The ZT0360.SKD is a collaborative effort between SKD Tactical and Zero Tolerance knives. It’s based on the popular ZT 0350 but with a blade that’s 30% lighter, and is an SKD Tactical exclusive with each blade featuring a unique 3-digit serial number.
Lone Wolf Knives in Portland, Oregon, is the manufacturer of high-quality, semi-custom hunting, utility and tactical knives. Lone Wolf produces knives of their own design, as well as collaborations with well-known custom knife designers and makers. Specializing mostly in folding knives, Lone Wolf has some very unique folders in their product line.
The Benchmade Model 615 Mini-Rukus (available from AFMO.com) is the little brother to the hefty full-sized Rukus axis-lock folder. ‘Little’ is a relative term, as the Mini-Rukus is more of a medium sized folder than a ‘mini’, with its 3.40″ blade and 5.10″ closed length. Its two-tone handle and finger grooves give it an appealing look that caught my eye.
Custom Knives is a one-man custom knife shop run by Spencer Alan Reiter (hence the ‘SAR’), a full time soldier stationed at Ft. Polk, LA. He currently works are the Joint Readiness Training Center as an Observer/Controller training soldiers in the fight against terrorism. Knife-making is currently a part time committment for Spencer, who experiments with different designs and materials, but he’d eventually like to make it his full time business. If you visit his website, you’ll see that some of his designs are quite unique and imaginative, and deviate from the norm. One of his newest creations is featured here – the SARclops.
If the Pocket Pry Bars from CountyComm are too big, take a look at their Pocket Widgy Bar and Micro Widgy Bar. These dimunitive pry bars will fit just about anywhere – and are designed just like the pry bars shown above, only without the L-Bend. They have the have nail puller slots and holes, and are made of steel. The Pocket Widgy Bar (larger one) is 4.1″ long and the Micro Widgy Bar is 3″ long. Both are 0.5″ wide. They each have a key-ring hole at the end of the handle. Just like the larger pry bars, these are useful for pulling nails, staples etc when you don’t want to damage a knife blade or have a screwdriver handy.
Strider Knives, in San Marcos, CA, need no introduction to those who appreciate the best in hard-use cutting tools. Shown here is a DB, with modified G10 Gunner grips from a Mod 10 instead of cord wrapping on the handle, making it a DB-GG. Strider does not currently offer the gunner grips as an option the DB (but they do offer gunners on some models), or for replacement – this was one was done up partly as an experiment to gage interest in the grips (which has been very positive so far). Note that the dimples on the Strider knife gunners are more ‘diamond-shaped’ instead of the circular ones on the 1911 Simonich/Strider gunner grips. Flat G10 scales with ridges are an option on the DB, though, if you want G10 handles instead of the standard cord wrapping.
Another good value offered by CountyComm are their Pocket Pry Bars. They come as a set – one small and one large. They’re U.S.-made, forged out of tool steel with a bead blasted finish. The small bar is 5.5″ long and 0.5″ wide. The large one is 6″ long and 1″ wide. They each have two usable ends, each with a beveled nail slot. The long ends also have nail puller holes.
I’ve illustrated some of the uses below, and how the features are used. The beveled ends are sharp enough to dig and get under the heads of nails, staples etc, and the nail slots or holes can be used to pry them out. Which slot is used depends on where you get your leverage. Used as mini-pry bars, they can be used for all sorts of prying tasks instead of a screwdriver – opening paint cans, etc. The L-bend gives you more leverage and options than a screwdriver, and since they’re flat, they can be inserted deeper into gaps.
KAI USA Ltd., the company that manufacturers Kershaw Knives, introduced a new line of knives at the 2006 SHOT show back in January. The new line of “professional-grade duty-ready knives” is called ‘ZT’, or Zero Tolerance, and is aimed at the tactical/military/LE market. ZT collaborated with well known knife designers and manufacturers Ken Onion and Strider to produce knives that are “Zero Tolerance in design, Zero Tolerance in function and Zero Tolerance in performance”, hence the name.
TAD Gear carries the full ZT line, and featured here is the Ken Onion-designed ZT0200ST (partially serrated model) folder. Here’s a summary of the main features/specs:
