At the SHOT Show 2012 Zero Tolerance Knives booth, we caught up with Jim McNair, who gave us a run down of the ZT 560/561 line. This is a new knife for 2012 with a 3.75″ stonewashed blade of Swedish ELMAX steel, which is a high chromium-vanadium steel with exceptional wear and corrosion resistance. The locking mechanism is a thick frame lock.
The left side scale is black (560) or brown (561) G-10 over a titanium liner, while the right side is titanium. Both the G-10 and Ti have what ZT calls 3-D machining for added grip. The titanium is relief cut on the blade sides to decrease weight. The overall knife comes in at 5.8 ounces.
The blade is deployed with a bearing-assisted flipper or thumbstud. There is a slot for a lanyard and a quad point mounting system for the deep concealment clothing clip. MSRP for the knife is $325.
I got to play with the knife at their booth. It has a deceivingly light feel for a knife of this size. The flipper worked well and the action was smooth. The knife handle’s ergonomics gave it a very positive grip. I love the tactile feel of titanium in a handle scale because of its pleasant dull warmth when compared to steel or aluminum.