’s stealthy look.
Although the 0450CF doesn’t use the same SpeedSafe assisted opener that I’ve come to love on my daily carry Zero Tolerance 0350, it does employ a buttery smooth KVT ball-bearing opening system. Due to the lightweight nature of the Zero Tolerance 0450CF’s blade, there is no need for a spring assisted opener. The blade locks securely into place with the slightest effort on the built-in flipper lever.
Tech Specs: (courtesy of ZT Knives)
- Made in the USA
- KVT ball-bearing opening system
- Flipper
- Reversible clip (left/right)
- Titanium frame lock, hardened steel lockbar insert
- Steel: S35VN, DLC coating
- Handle: Carbon fiber front, titanium back
- Blade length: 3.25 in. (8.3 cm)
- Closed length: 4.1 in. (10.4 cm)
- Overall length: 7.4 in. (18.8 cm)
- Weight: 2.7 oz. (76.5 g) I measured 2.4 oz on my sample
- MSRP: $225.00
- More info here
Another cool feature of the Zero Tolerance 0450CF are the two aluminum tube spacers anodized in a contrasting emerald green. I’ve always liked the ability to customize my Oakley’s when ordering a pair of shades. Maybe a full pallet of colors for the tube spacers is something ZT would consider offering for their customers at some point. One can dream…
This is a great knife tipping the scales at less than half the weight of my ZT 0350, yet retaining the same 3.25″ blade and a similar overall length. The slender shape of the Zero Tolerance 0450CF is a perfect choice for a gentleman, combining sophistication, stealth and technology. If James Bond were to carry a pocket knife, the ZT 0450CF would be a solid choice.
