Question: Does anyone actually do anything with the Jens Anso Zulu?

[sharpguitarist]

Hey tr,
I've had my zulu for a while now, and usually edc it on the weekends.
It's a very functional design, and handles all the cutting chores that i've thrown at it so far. Everything from cutting cardboard, paracord, and food prep.
The upswept tip makes chopping things simple.
As mentioned before, the handle angle, in relation to the tip, gives lots of leverage when push cutting or chopping.
The pistol grip handle, which is on the thick side, allows for great control and comfort.
The high hollow grind at the belly of the blade, which makes for a very thin edge, makes the zulu a great slicer.
Don't overlook the zulu because of it's unusual design. It will perform just as well as many other spydercos at your daily cutting tasks!
Later,
Don

P.s. Ken,
The large opening hole and it's relation to the pivot makes the zulu very easy to open slowly or with a quick thumb flick, plus it's one of the smoothest spydercos i own!

[Donut]

In-hand pics, some were a little blurry, but I think you can still see it.











(Continued)

[Donut]

[kbuzbee]

Nice sequence, thanks. Looks a little more hand filling than a Caly 3. May have to give this one some serious thought.

Ken

[KardinalSyn]

Yeah, the PPT seems more practical to me, and equally cool/fun looking. You like?

T

Yeah. Apart from the cool factor of the knife, I liked the story behind it too. Three designers can't be wrong.

The Zulu is also a cool knife for me due to its unique design. I just could not buy one at this time. It is much better looking IMO than the Boker Whale. Sure wish some of the fans here would start a pictorial/review here.

[tr4022]

Hey tr,
I've had my zulu for a while now, and usually edc it on the weekends.
It's a very functional design, and handles all the cutting chores that i've thrown at it so far. Everything from cutting cardboard, paracord, and food prep.
The upswept tip makes chopping things simple.
As mentioned before, the handle angle, in relation to the tip, gives lots of leverage when push cutting or chopping.
The pistol grip handle, which is on the thick side, allows for great control and comfort.
The high hollow grind at the belly of the blade, which makes for a very thin edge, makes the zulu a great slicer.
Don't overlook the zulu because of it's unusual design. It will perform just as well as many other spydercos at your daily cutting tasks!
Later,
Don

P.s. Ken,
The large opening hole and it's relation to the pivot makes the zulu very easy to open slowly or with a quick thumb flick, plus it's one of the smoothest spydercos i own!

Interesting. Thanks for the reply.

[tr4022]

Thanks for the pics Donut.

Tod

[tr4022]

Yeah. Apart from the cool factor of the knife, I liked the story behind it too. Three designers can't be wrong.

The Zulu is also a cool knife for me due to its unique design. I just could not buy one at this time. It is much better looking IMO than the Boker Whale. Sure wish some of the fans here would start a pictorial/review here.

Doesn't anything look better than a Boker? Uh-oh, I'm showing my prejudices again. My few experiences with Bokers--admittedly low-end Bokers--didn't leave a very good impression. On the other hand, if you want me to spend a lot of dough on your blades, your entry-level offerings better make me hungry for more. Which is why I'm on the Spyderco forums.

Tod

[kbuzbee]

P.s. Ken,
The large opening hole and it's relation to the pivot makes the zulu very easy to open slowly or with a quick thumb flick, plus it's one of the smoothest spydercos i own!

Thanks Don. Really what I was wondering. Appreciate it!

Ken

[flash900]

I had a Boker Jens Anso 67 and had the same question about useability.

I returned it for QC issues (the lock). It was really beautiful but I often wondered how I would have used it had I kept it.

I think it would have stayed in a drawer with my very stout Boker Pipsqueak and for much the same reason.

[HiCap]

I have a Zulu. I is very nicely made, looks great and feels very well in the hand. I can sharpen the blade with the Spyderco duck foot stone but I cant strop it very well. But I find the blade shape hard to like. I prefer a point for blister packs, a Warncliffe for most cutting or a slight recurve like I have on a Zero Tolerance Talon. The Zulu, for me, seems to push the object I'm trying to cut away from the edge.

HiCap

[VeloWeave]

To me the Zulu is probably the most ergonomic and useful knife that Spyderco has made so far. It looks really different and must be used in order to appreciate it. I think Jens Anso is a genius knife maker. He's taken the tried and true form of the folding knife and brought it into the modern era. To me it's a modern design that actually improves ergonomics and usefulness. Zulu can handle almost anything. Here is an interesting review that is worth a read for anyone interested in Zulu. --> EverydayCommentary Zulu Review

[RanCoWeAla]

What about sharpening? This knife looks like it would be impossible to sharpen.

[senorsquare]

What about sharpening? This knife looks like it would be impossible to sharpen.

I think sharpening would be fine on a Sharpmaker or some other rod type sharpener. Flat stones not so much.

[VeloWeave]

What about sharpening? This knife looks like it would be impossible to sharpen.

I haven't sharpened mine yet but I ran it along the sharpmaker a couple times to see how it might work out and it looked like the Sharpmaker would do a good job with it. I have stropped it alot on a strop block and that works out great as well. I don't have any experience yet with flat stones, though I do want to get into that.

[hunterseeker5]

Wow that was quite a necro post.... *shrug*

I EDCed the Zulu for a while. People's eyes tend to bug out when they see its profile, it must have been a bear to grind, but most of the fanciness is going on above the blade. If you actually block out the rest of the knife, and look at just the edge profile, its a relatively simple recurve coming to an upswept tip, not terribly different in profile to a modernized tanto. If you have the ability to sharpen with something other than a flat bench stone, then sharpening it is easy. If you're dependent on a sharpening system, or flat stones, then its no more "ruled out" for you than any other recurve. Beyond that, I think you're just being a bit dazzled by its flourishes.

As far as application, it has two major advantages: its thin, and its got many cutting angles. If you're cutting through something, its quite hard to find an angle at which the blade doesn't naturally slice through material or otherwise put your wrist at an ideal angle. The handle shape itself facilitates retention both pulling and pushing. Its a clever little design. Its not great for people with very large hands, mine are above average in size and about the limit it'll fit, but its a very usable knife.

Of course all this may be a bit irrelevant, as I do believe its been discontinued no?

[VeloWeave]

Of course all this may be a bit irrelevant, as I do believe its been discontinued no?

Yep, it has. It's getting harder to find. I am curious to see how pricing works itself out on the secondary market for it. It would make a great knife for a sprint run as you could do stuff like stonewash the blade or change handle colors.

[HiCap]

To me the Zulu is probably the most ergonomic and useful knife that Spyderco has made so far. It looks really different and must be used in order to appreciate it. I think Jens Anso is a genius knife maker. He's taken the tried and true form of the folding knife and brought it into the modern era. To me it's a modern design that actually improves ergonomics and usefulness. Zulu can handle almost anything. Here is an interesting review that is worth a read for anyone interested in Zulu. --> EverydayCommentary Zulu Review

Following your advice, and the reference to the review. I've been carrying and using the Zulu the last few days. As I get the hang of it, I increase my liking of it. I miss the ability to pierce easily, however. But the belly compensates a bit with the blister packs.

HiCap

[tr4022]

Heh, I totally forgot about starting this thread way back when. Got the Zulu when it was discontinued. Still not sure what to do with it, but I couldn't let this cool-looking little knife disappear before I snagged one.

Tod

[jabba359]

I'm carrying my Zulu today. Back when it first came out, I checked it out at a local knife store and wasn't thrilled by the ergonomics. Then some time passed and it got discontinued. The design had always appealed to me on an aesthetic level, so when they went on clearance pricing, I decided to get one anyway. After carrying it on occasion, it has grown on me. It feels better in hand than my initial impression had led me to believe. The belly is nice for pull cuts as well as trapping (great for rope) and the flat tip is interesting, but I also miss having a pointy tip for poking through clam shell or slipping under zip ties. But since I always have a second knife on me, I just make sure that it has a point to take care of those tasks. While I wouldn't have paid the pre-discontinued price, I'm happy with it at the closeout price I paid (~$80).