Story - I will not bore you here with a repetition of ZT series story. In short it was a special run from Busse Combat, and they have already become collectors item, matter of fact they were collectables as soon as they hit the market. For more about ZT run check out the ZT SJ review.
Overview
- In general Battle Mistress it the largest blade in Busse combat blades family. So it the ZT BM. Blade length is 9.5" which puts it amongst the largest knives. As the rest of the ZT series knives BM had no problems with fit, finish and execution. Nice satin finish, perfectly done zero edge, tight and secure sheath. Add there Busse unconditional warranty and INFI steel and you get the perfect heavy duty knife.Blade
- ZT BM features 3/16" thick, 9.5" long spearpoint blade. As the rest of the ZT series knives BM features Zero Edge geometry. I.e. there's no edge bevel. For cutting performance this type of the edge provides near ideal, or ideal ;) The NIB edge was mirror polished and very sharp. Considering that 9.5 inch blade most likely will be used for heavy duty works such as chopping, bush clearing, etc the edge strength becomes of higher importance compared to that of a smaller blade. Probably semi-convex edge is stronger, but not sure how stronger. On the other hand INFI steel never had problems with toughness, so I don't have worries about weak edge. Overall, I do like the way ZT BM feel. It's noticeably lighter than BM E and BM. THerefore it's faster and more maneuvrable. Obviously, ZT BM won't outchop Ergo Battle Mistress or the good old Battle Mistress, but for prolonged use it might be preferable, being lighter.Handle
- ZT series have new E handles. Slabs are desert tan Micarta. For the knife of this size and its intended use IMHO eHandle does its job more than good. Some say it's boxy, some like straight handle looks better, but I think so far everyone agrees about heavy duty useability advantages of the eHandles. Other than that, I've said enough about eHandles in my other reviews of Busse blades, for more check the bladeforums.Specifications:
- Model - Zero Tolerance Battle Mistress E;
- Blade - 241.30mm(9.5")
- Thickness - 4.76mm
- OAL - 368.30mm(14.5")
- Steel - INFI steel at 58-60HRC
- Handle - Micarta
- Acquired - 06/2002 Price - 450.00$
- Warranty - Unconditional Lifetime;
Last updated - 05/19/19