Zero Tolerance 0450CF; Folding Knife with 3.25” DLC-Coated S35VN Stainless Steel Blade, All-Black Carbon Fiber and Titanium Handle Scales, KVT Ball-Bearing Opening, Frame Lock, Pocketclip; 2.45 OZ.

Very sleek, beautiful knife & a fantastic EDC. (Thoughts comparing the ZT0450CF to the Kershaw Leek CF)I had originally bought a carbon fiber Kershaw Leek and was pretty satisfied by it, however there were a couple of things that left me wanting more after using it. One: the style of the Leek was attractive, but not quite as appealing or eye-catching as I was hoping for. The quality of the Leek is not in question, it is a very good knife overall, but I wanted something that would ultimately be my Every Day Carry. Two: the action (both opening and closing) was not to my satisfaction. The Leek is an assisted open, which I found to be a little bit too jolting. The torsion bar used for the assisted opening system also provided an additional drawback to the closing/folding of the blade, which left me wanting. Closing the knife is doable with one hand, but I prefer a much easier one-handed close. So those two things in mind, I decided to look into the ZT line up and to try out the 0450CF. I ordered it and once I received it, within a day of using the ZT0450CF, I knew I had a replacement EDC.So first off the build quality, pretty equal to the Kershaw Leek, except for the blade is a more premium steel, S34VN (ZT) vs CPM154 (Kershaw). This is a relatively minor thing anyway, both are good and for EDC's you can't go wrong with even the Leek. I prefer the black DLC coating of the 0450CF, but that's a matter of simple preference. Looking at the alignment, the blade closes and is perfectly centered in the handle, as well.Next is the opening system. Despite being a manual open, the 0450 is buttery smooth at opening. Really, it's as easy as the assisted open system with the Leek. The benefit to me though, is not having that spring-loaded thrust. The 0450 opens easily from any angle with the push of the flipper tab. And it's this easy to open right out of the box.Then when closing the 0450, that is where it really sold me. Right out of the box, I was able to press the frame lock with my thumb, begin closing the blade with my index finger, move my thumb out of the way and nudge the blade a little more with my index finger and it would close the rest of the way on its own. Super, super smooth, super fast, and easy one-handed close. The Leek would require my index finger and then sometimes my thumb to finish guiding the blade all the way to the closed position due to the torsion bar's tension.I also really like the green standoffs of the 0450CF. It gives just enough splash of color accent to the dark, stealthy knife.There are a couple things that I do like about the Leek slightly more than the 0450. The first one is the lock-type. I like the liner lock of the Leek as opposed to the frame lock with the 0450, but that's simply a preference and only really affects the outward appearance of the knife itself. The second is the flipper tab. I think the flipper tab on the ZT0450 is a little too aggressive-looking. I think a slightly smaller tab could have sufficed. I also like that the pocket clip is able to be flipped from the blade tip down (stock) to a tip up orientation. I prefer the tip up, which is the only option for the ZT0450, but it's nice to have the option.It's also worth mentioning, that the 0450 comes in an unusually large size box for the knife size, whereas the Leek comes in a slender, much more ideal-sized box for the knife. Just a little bit of an oddity that I think could be improved upon by ZT.The blade itself came pretty sharp-- sharp enough to cut through paper, but not glide through the slice smoothly. Your mileage may vary on the sharpness of the blade, but mine wasn't incredibly sharp.Overall though, the ZT0450 is the winner as my EDC. It's a tougher pill to swallow since it's more than double the price (almost triple) of the Kershaw Leek, but to me it is worth it. As something that will be with me practically all day, every day, the material upgrade, the look of the knife, the feel, it's just worth the premium.

With a plethora of Benchmade knives in my collection; I went out on a limb. ZT? What is ZT? I have Zero Tolerance for an expensive EDC or any high quality blade that falls short of being high quality in aesthetics, form and function. After reading many reviews on the ZT 0450CF and having never seen a ZT outside of a glass case let alone having never handled one I went ahead and purchased my first ZT sight unseen. A blind date that's turning awfully fast into an exquisite love affair with my new EDC. While many have referred to this knife as being too small; I have to say it's on the smaller side but definitely not too small. I'm 6'1 and have reasonably large hands. This knife is constructed of carbon fiber on one side, titanium on the other, steel on the friction point of the locker and a blade made of S35VN steel which is honed razor sharp right out of the box. It's priced slightly less than a comparable benchmade if there was such a match and I think it's an awesome lightweight purposeful everyday carry that's easy to open with action that nearly feels like it's equipped with auto assist (it's not). It can easily be opened and closed with one hand. If you're like me and have become accustomed to the Benchmade axis lock and thumb bump opener then you will have a short adaptation period but will find that opening this knife with your pointer finger is easy and the opening action is like I said strong fast and locks right in place. As far as closing it, well that takes a little more getting used to and was nearly a turn off until I opened my mind to something more of a Spyderco lock system. You get used to it and find that the look feel and quality of this mighty little carrier all far outweigh any hesitation or resistance to change that you may have. Love this knife and I'm pleased to have it in the collection. Disclaimer: I do not have any affiliation with ZT, Benchmade or any other knife company. I'm just a happy new owner sharing my thoughts!