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6 Minutes with Designer of the ZT0900 Les George

August 11, 2015

One of the perks of collaborating with a world class knife maker is you can tap into some of their valuable time – even if it’s only for 6 minutes. This was the case when Zero Tolerance sat down with Les George, designer of the recently released ZT0900 and relayed questions posed by knife people via social media.

Les offers the perspective of a world class knife maker who produces a wide range of knives from tactical daggers to gentleman’s folders and fixed blades to automatics.  He is also in tune with the needs of the user having spent 10 years in the United States Marine Corps.

In the interview, designer of the ZT 0900 Les George:

  • Explains why his favourite steel is CTS-XHP:  “I don’t know how many pallets and tires they chopped up or deer they cut up – at the end I ended up giving the knife back to Crucible and the steel was a really good steel and it was easy to work”
  • Provides advice for up and coming knife makers:  “Stop. There comes a point where .. you gotta let that one go and move on to the next one or else you’ll just keep tuning on it .. until it’s ruined”.
  • Discusses why he is fascinated by daggers: “the swiss army knives and the multi-tools do a thousand things not very well .. daggers are simple in their intent .. there’s only one thing they’re good for.”

What’s the biggest hurdle the knife maker has faced?  “Time management, especially when you’re a one man show – managing your time is the most important part.”

 

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