Review: ZU Grunt

ZU Bladeworx Australia

I'm a sucker for a well made blade, and it's always hard to turn down an opportunity to add to my collection. I've been a fan of the ZU Blaadeworx knives or a long time and was already a proud owner of their Mekanix which lives in my IPad bag and goes most places with me as part of my EDC loadout. A friend loaned me his FFSK to review and it was sweet piece too. I've been lucky enough to follow along in the ZU Nation facebook group which is where other ZU owners congregate. This is where newreleases are announced and the pre-orders are advertised.

As the ZU Bladeworx business case revolves around small batches of blades being made and selling-out almost before production beginning, the best way to lay hands on a new one is to monitor the upcoming releases. So, when I saw the Grunt coming up, I thought I'd splurge a little and put my deposit down for a pre-release. A few weeks later and some production shots later, the "round 2" payment came due, and I started getting excited.

Once I had it in my hot little hands I was immediately impressed with its heft. At 220g (7 3/4 oz) it fits nicely into the niche the MSM-KA-BAR MSM-001 makes, size wise, whilst being a little less aggressively built. Sometimes you can have too much knife. The Grunt's skeletonised handle reduces the overall weight but maintains a lively balance and also allows for a variety of cord-wrapping options. The finger grips were not unlike those in the Mekanik, which were nicely finished so as not to tear up the naked hand.

The lines of the knife are very simple, almost plain, but that lives up to the Grunt name of the blade. Another similarity to the Mekanik is the grove running down the flat face of the blade on either side. This reduces the weight and would ad stiffness, on a longer blade, something the Grunt is in no danger of needing. its 6.5mm blade thickness is not playing around. This isn't a scalpel, its a pig-sticker. Like all ZU Bladeworx blades, it ships with wicked keen edge. Milled from high grade tool steel Cryodur 2379
 [D2] and then black nitride treated, after hardening to a Rockwell of 58-59HRC. these are hard-wearing blades.
I'm not one to abuse my knives, and save from an occasional battoning I see a a knife like this as a cutting, slicing and chopping tool. If you need a pry-bar, or a hammer, get one! That said, once I mounted the Grunt to my hiking and adventure "battle-belt" with its supplied updated Blade Tech Tek Lok spring-loaded locking belt fitting. I've used the older Tek Lok and this was a marked improvement, nicely paired with the knife and its kydex sheath.  It was so comfortable I went out shopping a couple of times with it on my belt not even realising. I managed not to land in any legal trouble, but thankfully no one at the hardware store cared I was sporting a hefty fixed-blade on my hip. That is actually a good point. for all its mass, he Grunt is not a large knife. It's a sensible size for sensible jobs. I take it camping and frequently do some camp-craft with it. not only food-prep but whittling and kindling making, I've also used it for crafting pot hooks and fire-tending sticks.

The blade features jimping on the spine and a notch forwards of the guard to allow the user to choke up the grip for fine work.

Here's a little bit about ZU Bladeworx, because  I think they're a really  interesting company with some important and relative contacts: They are an Australian owned an based manufacturer of Close Quarters Combat equipment and are a trusted manufacturer to the Australian Army. They have an ADF issued Roman Vendor Number.

They work closely with Australian CQC experts including Paul Cale and Ray Floro, both who are internationally renowned hand to hand combat experts. Paul and Ray are both CQC subject matter experts to our own Aussie Army and foreign allied armies.
Their products are either made in Western Sydney, NSW or North Brisbane, Queensland. All our products are legal under NSW and Queensland state weapons laws for civilian ownership. "Legitimate reason for carriage" is an important phrase. 
Most of their knives are limited edition and include the following;

There is an active collector community with a brisk buy/sell/trade philosophy in case you particularly want to get in on the action.

These are a solid, no frills, hardy blade, good for hard use as well as delicate and fine tasks. Deliberately engineered and superbly finished, these striking blades are both a collectors delight and a prepper's mainstay.

Review: BladeTech TEK-LOK Belt Clamping Unit

When it comes to keeping extra gear on my person, and I am not wearing one of my PALS equipped belts, like the subtle SICC belt or the more hooah Condor GEN1 battle belt there are times when you still want to have a well mounted piece of gear, with a more regular belt, even if its the dual-purpose PM Leather hobble Belt ...

When you want to mount carry something with any really weight on a belt, there are really two things that you need to take into account, the strength and stiffness of the belt, and the weight, and method of use  of the item to be carried.

A stable platform, such as that produced by Bladetech in the TEK-LOK belt clamping unit. This is a high density polymer belt clip that allows the user to fasten virtually any kind of load to a regular belt.

The principle is simple. A clam shell hinged design allows the user to quickly and easily slip the mounting over a belt in place, and closes at the bottom, with first a pair of pinch-to-open horns and then a latch that folds up and around, locking the horns from pinching open, both of which are held against the body when worn, keeping them protected from any conceivable accidental release. Inside the clip there are a run of holes cut into the back face, into which two rubberised spacers which can be placed at a variety of spots in order to give the best hold on the belt, as well as eliminating slippage or wobble.

The business side of the clip however is the the flat faced plate which is dotted with a 3 x 3 grid of holes, through which rivets, screws and bolts can be threaded and fitted to the eyelets fitted to many of the  holsters, magazine carriers, phone holsters, knife sheaths and many other types of accessories that you will want to fit to belts and carry around with you. The inside face is recessed so your boltheads don't interfere with the belt, and ensure a safe and secure connection.

With bolts, and rubber spacers you can affix in many different combinations to allow you to set up whatever you are carrying to suit your needs, space and usage you had in mind.

The inner face of the TEK-LOK is slightly curved to marry with the body contours, the width of the top edge of the clip means it offers a stable platform, which as the load increases, becomes more and more important. I set mine up with my HHA ASOT-01 knife as an example and it ran really nicely.

One thing you'll find though is that you are at the mercy of the holster, sheath and carrier manufacturers, as the holes in the item to be mounted will determine how and where you can use the TEK-LOK, so bear that in mind, and if possible, try before you buy to ensure you get a good fit!