Zero Tolerance 0006 Review: The Bushcraft Blade Rambo Would Want

I was 7 years old when my friend bought me a Rambo “Force of Freedom” combat toy set for my birthday, complete with knife, gun, compass, and walkie-talkie. 

For anyone growing up in the 1980s, Rambo was a big deal. Aside from Stallone himself, the knives he used to escape over-the-top situations made the character iconic. Where MacGyver got everyone to carry a Swiss Army Knife, Rambo inspired folks to have big, bad, survival knives.

I won’t say that the new 0006 from Zero Tolerance is the knife Rambo would have chosen to take on an endless line of enemies — it doesn’t have a compass in the pommel — but it could.

The design of this knife reminds me a lot of those movies and had me excited for all of the crazy things I could do with it from the moment I set eyes on it. Inspired by the original Zero Tolerance ZT-9 bayonet knife designed by Mick Strider, there’s no denying that the 0006 is militant by design. But, where the ZT-9 was designed specifically for military applications, the 0006 is meant to go with you on your next adventure, whatever it is.

Heck, it could even be to the grocery store or Pilates (but people would stare).

In short: If you’re looking for a belt knife that you can bring to war, or just a weekend out in the Adirondacks, the 0006 is the right knife for all conditions and obstacles. 

Zero Tolerance 0006 Knife Review

Design and Features

The 0006 is a bit of an impenetrable fortress. At the core is a solid piece of bead blasted and cerakoted 3/16-inch-thick CPM 3V steel. That translates to a full tang knife, made from a tool steel highly regaled for its impact and wear resistance. And it’s thick, chunky, and coated to be even more corrosion and abrasion resistant.

Additionally, 3V is hard to chip or break, meaning you can give it hell and it’ll keep on going.

For handle scales, the 0006 uses two solid OD green slabs of patterned G10, bolted through the blade steel, thread locked and all. G10 provides a good grip by design, but the texturing of the handle scales here improves upon that.

The 0006 comes complete with a Kydex sheath, designed to hang off your belt or strapped to your pack. The belt loop comes in right-hand configuration from the factory, but you can easily swap it for left-hand carry.

It can also be configured for low or high carry. The sheath is purpose-built, locking it in place, and has a drainage hole in the bottom for liquids to pass through.

First Impressions

I reached out to Zero Tolerance within a minute of seeing the 0006 on one of its Instagram posts. I didn’t even think to look at the specs; I just knew it was something I wanted to get my hands on to use and abuse. 

The outdoor world is going through a phase where bushcraft and bushcraft knives are peaking in popularity, but the 0006 isn’t just a bushcraft knife. Sure, it fits the general size and shape requirements, but there’s an aspect above and beyond that could see a civilian carrying this knife for a few days in the wilderness, or a soldier carrying it as their last line of defense. 

The 0006 is a big knife, but it’s not massive. At just under 11 inches, I found it quite easy to maneuver. But it was overkill when I tried to open a couple of boxes from UPS with it.

That said, it sliced through one of those boxes with such ease that I almost cut through the sleeping pad inside, with minimal effort.

But despite all this good, there’s one thing I can’t get past: the choice to use heavy denier nylon for the belt loop on the sheath. With all of the tactical and technical solutions out there, Biothane being one example, I feel like going with nylon doesn’t meet the demands of the 0006 and will inevitably fail.

So, I don’t mind admitting that I spent a few bucks and upgraded that loop to Biothane when I finished testing. And I couldn’t be happier.

In the Field

I happened to be in a pseudo-survival mindset right around the time I started testing the 0006, thanks to the inescapable popularity of The Last Of Us — both a game I played regularly and now a hit HBO miniseries I watch.

After 2 weeks and four dedicated adventures in the woods, I can happily say that the 0006 is an ultra-utility knife. It could easily be the lone knife you carry when you head into the outdoors for pretty much any endeavor.

The tapered clip point blade makes for easy stabbing, and the overall size and girth make the 0006 the obvious choice for chopping and batoning. It’s also good for slicing and filleting, and can be used as a draw knife for planing, if the spirit moves you.

Where your typical bushcraft knife was designed to get you through the wilderness, the 0006 can get you through anything, with very little need for maintenance and upkeep.

From the handle material and hardware to the 3V steel and its cerakoated top layer — and even the design of the sheath — the 0006 can be used, abused, and put away dripping in blood and guts. All you’ll need to do is hose it down or wash it in a puddle to get it back to factory-fresh status.

Overall

As someone who has never found a major need for a fixed-blade knife over 7-8 inches, I really enjoy the expanded abilities of the 0006. Sometimes we forget that we have the ability to carry all sorts of things with us when we head outdoors. But in extreme situations, that’s not always the case.

Zero Tolerance picked up on that vibe when it designed this knife and it shows right down to cerakoting a steel that really didn’t need it. But it will benefit from it over time.

Where I would bring a hatchet with me to do a lot of the heavy lifting for prepping camp, the 0006 is prepared for much more than that, and maybe that’s something to consider before dropping $400 on it.

But, if you’re someone who enjoys life in the outdoors, has a bug-out bag, or is in any faction of the military, this knife just might be the knife for you.