CRKT Zilltool Jnr

kirk13 · **on:** November 18, 2011, 01:08:50 AM

I bought a Zilla Jnr from 50ft -trad,and after having given it a road test at work I thought I'd share a few impressions...

On Monday night I done a night shift,which at my work is fairly light duties.I thought it would make the ideal opertunity to give the Zilla a go.

My initial impressions of the the tool were positive.The pliers,whilst not big are a fair size,kinda between those of a Skeli,and a Squirt.They are spring loaded(not a favourite feature of mine)but not over sprung.I particularly liked the plier handle,with comfortable indentations for the fingers,and the very positive plier release/lock.The flipper relasedblade is reasonably sharp,and rather pretty oin the black finish.The hex bits fit the magnetic driver fairly well,and access from,and replacement in the handle grooves in ok.

During the night,the blade was used for a fair bit of box bashing(colapsing empty storage cartons)and performed fairly well,nothing special,but nothing wrong.The flipper release is good,and the liner lock gave me no cause for concern.

The pliers came in handy later in the evening,when having to rehang a powercable in the stock room.The pliers were both easy and very positive to use.I wouldnt expect too much from them in terms of cutting hard wires,but thats something that didnt get tested.

By this stage,the Zilla was doing very well,but...

In the last stages of the shift,I was looking for work to do,so I replaced a Diecast Spitfire model in on of my display cabinets.These models are held into the packaging by screws(often of dubious quality).One proved hard than the rest and actually took a chunk out of the philips driver!Fortunatly I had a SAK with an inline driver to finish the job.

In short,the Zilla is a good design,let down by the quality of the bits.Its other big draw back is the fact that the bist are somewhat smaller than the usual quarter inch.The Zilla is a neat wee tool,sits well in the pocket,but recommended for light tasks only

Mr. Whippy · **Reply #1 on:** November 18, 2011, 02:26:38 AM

Good review! The bits are a concern of mine too (finding replacements). Did you find the blade tip opening slightly in your pocket?

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #2 on:** November 18, 2011, 04:20:35 AM

It's sad to see a good design fail on something so simple and kind of pointless. As I said before, the smaller bits were a booboo- they were supposed to remain standard bits while the rest of the tool was supposed to be scaled down.

The up shot is that the Zilla Jr is pretty inexpensive, as is the Get A Way Driver, which is designed to allow the Jr to use standard bits. It was designed to offset the driver size screwup.

Def

dks · **Reply #3 on:** November 18, 2011, 01:20:28 PM

Very good hands-on review Kirk.

I got my CRKT Zilla and my CRKT Guppie because they looked cute. I was sold on the design rather than on any functions they could perform and do not intend to use them for any. I believe there must be others like me, somewhere.....

jonsco · **Reply #4 on:** November 18, 2011, 08:04:57 PM

You are not alone, I have just taken delivery of both, I will an attempt to try and use them though, but I already have SOG, Leatherman & Victorinox.

The tips are 5mm hex so are fairly universal.

kirk13 · **Reply #5 on:** November 18, 2011, 09:13:23 PM

@Mr Whippy:Didnt have any problems with the blade opening,but the tool felt brand new,I guess Al only had a brief play with it.I'm guessing here,but the torx screws look as if they can be tightened.

@jonsco:cool!I'll have a look for the 5mil bits!

@Def:Cheers mate,something more to look at...

AimlessWanderer · **Reply #6 on:** November 18, 2011, 09:28:27 PM

Yeah, you've got far more life out of it already than I did John ... you used it

I like it, but it wasn't for me somehow. I'm still waiting on the li'l guppie coming through which I hope I'll feel more attachment to. That's a bummer that the Phillips got injured on day one mate, but otherwise my initial thoughts were pretty similar to yours

kirk13 · **Reply #7 on:** November 18, 2011, 09:35:17 PM

Am I being dumb here(it wouldnt be the first time)but does the ...aww never mind just read it again,I am being dumb

jonsco · **Reply #8 on:** November 19, 2011, 11:43:43 AM

couple of other points, the locking bar for the blade didn't clip into place properly. I have had to bend it slighty using the flat screwdriver blade in the Guppie. Seems to have cured it.

The mag effect on the tips is non existent, so I have wiped them & the tool end through a magnetizer, dual effect, will now pick small & medium screws and also stays in the tool better.

kirk13 · **Reply #9 on:** November 21, 2011, 04:50:46 PM

@jonsco:Cant say I've had any those problems...maybe you just had a Friday tool?

Anyway heres some pix:

Basic beauty shots

A good look at the plier handle thathas so impressed me

And the offending element

Sean · **Reply #10 on:** November 21, 2011, 06:28:38 PM

Thanks for your thoughts.

I carried mine for a few weeks as my work edc. I was disappointed when I discovered one of
my bits had fallen out never to be found. Other than that it performed reasonably well. I'm
a bit hard on knives at work, not through intentional abuse but I catch pocket clips on crates,
and bend or break them off. I drop them occasionally and the knives have hit the floor only
to have the tips damaged. Somehow over time my Zilla Jr. blade when deployed is crooked
and off kilter with respect to the handle. Other than being a bit undergunned for me in the
steel dept (dulled to quickly) I enjoyed it's weight and spring loaded plier jaws. I think
CRKT did a good job at having most of the tools accessible without having to crack everything
open.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #11 on:** November 21, 2011, 07:16:04 PM

Sounds to me like you need to invest in a CRKT folding Razel. The tips are broken off at the factory for you!

Def

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

Sean · **Reply #12 on:** November 21, 2011, 10:04:12 PM

Quote from: Grant Lamontagne on November 21, 2011, 07:16:04 PM

Sounds to me like you need to invest in a CRKT folding Razel. The tips are broken off at the factory for you!

Def

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

Hey, there is an idea.

Actually, I would like to get the smaller folding Razel with the Stag
scales. It would also double as a window cleaner, as I end up scraping quite a bit of tape from glass
at times.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #13 on:** November 21, 2011, 10:15:18 PM

Now you tell me. I sold my Mini Razel a few months ago.

Def

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

Sean · **Reply #14 on:** November 21, 2011, 10:40:55 PM

Quote from: Grant Lamontagne on November 21, 2011, 10:15:18 PM

Now you tell me. I sold my Mini Razel a few months ago.

Def

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

Dang!

Maybe next time into Vancouver I guess. Not too badly priced just over $35

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #15 on:** November 22, 2011, 01:04:48 AM

They are actually really good knives. I didn't care for the small one though as it was pretty wide and not very long. There's a good thread on both models here:

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,16705.0.html

I liked the small size of the Mini but the handle width drove me nuts. It felt ok, but I really couldn't get used to it. The large one by comparison is extremely comfortable to use, and opens up smoothly while locking up solidly. It's beautiful.

Def

Mercury · **Reply #16 on:** November 22, 2011, 08:01:10 AM

I keep thinking about getting one of these. They seem like a neat EDC gadget, but I am hesitant to adopt the pliers.

Sean · **Reply #17 on:** November 22, 2011, 05:03:49 PM

Quote from: Grant Lamontagne on November 22, 2011, 01:04:48 AM

They are actually really good knives. I didn't care for the small one though as it was pretty wide and not very long. There's a good thread on both models here:

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,16705.0.html

I liked the small size of the Mini but the handle width drove me nuts. It felt ok, but I really couldn't get used to it. The large one by comparison is extremely comfortable to use, and opens up smoothly while locking up solidly. It's beautiful.

Def

Thanks for reminding me of that thread, I'll have another re-read.

ironraven · **Reply #18 on:** November 25, 2011, 09:45:57 PM

I know, thread necro, but...

I've looked at the full sized Zilla and liked the tools but not the bulk. I know the Zilla Jr doesn't take 1/4" bits- does it take 4mm? Partner it with some Cybertool bits and there might be something interesting there.

Mr. Whippy · **Reply #19 on:** November 25, 2011, 10:10:10 PM

Quote from: ironraven on November 25, 2011, 09:45:57 PM

I know, thread necro, but...

I've looked at the full sized Zilla and liked the tools but not the bulk. I know the Zilla Jr doesn't take 1/4" bits- does it take 4mm? Partner it with some Cybertool bits and there might be something interesting there.

I can double check tonight, but my recollection is the 4mm bits don't work in the Zilla Junior. They are a unique bit.

kirk13 · **Reply #20 on:** November 25, 2011, 10:48:46 PM

Got a Getaway Driver today...First impressions are good,but its pending a work test...and there'll be a full test in a seperate post soon.

The Bit adaptor does indeed fit the Zilla Jnr,but feels like a lose fit.I'll give it a decent test and report back...

Mr. Whippy · **Reply #21 on:** November 26, 2011, 02:53:12 AM

4mm bits spin freely in the Zilla Jr. Way too small. 1/4 bits are too big.

Hello Lurker! Remove this ad and much more by logging in.

CRKT Zilltool Jnr

Donations

Community Links