RECOIL OFFGRID Gear Zero Tolerance Gets Snappy – Checking out the ZT 0512
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Zero Tolerance (ZT) Knives was founded in 2006. Over the last couple of decades, they’ve earned a reputation for producing hard use knives. While they were originally focused on the law enforcement and military markets, civilians quickly got their grubby mitts on these overbuilt blades and were suitably impressed.
By 2010 or so, ZT Knives recognized that their intended audience had expanded greatly, and their offerings did so as well. Today, ZT Knives is known as a premium knife company that produces high-quality, robust cutting tools that are pretty much bombproof.
Now the thing is that when you use terms like overbuilt and robust when discussing knives, there’s a tendency to imagine chunky, even clunky, designs. Handles that look like you could use one to smash apart a cinder block, that sort of thing. ZT has found ways to sidestep that issue entirely and deliver knives that are tough as nails, but also sleek and handsome.
The ZT 0512 is a perfect example of that combination. It’s a beast, but one that’s always under your control.
The ZT 0512 is a side-opening automatic knife. With the blade fully deployed, the knife stretches 8.0 inches even. The blade is 3.45 inches long, giving it a closed length of 4.55 inches. The handle is 0.53-inch thick. While the ZT website indicates the weight of the 0512 to be 4.4 ounces, on my scale it’s 4.2 ounces. For perspective, that’s about the same as two C batteries.
The handle is an interesting design, with one side natural canvas micarta and the other titanium. The micarta has been left just a little rough, rather than polished. While the scales are flat, the handle is shaped such that it provides a comfortable and secure grip. A bronze-anodized spacer adds some visual pop along the back of the handle.
Looking at the micarta side of the handle, you’ll see a small bronze button. That’s where the fun begins. Pressing it snaps the blade into position, and it does so with considerable authority. The button is fairly recessed to reduce the risk of accidental openings. I’ve been carrying the 0512 off and on for several weeks and I’ve had zero worries about it opening in my pocket.
The 0512’s blade is a clip point design. It’s CPM Cru-Wear with a dark bronze Cerakote coating to provide additional protection from corrosion. Cru-Wear is a great knife steel, known for toughness, edge retention, and overall hardness. The blade is razor-sharp right out of the box. Having owned a few other ZT knives previously, this was no surprise.
The deep carry pocket clip is reversible, allowing for right- or left-side carry. Either way, the knife is tip up in the pocket.
I’ve long had an affinity for automatic knives, and I’ve enjoyed every other ZT knife I’ve had, so I knew going in that the 0512 was likely to be a home run.
The action on the knife is incredible. You have to push the deployment button with a little force, which I presume is a safety feature. But when the blade swings out, it does so remarkably fast and hard. Once open, it locks into place. There is zero wiggle front to back or side to side. While no knife lock should be considered perfect, the lockup on the 0512 comes about as close as I’ve ever seen.
Releasing the blade to close it uses the same button. Press it and fold the blade closed manually. There’s just a bit of resistance as the blade closes.
I love the micarta scale on the obverse or front side of the handle. Now granted, I’m a sucker for natural canvas micarta to begin with. I particularly like it when it’s left a little raw, so there’s some discernable texture with it. It looks almost vintage, which I think is really cool. I’ve had one or two knives from Kershaw that similar handles. Given that ZT Knives and Kershaw are both part of the same company, that makes sense I suppose. The micarta gives the 0512 some additional visual appeal while also augmenting the grip security.
This is a fairly large pocket knife, though it is both smaller and lighter than the venerable Buck 110 Folding Hunter. Make no mistake, it fills the hand. But at the same time, it handles like a dream. The weight lends a sense of solidity rather than feeling like an anchor dragging your hand down. I don’t know that I’d go so far as to say the 0512 entirely replaces the need for a fixed blade when you’re in the field, but it can sure do an awful lot of the same work.
The Cerakote coating is there for corrosion-resistance, but it also gives the blade a cool appearance. It has a matte finish, so it serves to give it a tactical look, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Over the last several weeks, I’ve used the 0512 to process countless cardboard boxes, slice up fruit and vegetables in the kitchen and on the trail, and do some carving and whittling. The blade remains incredibly sharp. The jimping on the spine feels great under the thumb when you’re carving, giving you a bit of added control. There is a slight swedge on the spine but it isn’t anywhere near sharp enough to cause problems if you’re applying pressure there with your index finger while doing detail work.
I’ve opened and closed the knife well over a thousand times at this point. The mechanism has never even come close to failing. The blade deploys just as reliably now as it did when I first took the knife from the box.
Once upon a time, possessing an automatic knife could lead to serious legal issues if it were discovered by law enforcement. Today, many areas of the United States have loosened those restrictions. There are far more jurisdictions where carrying an auto knife is legal than areas where it’s still verboten.
However, it pays to do your homework. You can start with the American Knife & Tool Institute (www.akti.org/state-laws-regarding-automatics/). They maintain a very accurate database on such restrictions.
I can’t recommend the ZT 0512 highly enough. It gets five stars all around. This is a genuine workhorse, and one that has zero quit in it. This is the type of knife that from the moment you pick it up, you’re looking for something to cut or slice. It just wants to be put to work. This isn’t a safe queen. Instead, it’s more like the handyman who knows how to fix anything and won’t rest until the job is done.
Jim Cobb is a nationally recognized authority on disaster readiness, as well as a lifelong knife nut. He has been involved with preparedness for nearly 40 years and has developed a reputation for his common-sense approach to the subject. In addition to his numerous books and several hundred magazine articles, Jim is one of the co-hosts of the How to Survive 2025 podcast. He offers a free weekly newsletter called The Survival Weekly Dispatch (https://jimcobb.substack.com/).
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