Knife Review: Zero Tolerance Sprint Run 0920TTS

The Zero Tolerance 0920TTS 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 0920TTS 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 with a tiger stripe finish. This is one of the more unique blade finishes that you are going to come by. It is unique enough to catch people’s eye as you use the knife, but it is not so flashy that it is going to steal the attention away from the rest of the sleek knife.

The tiger stripes go down the length of the blade in alternating grey and black curved stripes. Underneath the jimping, near the end of the spine, “ZT” and the logo have been stamped in a lighter grey.

Again, the tiger stripe pattern is one of the many things that sets this sprint run apart from the other version of the 0920.

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 handle has been anodized a dark tan. While the tan color is a nice addition to the 0920, the color is not the best part of the anodization process. The anodization process actually changes the surface of the titanium in a chemical way. It works to make the titanium harder, tougher, stronger, and even more corrosion resistant. ZT boasts that they have some of the highest quality knives on the market, due to the high-quality materials that they use. Titanium is already a fantastic material; the anodization process simply takes it to the next level.

The shape of the handle is borderline-basic. There is a thick finger guard, but not a long one. That being said, the flipper does act as a safety mechanism and enhance the finger guard. There is a finger groove as well, which is pretty standard in size. Near the butt of the handle, there is a lanyard hole that should be big enough for the majority of your lanyards.

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 pocket clip is tan, which matches the handle very well. It is kept in place by three black screws, which do match the rest of the hardware on this knife. The clip has been slightly skeletonized, which does help to cut down on some weight. With a titanium handle, any weight that can be cut out is important. In the middle of the clip, “ZT” has been stamped.

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 version of the 0920 measures in at 3.9 inches long, with a handle that measures in at 5.1 inches long. This means that the overall length of the knife, when the blade has been deployed is going to come in at 9 inches long. This is on the larger end of the spectrum, although with a tactical knife like this one, it is going to give you all the versatility that you could want.

With the added length and the titanium handle, this is going to weigh in at a higher weight. This knife does weigh in at 5.5 ounces. Of course, it would weigh in at a higher number, except that the handle has weight-relieving pockets, which do help to keep the overall weight down. This knife was made in the United States of America.

Conclusion:

This limited Sprint Run folder model features tan anodized handle scales and a modified clip point style blade in a tiger stripe 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.

Click here to purchase this version of the 0920 as well as other sprint runs.