I don’t recall when I first started carrying a pocket knife, but I’m pretty sure it was back in the 3rd or 4th grade. And, yes, back in those days, a kid could carry a pocket knife to school – and the police weren’t called, nor were you suspended. Almost everyone carried a pocket knife back then – my how the times have changed. These days, most schools have a zero tolerance for any sort of “weapon” on school grounds – heck, some kids have been suspended or expelled from school for simply drawing a picture of a knife or a gun. What insanity!
Then we have many states that limit you to the size of a folding knife you can carry. Some states won’t allow you to carry a knife with a blade more than 3″ long these days. Some states have shorter limitations on the blade length – some longer. Many states won’t allow you to carry a “switch blade” knife – which is technically an “automatic” opening knife. And many jurisdictions won’t allow you to carry an assisted-opening folder, that they are now claiming are “switch blades” – ignorance is bliss. Even in my home state of Oregon, many police officers are ignorant of the law when it comes to someone carrying an automatic knife. Many police officers believe automatic knives are illegal in Oregon, even though there are several makers in Oregon, producing automatic folders. A note to any Oregon police officers reading this: Automatic folders are legal to carry in Oregon – so long as they are not concealed. Yes, even pocket carry is legal, so long as part of the knife is exposed – as in a pocket/clothing clip, or in a belt sheath. If you don’t believe me, then check the laws for yourself, and don’t assume that just because someone else told you that an automatic knife is illegal to carry that it is – they are wrong!
I enjoy reporting on knife companies that I have visited, especially those in Oregon. I’ve done several factory tours of Kershaw Knives over the years, and I visited their new factory some years ago, and had free-reign of the place, and could take any photos I wanted, and talk to anyone who worked there. To be sure, Kershaw turns out a lot of knives these days – maybe more than any other US knife company. And, Kershaw has expanded several times since my last visit, and they usually manage to keep up with demand.
I’m writing about two different knives in this article: one is an Every Day Carry (EDC) folder, from the standard Kershaw line, and the other is from their Zero Tolerance line – their rough and tough, military/law enforcement cutlery. First up is the Kershaw RJI Model #1985ST 
The RJI was designed by custom knife maker, RJ Martin, and it comes with a 3-1/2″ blade, with a Tanto-style point on it. The Tanto point is fairly thick on this one – thicker than on many other knives, so you can take on some tough piercing jobs, and there is plenty of belly to slicing and dicing, too. The blade is made out of 8CR13MOV stainless steel – and I have no idea what it is, other than it works and performs like a really good medium stainless – it comes with a razor-sharp edge and it held the edge a good long time, and was really easy to re-sharpen, too.
The handle scales on the RJI are made out of 3-D machine G-10, some super-tough stuff, to be sure, one of my favorite handle materials. There are also stainless steel liners, and the knife is a liner lock. Best of all, the RJI is an assisted-opening folder. There is a “kicker” on the back of the blade, as well as dual thumb studs to get the blade started, and after about 20-degrees, of opening, the assisted mechanism takes over and opens the blade the rest of the way – it’s very quick, and I found the “kicker” worked easier and faster for me. And, we also have a pocket/clothing clip on the handle scales as well. The blade is also partially serrated, too.
The clothing/pocket clip can be moved around, for right-hand carry, the knife can be carried tip up or tip down, and for left hand carry, the knife can be carried tip up. So, you have a few options on this folder that you won’t find on other knives in this price range. the knife only weighs in at 4.4-oz, so it is a light-weight for the most part. This is the knife you’ll reach for, when you have all manner of cutting projects, be it opening packages from UPS or slicing and dicing in the kitchen, to whatever you might throw at it. And, the best part is, full retail is only $44.95 – and I checked around on the Internet and found these knives as low as $24.95 – and that, my friends, in a steal-of-a-deal for a knife that is “this” good, and has top-notch features – without a doubt, this is an absolute best buy in my book.
The second folder I tested is from the Zero Tolerance line, and the ZT line is made in the same plant as Kershaw’s other US-made knives – they don’t have a separate plant, as many believe. Kershaw came up with the idea for super-tough fixed blade and folders, designed for harsh military and law enforcement use – these knives aren’t your every day carry blades, although some can be used that way. However, given the design and material used in the ZT knives, you are gonna want to save these for the tasks they were designed for: combat and self defense. I usually have at least two knives with me at all times – one in my left front pocket for EDC chores, and one in my right front pocket – and this one is reserved for those “just in case” situations – where a life might depend on the use of a strong, sharp and properly designed knife for saving lives. And, I might also have a little folder in a pocket for opening packages and the like, too.
I tested the Zero Tolerance Model 0200, and that model really caught my attention for a number of reasons. First of all, I like big knives, be there folders or fixed blade knives – and the 0200 comes with a 4″ 154CM stainless steel blade – this steel used to be used almost exclusively by custom knife makers because it is spendy, to say the least – factory knife makers just didn’t want to use this steel for a long time, thinking consumers wouldn’t buy knives that cost more money than knives with less expensive stainless steels. However, educated consumers are willing to put out for top-notch knives, with really good stainless steel blades.
The ZT 0200 was designed by custom knife maker, Ken Onion, and he is one of the best around. I once interviewed Ken, on the phone, from his home base in Hawaii, and he is a hoot to talk to – just a lot of fun – down-to-earth, too. Onion has designed a number of knives for Kershaw and the ZT line, too. The 0220 is a professional-grade folding combat knife, designed to survive harsh real world situations. The 4″ blade is of the recurve design – which means it has some “belly” to it. If you were to measure the blade length on a recurve knife, and then measure the actual cutting surface, you’ll find the cutting surface is actually longer than the length of the blade. If you are involved in any knife of self defense situation, you’ll quickly realize that you’ll be using slashing movements, and the recurve style blade gives you a little more cutting surface, as well as “grabbing” and pulling into the blade, whatever it comes into contact with – it cuts deeper and cuts longer than other blades.
The precisely centered point on the 0200 is perfect for piercing tasks as well. the 154 CM blade is also (black) Tungsten DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coated, it helps protect the blade. Now, my sample 0200 was in my pocket, I didn’t get the pocket/clothing clip attached to my pants pocket for some reason, and the knife slipped down into my pocket, where there is a lot of loose change. I didn’t catch that this happened for a couple days, and when I pulled the knife out of my pocket, there were scratches on the blade from the loose change. A minute with some oil and extra-fine steel wool, and the scratches were taken completely off the DLC coating – I was amazed, to say the least.
The thick handle scales are 3-D machined G-10, and like I said, I like this stuff – super tough, and the designed pattern machined into the handle scales grip you back, under all manner of harsh conditions. The 0200 comes with dual thumb studs, and a “kicker” on the back of the blade–also for rapid opening. Once again, I preferred using the kicker to open the blade – it is not an assisted-opening folder, but it opens sooooo smoothly, you will think it’s assisted. I’m talking super smooth opening. The blade locks-up with a thick stainless steel liner lock–quite a strong, positive lock.
There is also a nice sized lanyard hole in the butt of the 0200, and if you work over water, you’ll want to attach a lanyard to your knife – nothing worst than losing your knife over water. (Kiss it good-bye once it falls into a lake, stream, or river.) The pocket/clothing clip can be mounted in any one of the quad positions on the handle for tip up or tip down carry – for right or left handed carry. What’s not to like here? The knife weighs in at 7.8-oz, so it’s not a light-weight folder, then again, once you see and handle the 0200, and understand how it is over-built, you’ll appreciate the weight and the materials used in making this knife. Also, the pivot pin for the blade – it’s stout, too – not some little skinny pin, it’s big and you can adjust the blade tension with a wrench – there is a nut on the end of the pivot pin. This knife is so over-built, it’s not even funny.
I tested the 0200 into some stacked cardboard boxes, and I could easily penetrate the full-length of the blade to the handle when I stabbed into the cardboard. Also, the slashed at the stacked cardboard boxes, and the 0200 really ripped into this material – it grabs it. So, I can only imagine what it would do to clothing or flesh if a person were to slash into it. The top, back of the blade is also “raised” just a little bit, and there are friction grooves machined into this area, for a positive thumb placement in the fencing grip, which is the grip most used in knife fighting.
The design of the handle – it flows with the design of the blade – hard to explain, but the handle just feels perfect in my hand, as well as other people I showed the knife to. Every one that tried it said how good the knife felt in their hand. And, if a knife feels good – that’s a big part of the battle when choosing a knife – any knife. The handle of the knife is of the open design, it allows dirt, lint and other crud to escape, instead of building up inside of the handle.
I honestly wish I could report something negative about the ZT 0200, but I can’t. The knife is just a fantastic design, and executed with some of the best materials around. It should last you a lifetime, and it won’t let you down, if you give it just a little bit of care every now and then. If this knife were made by a custom maker, I would expect to pay $600 or more for it – and if it were hand made by Ken Onion – we’re talking thousands of dollars. Yes, his knives demand that kind of money. However, the ZT 0200 only retails for $200, and I’ve found it on the Internet for around $140. Granted, it’s a little spendy, but once you pick one up, you won’t want to put it down. And when you see how well-made this knife is, and you can appreciate the best materials used, you’ll think like I did: “This is another steal-of-a-deal” – even if it is a little bit spendy! – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio