Hey everyone, David C Andersen coming at you from the KnifeCenter and today it's
Zero Tolerance versus Spyderco. Rick Hinderer versus Gayle Bradley. We're
pitting the ZT 0562TI against the Spyderco advocate and you get to pick
the winner let's go.
Both the zt 0562TI and the Spyderco advocate are titanium
frame locking knives with powder metallurgy blades and they're a great
example of how two items with similar specs can be executed in very different
ways. The subtle differences between the two can be hard to tell just from a
photo on a website so that's why we do these comparisons. Let's start with the
handles and the first thing you'll notice is the difference in the
thickness. The ZT definitely has more girth and along with the finger grooves
on the front it has a beefier feel in the hand. The Advocate is slimmer and it
has a more refined feel in the hand. It's more of a gentlemen's EDC tactical knife
whereas the ZT is more of a working man's Tactical EDC. That's reflected on
the finish on the handles as well. The ZT has a stonewashed finish which
will help when doing harder work since the scratches will tend to blend in more
over time. The Advocate on the other hand has a lightly textured orange peel
finish it's not something you see too often and it's a real classy touch. The
blades are also in keeping with the same personalities that started with the
handles. They both flip well and run on ball bearing pivots for very smooth
action now the ZT has a more definitive action and that's mostly due to the
weight differences in the blade as you would expect from a hard worker it is a
little bit thicker and when that weight locks up you definitely feel it in the
hand. to offset that extra thickness a little bit this knife does come with Rick
Hinderer's slicer grind. This keeps the flat grind thicker near the heel for
powering through heavier cuts but thinner out near the tip for more
efficient slicing and the CPM-20CV steel ensures plenty of edge retention
and stain resistance. The Advocates blade is a bit thinner
overall but it's no slouch either. It sports a more conventional flat grind
but it's made with CPM-M4 Steel. M4 is renowned for its toughness so even
though the blade is thinner you should have no problem tackling anything you
want to throw at it. One thing it isn't though is stainless
and it can take a nice patina if you want to and you'll have to take care of
it so that it doesn' t rust but if you like classic carbon
steel for its character but want modern performance then M4 is a great option. In
keeping with the classier vibe of the Advocate in addition to that flipper tab
you can also open the blade with the signature Spyderco thumb hole for more
deliberate action and this can be useful in an office or a church when you want
to be a little more discreet when you're opening your knife. We also get a nice
curve in front of the flipper which is great for choking up on with your index
finger and that's gonna make delicate work even easier with this knife. The
lock up on both these knives is rock-solid with no blade play in any
direction and they both have an over travel arrestor to prevent the lock from
being pushed out too far when you're disengaging it. But the way they go about
the job is in keeping with their character. The ZT uses a disk on the outside which
is one of those signature Rick Hinderer elements that's made it onto this knife.
But the Advocates is mounted internally and it's integrated with the hardened
lock bar insert something the ZT also has which overall is a more elegant
solution to that problem. The Advocates insert also screws in from
the inside rather than the outside which means you don't see any screw holes on
the backside of the lock bar for a cleaner look.
Lastly the pocket clips both are reversible for left or right carry in a
tip-up configuration the Spydercos clip looks nicer out of the box with a
higher polish than the black clip of the ZT. The ZT however features a deep carry
pocket clip and it mounts from inside the handle instead of screwing in from
the outer surface which keeps the aesthetics cleaner on this knife. A bit
of a flip of the script thematically so here's where you all come in you have to tell
us which of these knives comes out on top do you go for the heavier duty ZT 0562Ti
or the more refined Spyderco Advocate. Be sure to let us know in the
comments and in the meantime to get your hands on either of these great blades
click the link in the description below to head over to knifecenter.com.