This is a new condition Zero Tolerance model ZT0990 featuring carbon fiber handle and awesome super steel CPM 20CV (made by Industry Leader, Crucible Particle Metals).

The knife has been out of the box for inspection and photos only. Mint with box and papers.

The action is good, flipping open easily. It will break-in nicely. The blade is very sharp. See more at the end about CPM 20CV steel…

I have personally inspected this knife and can attest that it operates as designed I can find no flaws.

If you need additional information or photographs to make a purchase with confidence, please message me and I will do my very best to reply to you as soon as possible. Note: I am not well schooled on archival cleaning so I do not clean the items before I photograph them or sell them. It is possible that you can do more harm than good.🩼✈️🚨

I am passionate about top quality knives (and more). Please take a second to take a quick lyook at my feedback references. I focused my collection on investment quality and/or superlative intrinsic value. Now it is time for me to share my collection with you. I have been able to hand select and personally inspect every knife I have collected and will sell. This is why I show pictures of the actual knife or item you’ll be delivered. After all, when you’re buying a beautiful knife, you’d like to know that it’s beautiful! Am I right?! 💪🧐

Thank you for looking and I appreciate your business.

Sincerely,

Scott

NOTE: I do not open sealed boxes to photograph a consistently well built, relatively generic knife. It will be noted in the description that the box is sealed, so there are no surprises. Usually, in this case, you will only see one photograph that is clearly a stock photo. Bid with confidence, and contact me if I can help in any way.

Main Features and Properties of CPM 20CV steel for knives

• Exceptional Edge Retention: One of its standout traits—thanks to the high vanadium content forming hard carbides. It holds a sharp edge significantly longer than many steels (often rated around 180% better than 440C in edge retention tests like CATRA).

• Outstanding Wear Resistance: Extremely high resistance to abrasion and wear, making it ideal for heavy or prolonged cutting tasks without dulling quickly. It’s often described as having about 5x the wear resistance of 440C.

• Excellent Corrosion Resistance: With 20% chromium (among the highest in high-vanadium stainless steels), it offers top-tier rust and stain resistance, even in humid, wet, or salty environments—great for outdoor, marine, or EDC use.

• Good Toughness: Balanced impact resistance (roughly comparable to 440C), though not the absolute toughest in the super steel category (some like Magnacut edge it out here). It’s reliable for most knife applications without easy chipping in properly heat-treated blades.

• Hardness: Typically heat-treated to 58-61 HRC (often 59-61 in production knives), providing a great balance of hardness and durability.

• Sharpenability: It can be more challenging to sharpen than simpler steels due to the hard vanadium carbides—diamond or ceramic abrasives work best, but once sharp, it stays that way for a long time.

• Other Benefits: Excellent polishability, fine grain structure from the CPM process (improves consistency and cleanliness), and overall well-rounded performance for premium knives.

Common Uses

It’s a favorite in high-end production and custom knives from brands like Zero Tolerance (who’ve used it extensively), Benchmade, Spyderco, CJRB, Kizer, WE Knife, and others. Popular in tactical folders, flippers, and EDC blades where you want long-lasting sharpness with minimal maintenance.

In short, CPM 20CV is prized for being a “set it and forget it” steel—superb at staying sharp and resisting rust/wear, making it a go-to for serious knife users who prioritize performance over easy sharpening. If you’re comparing it, it’s very similar to M390 or CTS-204P (near-identical equivalents from different makers).