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.

Though it's almost a little crazy to spend this much on a pocket knife (I realize they get far more expensive, but still - from an average person's perspective), the knife you'll get is pretty much perfect.The materials are high quality and it's assembled very well. With the knife I got anyway, fit and finish were flawless, and the blade came reasonably sharp out of the box.The handle is solid titanium on the lock bar side (with a protective steel insert where the lock bar meets the harder blade steel, which also functions as a lock bar overtravel stop) and a nice solid carbon fiber scale on the "presentation" side. The blade steel is S35VN, which in my experience of regular use seems to hold an edge pretty well (mind you, I only use my knife for normal things - I don't run around cutting down trees with it or anything).It's incredibly light, yet very solidly built, and if you're honest, a 3.25 inch blade is more than adequate for the vast majority of the tasks you you might expect to perform on a daily basis. The blade deploys reliably and smoothly with a well-designed flipper and ZT's bearing system. Maybe this is just my perception, but the detent seems less stiff than on the solid titanium version of this knife (also very nice, but I like this one better!), and the blade flies out with ease every time. I work in a warehouse, and it frequently gets used for things like cutting cardboard, twine, plastic wrap, tape, opening containers, etc. I have every reason to suppose that it will do its job well for a long time to come. For those who may be concerned, the black DLC coating is holding up extremely well so far. It's clearly far more than just paint. Ergonomically, it's well designed too. At least for my medium-sized hands, it fits well, and is comfortable to use, even when used moderately heavily.Though I was hesitant to spend so much money on what is essentially a luxury, this knife is honestly a great pleasure to handle and use, and I have no regrets. Utilitarian purpose aside, it also has great aesthetic appeal. The lime green stand-offs don't hurt.One final tip: if I had to come up with a fault with this knife, it might be the pocket clip. The clip it ships with functions perfectly well, but I personally prefer a deep carry clip. The clip on the ZT0560BW fits this knife perfectly, and matches the color as well. If you contact ZT and ask for a ZT0560BW clip, they'll send you one. I think it holds the knife in my pocket more securely, and also more discreetly.Overall an awesome knife. It would be unreasonable for me to expect something so nice for less money, but price is the only real downside to this knife.