Personalized ZT 0223
Tony had always been aware of his father’s Army service during the late ’70s through the early ’80s. He knew that he had served, but he didn’t know much more than that since his father rarely, if ever, spoke about it. During a family get-together a couple of years ago, his father finally opened up and told him a few stories about his time in the service.
“I was surprised that my dad started reminiscing about his time in the Army, since he never really spoke about it,” Tony says. “I was glad he opened up and shared some of his stories with the family.” His dad also shared some photos and mementos from that time, too.
While looking at the pictures, one image in particular caught Tony’s eye and captured his imagination. “I saw an image of my dad as a young man with the sleeves rolled up on his woodland camo uniform, posing with what looked like a Ka-Bar and a menacing grin,” he says. “That picture really drew my attention, as the man I know now as my dad has a much milder temperament and wouldn’t pose for a photo like that today. It was fun seeing him as a young tough guy.”
He continues: “That image inspired me to personalize a knife that I could give him for Father’s Day last year. I looked around and saw that Zero Tolerance Knives made a folding knife called the 0223 that evokes the look of the classic military knife that Dad was holding. That was the knife I was going to base my project on.”
Designed by Tim Galyean, the 0223 features a clip-point style blade with deep jimping along the knife’s spine and a rounded rectangle cutout to decrease the knife’s overall weight. It also features a titanium handle and frame lock with a hardened steel lockbar insert for reliable lockup. ZT’s famed KVT ball-bearing system makes the knife quick and smooth to open.
The 3.5-inch length blade is made of CPM 20CV steel for its enhanced hardness and wear resistance. This tough material features high corrosion resistance and allows the blade to hold a sharp edge and resist impacts. The original ZT version of this knife is finished in black DLC coating, but Tony had his own thoughts on what he wanted it to look like.
Inspired by his father’s Woodland M81 uniform, he wanted the 0223’s blade and frame to wear that iconic ’80s-era military pattern as well. Introduced in 1981, there wasn’t a branch of the U.S. military that didn’t use the pattern. In fact, almost four decades later, some units use it even today. He turned to the Cerakote experts at Reprif to help him apply the classic look to the 0223. Tony disassembled the knife and sent it to Reprif for Cerakoting.
An interesting choice that we quite like is that Tony decided to have the knife’s original earth-brown-colored G10 handle scales coated in fluorescent Hunter Orange. “My dad hunts with my uncle nowadays,” he says, “so I figured that a Hunter Orange handle would make it easy for him to locate… and it looks pretty cool too.” The G10 scales wrap around to the top of the handle to not only provide a secure grip, but also keep debris out of the knife’s interior.
Reprif got the knife parts back to Tony with plenty of time to spare before Father’s Day. He carefully reground the blade to remove the Cerakote coating from the blade’s cutting edge and reassembled it. Tony reported he was concerned the coating would add thickness that might make the blade open and close less smoothly, but his worry was unfounded. Final assembly went off perfectly and the blade opens and closes without any issue.
When Tony presented the knife to his dad for Father’s Day, his father was speechless. He absolutely loved it, and we can see why. Not only does it look great; it now has significant sentimental value to both father and son. “Dad carries it everywhere he goes now, and that makes me feel good,” Tony says. Text by Danny Chang
If you have a knife that you customized yourself that you’d like to see featured in UN12, tag us on Instagram @un12mag.
Specs – Personalized ZT 0223
Owner: Tony M.
Occupation: Customer service rep.
Special Thanks: My dad and the crew at Reprif
Zero Tolerance Knives
Model: ZT 0223
MSRP: $300
URL: zt.kaiusaltd.com
Designer: Tim Galyean
Cerakote by Reprif
Paint Scheme: M81 w/orange accents
