Knife Review: Zero Tolerance 0920BLUBLK Flipper Knife [Sprint Run]

The Zero Tolerance 0920BLUBLK Flipper Knife [Sprint Run]

Zero Tolerance says, “ZERO TOLERANCE FOR ANYTHING LESS THAN THE BEST

We will continue to build the kind of premium-quality, professional knives that our customers can depend on every single day.”

Zero Tolerance is a brand of Kai USA Ltd. The ZT brand first made its appearance in 2006 when they saw a place in the market for a Made-in-USA line of hard-use knives that would meet the needs of professionals in the military and law enforcement, as well as other first responders, such as firefighters and emergency medical personnel.

The initial products were combat knives, but since that time, the line has expanded to include a variety of general use and premium knives. From larger and heavier outdoor knives to slimmer and lighter everyday carrying knives that are built to ZT's high-performance standards, ZT knives always provide knife owners with top-of-the-line quality.

ZT says that they are “proudly overbuilt.” Zero Tolerance Knives are manufactured of premium materials such as S30V, S35VN, or CTS-204P blade steel and G10, titanium, and carbon-fiber handle scales. Operation is conspicuously smooth and ZT fit and finish is second to none. Their customers have described ZTs as a “real beast” and—proudly—"overbuilt." All ZTs are built in their Tualatin, Oregon USA manufacturing facility by our most skilled workers.

ZT is also a brand of Kai USA Ltd. Kai USA Ltd., the makers of Zero Tolerance Knives, is a member of the Kai Group. Kai is a major manufacturer and distributor of disposable razors, surgical tools, personal care products, and housewares in Japan.

Today we will be discussing the ZT 0920BLUBLK Flipper Knife, which is a Sprint Run. This does mean that quantities are going to be limited, so you will want to act fast with this one.

The Blade:

The blade has been made out of CPM-20CV stainless steel. This is made by Crucible, who are known for making high end steels for high end knives. I would count this steel as a premium or even an upper-end premium steel.

This steel is considered to be Crucible’s M390 steel. This is a Powder Metallurgy tool steel, which means that it is going to give you a good combination of wear resistance as well as edge retention. Plus, the steel is also incredibly corrosion resistant because of how much chromium it has in the steel.

When Crucible describes this steel, they say, “CPM 20CV is a unique tool steel made by the Crucible Particle Metallurgy Process. It is a martensitic stainless steel with a high volume of vanadium carbides for exceptionally good wear resistance. CPM 20CV contains the highest amount of chromium of any high vanadium stainless steel currently available. The chromium rich matrix provides outstanding corrosion resistance. CPM 20CV an excellent steel for plastic injection feed screws, barrel liners, screw tips and mold cavities, especially for plastic resins which contain abrasive fillers.”

This is just explaining how high-end the steel really is. It is crazy corrosion resistant, has crazy high levels of wear resistance, and basically, gives everything that you could want from a blade steel.

They describe the CPM process by saying, “The CPM process results in a finer, more uniform carbide distribution imparting improved toughness and grindability to highly alloyed steels. The CPM process also alloys for the design of more highly alloyed grades which cannot be produced by conventional steelmaking.”

Really, what this does is enhance the rest of the blade formation. All of the good qualities are made better when the steel has gone through the CPM process.

The blade has been finished in a black DLC coating. This stands for Diamond-Like Carbon coating, which is renowned as one of the best coatings that you can find on a blade. This coating is known for being pitch-black, which means that there are going to be no glares or reflections. However, that is not why it is such a sought-after blade finish. The real reason is because of how incredibly hard it is. This is the hardest blade coating that you are going to find, which means that it is not going to chip or wear off with time or hard use.

This coating is also applied through a PVD process, which means that it is chemically deposited on the steel when it is in vapor form. This means that it is going to be an even coating, which will make your slicing much smoother. It also means that it is not going to scratch off easily at all.

The blade on the 920 has been carved into a modified clip point blade shape. The blade is modified because it has a scooped spine, top swedge, and a slight recurve for cutting versatility. I’ll go into detail about what that all means.

The spine starts off extending straight out of the handle. It has a row of thicker jimping, which will provide you with a little bit more control, which can be needed, because the handle does not offer as much grip as it could. Right after this row of jimping, the blade actually swoops down, with a slow curve. This section looks as if the entire portion has been cut out of the spien of the blade. This will cut down on weight slightly, which can be needed on such a large knife. Then, the blade extends like any clip point would, with a slight angle that goes downward. This leads to a few things. For starts, the point is lowered, which is going to give you the control that you want out of a knife like this. In fact, it will give you enough control that you would be able to perform fine detail work with this ZT.

The lowered point also creates a fine and sharp point. This is one of the defining characteristics of a clip point blade shape. The fine and sharp tip lead to less drag, which in turn, is what allows this blade shape to excel at piercing. Of course, because it is a finer tip, you do have to be a little bit careful when it comes to what targets you are piercing. If you are piercing into a harder target, the tip may break, because it is not as durable as a drop point would be.

The next feature that makes the clip point such a great option is the large belly. This helps to excel at slicing. Of course, this modified version of the clip point does have a slight recurve to it, which means that near the base of the blade, the curve actually goes inward. This will help you further excel at slicing.

The Handle:

The handle on this sprint run is made out of titanium. Titanium is a very common high-end knife handle material because it is very durable. It is considered a lightweight metal alloy. This is the same as aluminum, although titanium is significantly heavier than aluminum. With a smaller knife like this one, the extra weight provides a little extra heft along with a lot of extra strength. Titanium also offers the highest rust resistance of any metal. This is an advantage because it keeps the maintenance time down significantly on this knife.

The titanium on the 920 has been anodized blue. The anodization process is unique because it doesn’t just add the nice color into it. It also extends the life of the handle considerably, because it chemically changes the surface of the titanium. It creates a more durable, stronger, and even more corrosion resistant material than the titanium normally would be.

The handle does have a medium-sized finger groove right after the finger guard. The finger guard is thick, but not as long as some. That being said, the flipper is going to enhance the finger guard. Near the butt of the handle, there is a lanyard hole.

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip on the 920 is not a deep carry clip, which can be a slight disadvantage. This does mean that it is not going to be quite as secure or snug inside of your pocket as it could be. That being said, it is a larger pocket clip, which should help keep it secure inside of your pocket. While it is not a deep carry, you should not have too many massive issues with it.

The pocket clip is reversible, because it can be attached on either side of the handle, allowing you to carry it either left or right handed. This is an advantage, because you will be able to carry it in the most comfortable way for yourself, which also mean that gaining access to it will be incredibly easy. You should have less fumbling with this ZT, because of how it is reversible. That being said, the clip can only be attached for tip up carry, which is the less-safe way to carry a pocket clip. This is because if the knife does accidentally come open inside of your pocket, the tip will be the closest thing to your hand, putting you in a more vulnerable position. Of course, this is a Zero Tolerance knife, so it should not accidentally open. ZT is a high-quality brand, so the knife should not be malfunctioning.

The clip is black, as are the screws that hold it in place. These match the blade as well as the rest of the hardware on this knife.

The Mechanism:

This is a flipper knife, which does mean that it is a manual knife that you open by using the flipper. The benefits of a manual knife mostly have to do with legality. Manual knives are legal in a lot more areas than automatic knives are. Of course, it is going to be harder to open a manual knife than it would be with an automatic.

The flipper is a small piece of the blade that protrudes out of the spien of the handle when the knife is closed. You pull back on the flipper to open the knife, which does swing the blade open, locking it into place, ready for use. The flipper is going to take a couple of attempts to really get down, but once you do get it down, it is nearly as easy the thumb stud.

The Specs:

The blade on this ZT measures in at 3.9 inches long, which is pretty standard. The handle on the 920 measures in at 5.1 inches long, which means that when the blade is deployed, the overall knife is going to measure in at 9 inches long. This is a little bit on the longer side, with most pocket knives not going over 9 inches long. I would say the standard is between 7 and 8 inches long.

The added length that you get with this sprint run, along with the titanium handle does mean that it is going to weigh a little more than your standard pocket knife as well. For reference, the sweet spot for an EDC is between 3 and 5 ounces. This knife weighs in at 5.5 ounces. This means a couple of things. The first is that it is going to give you the heft hat you need to feel confident with the knife. However, it also means that you are definitely going to feel this knife when you have it in our pocket. It is not going to weigh you down, per say, but it is no going to be one of the knives that you can quickly forget that you have until the moment that you need it.

This ZT is proudly made in the United States of America.

Conclusion:

This limited Sprint Run folder model features blue anodized handle scales and a modified clip point style blade in a DLC black finish.

Modeled after the Les George designed Harpy, the Zero Tolerance 920 boasts a design that is clean, functional and practical. The blade has a scooped spine, top swedge and slight recurve for cutting versatility while the handle designs sports weight-relieving pockets to keep the overall weight to as little as possible.

This knife is currently in stock at BladeOps. However, because it is a sprint run, the quantities are going fast. Click here to shop this knife and other sprint runs now.