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Top 25 Pocket Knives that are Indispensable: #21 Zero Tolerance 0562

July 18, 2016

TOP 25 POCKET KNIVES THAT ARE INDISPENSABLE: #21 Zero Tolerance 0562
Brought to you by KnifeCenter.com

In June, we took a survey to learn which pocket knives our readers believe should never be discontinued. Respondents were asked to name as many or as few pocket knife models as they wanted, and no brands or blades were off-limits. 404 respondents named a total of 268 models and the average respondent named 4.1 pocket knives. 21 out of 404 respondents said that the ZT0562 should never be discontinued.

The Rick Hinderer/KAI collaboration has proven to be one of the most fruitful relationships in the knife world today. The Cryo, a satisfying, budget-friendly Hinderer design, is one of the best-selling models Kershaw has ever made. But when Zero Tolerance released the 500 series in 2011, the company immediately expanded their high-end fan-base. The 0562 helped Zero Tolerance reset the bar for premium production knives, and established a new standard for machining, precision, and quality that few companies can match.

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Zero Tolerance, which has always positioned itself as a maker of American-made, overbuilt, hard-use tools for professionals, was the perfect partner for Rick Hinderer in the mainstream production knife world. They had the machining wizardry necessary to make collaborations that were in many ways true equals to the knives that inspired them.

The ZT0562 is particularly faithful to the Hinderer XM-18. The blade is the same size, the grind echoes the XM-18’s slicer configuration, and the weight is on par. ZT even made the clip a bespoke piece nearly identical to that on the XM-18. It has been argued that the ZT0562 may even improve on its inspiration, with a better flipping action and a lockbar insert for the titanium frame lock.

There are two flavors of the ZT0562. The standard model has a G-10 show side and Elmax steel. The ZT0562CF has a carbon fiber show side and CTS-204P steel, Carpenter’s M390 equivalent.

Visit KnifeNews tomorrow to find out which model is #20 on our list of the Top 25 Pocket Knives that are Indispensable.

Knife featured in image: Zero Tolerance 0562

#25 Microtech Ultratech 14/404
#24 Emerson CQC-7 15/404
#23 Victorinox Cadet 18/404
#22 Benchmade Adamas 20/404
#21 Zero Tolerance 0562 21/404
#20 Cold Steel Ti-Lite 24/404
#19 Opinel No. 8 25/404 
#18 Zero Tolerance 0350 28/404
#17 Cold Steel Voyager 30/404
#16 Case Trapper 41/404
#15 Ontario RAT Model 1 43/404
#14 Benchmade Mini Griptilian 53/404
#13 Spyderco Manix 2 54/404
#12 CRKT M16 57/404
#11 Kershaw Skyline 58/404
#10 Kershaw Blur 62/404
#09 Cold Steel Recon 1 63/404
#08 Spyderco Endura 4 70/404
#07 Chris Reeve Knives Large Sebenza 21 75/404
#06 Kershaw Leek 76/404
#05 Benchmade 940 78/404
#04 Spyderco Delica 4 79/404
#03 Benchmade Griptilian 81/404
#02 Buck 110 Folding Hunter 90/404
#01 Spyderco Paramilitary 2 94/404

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