Saturday Night Blade Porn: A ZT-Hinderer Collab

I've carried this knife for more than a year now to the exclusion of any other folder (well, anything I'm not reviewing). This will come as a tremendous shock to anyone familiar with Zero Tolerance Knives (ZT) and Rick Hinderer, but…this flipper is, in a word, impressive – even considering who designed and built it.

Made in the USA, using a KVT ball-bearing opening system and Ti frame lock, you can switch the “deep carry clip” around for left/right and tip up or down. You can also, of course, use either the flipper tab (or shark fin thingamawhatsit, as I like to call it) or ambi thumb-stud to open it up. It closes very easily too, even one-handed. The handle is 3-D machined G-1o with a titanium back and a BlackWash finish, with steel lockbar insert and lockbar stabilizer. The blade itself is ELMAX powdered steel with DLC coat. I carried mine tip down, right side until just a few weeks ago. After my recent opportunity to train with former CIA para-military Ed Lovette, I've rethought this method, however (more on that later).

All that sounds very technical. To summarize for those of you who, like me, often know what they like without necessarily understanding all the specs: This knife looks good, it feels good (the texture provides an excellent grip if your hands are sweaty or slick), and it's a beast. I ran over mine accidentally with my dad's truck once — long story — and, after an initial heart attack, was happy to find it survived unscathed.

This is not the first ZT knife I've reviewed — the folder built by ZT in collaboration with SKD Tactical was a very nice blade indeed; I gave it away as a gift to a member of the Gendarmerie when I was in Chamonix. I didn't regret the gift, but I did regret not having the knife. This ZT 0560 BW Hinderer Flipper more than makes up for its absence. It's definitely worth the $200 – $300 price (see below for caveat), though I will admit I typically carry a second, much less expensive “task knife” in my gear for those occasions where I don't want to risk harming the ZT (if that's even possible).

At this price point it will not be a knife for everyone (I've seen it range from $200 to $300 and much higher in various places online). In fact, at this price point I would not have bought one myself, at least not prior to having gone hands-on. I did not pay for this out of pocket. Full disclosure: I was fortunate enough to receive this as a review item from RECOIL (speaking of which, I suppose I should see if ZT wants it back…someday). That said, now that I've put it through its paces, I can honestly say I would buy another 0560BW to replace this one if, heaven help me, something happened to this one.

I've posted some pictures of my 0560BW in various places below (I think these are Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona). Further down is a video you might want to check out. That's all for now, go forth and conquer.

If you're interested, Gadgets'n'Gear did a thorough (and lengthy) review last year. Here's that video.

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