Why The ZT 0562CF and 0620CF Have Been On Backorder For Months

It is no secret that the ZT 0562CF and 0620CF knives have been backordered for over 6 months now. The masses have been wondering what is going on, and so have the dealers. We got word a month ago that the blade steel being used in both knives, a high quality Bohler M390 steel is hard to get your hands on lately and it was causing delays in production at KAI.

Well, not only is this new true it seems ZT is going to go away from the M390 altogether and have issued a press release saying that the 0562 and 0620 will now have CTS-204P instead, more readily available blade steel. Here is the PR we received today from ZT:

This is to let you know that Zero Tolerance is switching the blade steel in two of our products—the 0562CF and 0620CF—from Böhler M390 to Carpenter CTS-204P. These two high-chromium, powdered metallurgy stainless steels are almost identical in formula. M390 has slightly more silicon, CTS-204P has slightly more tungsten and manganese; all other elements are the same.

We are very pleased to tell you that this USA-made steel is much more readily available than M390 and this will mean that you’ll experience less delay in receiving your ZT products. CTS-204P offers a premium combination of features: the ability to take a very sharp edge, wear resistance for superior edge retention, toughness, and polish-ability.

When creating this alloy, one of the uses Carpenter specifically had in mind was making custom knives.

Now this news will most likely upset some, but others may be just fine with it. After all, you cannot please everyone. But I for one am frustrated like most of you that getting some ZT knives are so hard to come by these days. So for those of you waiting patiently for the 0562CF and 0620CF, expect it to start shipping in the next couple of weeks.