Zero Tolerance 350 Review

In May I picked up a new everyday carry knife as my old EDC blade wasn’t cutting it for much more than opening the mail. After some searching I selected the 350 from Zero Tolerance. The 350 is the little brother of the 300 line.

Zero Tolerance 350

Zero Tolerance 350 open

Tech Specs

Blade: S30V stainless steel tungsten DLC black coating
Handle: Textured G-10
Blade length: 3-1/4 inches (8.25 cm)
Closed length: 4-5/8 inches (11.75 cm)
Overall length: 7-5/8 inches (19.37 cm)
Weight: 6.2 ounces (176 grams)

What I Thought

Zero Tolerance 350

Zero Tolerance 350 open showing pocket clip

My first thought on taking the knife out of the box was, I’m going to need a smaller knife. Its big, its beefy and I was worried that it would be too big for EDC. It almost is … almost. I wouldn’t be able to carry its big brother the 300. The 300 is 10% larger than the 350 and I don’t think I could wear it comfortably in jeans, and it might just work in cargo/combat pants. The 350 isn’t quite light enough to forget about but its not dragging my pants down either.

Zero Tolerance 350

Zero Tolerance 350 jimping

The design is great. This is one of the most comfortable knifes I’ve handled and the fastest to open. The knife has very aggressive jimping on the butt and the top of the  scales. The scales themselves are made from G10 and have a fine checkering pattern. I’m a big fan of G10 after having it for grip material on a few hand guns. The pocket clip can be oriented to point up or down carry for left or right. The ZT350 is super fast to open. It uses a Ken Onion design for a flipper. When extended the protrusion acts as a guard to keep your fingers from sliding up the blade, but when closed the protrusion acts as a flipper. The knife is extremely fast opening and easy to deploy with either hand.

Zero Tolerance 350

Zero Tolerance 350 blade

The blade is coated with Diamond Like Coating or DLC according to Zero Tolerance. It appears to be a durable finish and has stood up extremely well to the last 4 months of use. The blade has a somewhat non-conventional design. It’s a drop point, but it features a re-curve. I like the design and feel it aids in cutting power. The spine of the knife has a concave feature that I can use to either apply more pressure with my thumb or use my forefinger to add extra control to the cut. The 350 is a liner lock knife unlike some of the big Zero Tolerance knives, which feature frame locks. I don’t think this is a disadvantage. The knife is relatively small and the liner lock is quite substantial.

Pros

  • Just small enough for EDC
  • Super fast one-handed deployment
  • Grips
  • DLC finish
  • Adjustable location pocket clip

Neutral

  • Liner lock

Cons

  • Heavy weight and large size

 

Zero Tolerance 350

Zero Tolerance 350 closed

I am really happy with this knife. I bought it for EDC and it has filled the role and my pocket very well. Some times I think it fills my pocket almost too much, it is a big heavy knife, but it’s not a boat anchor. It can be purchased from Amazon for about $175 US.

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