Zero Tolerance 0770CF – a Lightweight and Good-Looking EDC Knife

Zero Tolerance’s 0770CF folding pocket knife is a carbon fiber version of the 0770 knife that was first announced in 2013. It features a 3.25″ Elmax steel blade, and a Speed Safe assisted opening flipper mechanism.

I have developed a fondness towards Zero Tolerance knives, with the 0801 Rexford knife being my favorite thus far. I ordered the 0770CF for myself as a birthday present, and have been using it for a couple of days now.

It’s too soon for me to have made up my mind about the 0770CF for certain, but thus far I’m pretty pleased with it.

Pros:

Elmax blade is well formed and well sharpened. Elmax is a powdered stainless steel knife blade alloy designed specifically for exceptional toughness, edge retention, and wear resistance.

The carbon fiber handle (with steel inner liners) is lightweight and classy-looking. This could very well be Zero Tolerance’s lightest folding pocket knife, as it weighs a mere 3 ounces! The carbon fiber handle is as functional as it is aesthetically pleasing.

Despite the carbon fiber handle, the knife feels just as strong and sturdy and I would expect from Zero Tolerance.

Cons:

I am not completely sold on the shape of the blade. The 0770CF’s modified drop point blade shape means there’s not much of a “belly” to the blade. It’s not quite what I’m used to, but I’m not sure that really qualifies the blade shape as a downside.

I really wish that Zero Tolerance would come out with manual-opener versions of their assisted-opener knives.

Overall

The 0770CF is much more affordable than I expected it to be, but there’s no obvious sacrifice in build quality of construction materials. This is a nicely polished knife that performs well and looks great. Plus it’s light and narrow, making it a great EDC pocket knife.

I wish Zero Tolerance made this a manual flipper knife, but it seems that more users are interested in assisted opening mechanisms. There might be a way to modify the knife to allow for manual deployment, but I haven’t had the patience to disassemble the knife to check for a manual detent. Maybe I’ll wait a little longer until someone else photographs the disassembled knife on an EDC or knife enthusiast forum.

I paid about $137 plus tax for the knife, from Amazon, and it looks like they dropped the price by a couple more dollars. It’s now $131. Even the $137 I spent is a lot lower than the $180 MSRP for the knife. At under $140, this is one of Zero Tolerance’s more affordable pocket knives.

The ZT 0770CF is made in the USA!

It will take quite a bit more use for me to be certain about the 0770CF, at which point I will put together a more in-depth review. But for the time being, I have yet to see any real downsides to the knife.

Buy Now(via Amazon)
Buy Now(via BladeHQ)

Related: Check out Zero Tolerance’s other new knives for 2014.

Looking for something a little different? The ZT 0801 – which I absolutely love – has dropped in price to $147 via Amazon. Like the 0770CF, the 0801 cost a pretty penny, but it’s also made of premium materials. The 0801 has an Elmax steel blade and titanium handle, and buttery-smooth manual flipper blade opening mechanism.