In the knife world, the term Factory Custom is a bit of an oxymoron. Zero Tolerance’s new Factory Custom concepts blurs the lines between production and custom… at least a little bit.
The ZT Factory Custom knives will contain a mix of factory parts and handmade custom parts from the custom knifemakers themselves. In the case of their first Factory Custom knive, the Rick Hinderer designed ZT 0392, this means that Hinderer is providing the following parts for the knife:
- Steel pivot screw
- Titanium tube spacers
- Titanium handle screws
- Titanium clip
- Titanium filler tab
The hardware will be electro-anodized a vivid blue color. Different colors will be available for purchase separately from Rick Hinderer.
Companies like Zero Tolerance are already collaborating with knife makers on their designs. This seems like a natural progression to further involve the knife maker in the process of creating the design. I am looking forward to seeing what they come up with next.
