Knife Review - ANV Z200

 

 - a technically advanced knife from the Czech Republic

Today's review object is a, in my opinion, very interesting knife that offers several technical solutions that are not completely common in the folding knife world. I think I saw most of them individually but not in the same knife. Besides, a completely new detail is offered to arouse curiosity even more. The model is called Z200 and comes from ANV Knives.

ANV Knives Z200

ANV or Acta non verba as it should be read is a knife brand from the Czech Republic. A country with proud industrial and manufacturing traditions of, among other things, fine mechanics. So that we find a knife brand from there with many interesting technical solutions may not be so far-fetched. Z200 is actually a variant of their first model Z100, but instead of being a flipper-knife, this is intended for a two-handed opening according to the website. But I can already reveal that it is extremely adapted for single-handed opening as well.

At first glance, it is a fairly plain folding knife with a flat-sided G10 handle and a drop point blade in N690 and thus nothing special. But there is much more to be discovered!

It's not every day you come across a knife from the Czech Republic!

Blade

In terms of appearance, the blade shape itself does not offer any surprises. It is a quintessential drop point with rather classic proportions. The blade is 85 mm long and the height at most 27 mm. The shape gives a piece of straight edge to work with, a softly curved belly and in this case a strong and also capable tip.

The color is black in this case, but like most details on ANV's knives, there are options when you order the knife on their website. This time, the choice was based on purely aesthetic grounds. The black coating is a very durable DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) and the alternative is a stone-washed finish. The marking on the blade is discreet with only ANV's stylish stylized logo on one side and model, steel type, and country of manufacture on the other. However, in very small text size. Here you can also see a small gimmick from ANV's side. In all their folding knives, they have a small hole filled with a luminous material that marks how it should be opened or perhaps rather where. Another tasteful detail is that the whole name, Acta non verba, is only found on the spine of the blade.

A proportionate drop point blade with a softly rounded spine

The blade steel comes from Böhler and is N690Co. A steel that is quite close to the now almost reviled Japanese VG10, which I like, but which for some reason has a bad reputation in the circle that consists of IKC (Internet Knife Community) people. Personally, I like both types of steel as they can get very sharp, especially if the degree of hardness is raised slightly at the same time as they are rather rust-resistant. They are also relatively easy to sharpen. What they do not excel at is the ability to hold an edge for a long time. The same goes for this knife. It needs to be maintained with a few strokes on a strop or sharpening steel at regular intervals to perform at its peak.

The knife has a high saber grind with a small flat surface on the lock side and space for a groove on the opening side. The factory edge was capable but nothing out of the ordinary. Sharp but in a robust way. That is, it does not shave hair with ease but rather so that you have to scrape for that exercise to work.

The catalog states that this knife has a blade with a thickness of 4 mm. Thankfully, it does not. According to my caliper, it is 3.5 mm and nothing else. But in return, the knife has a lot of steel behind the edge, maybe too much if I am to be completely honest. It varies from 0.6 mm at least and around 0.9 mm closer to the tip.

The slightly too thick edge does not excel in this type of material

Of course, this affects how the knife behaves when it is used. In this case, it is unfortunately to the detriment of the knife. In porous materials such as cardboard, the thick and steep edge tends to struggle with cardboard even when it has been sharpened. After a bit of stropping, it gets better but the problem remains. To be sure, I compared it to a knife with an equally thick blade, in the same steel but with a scandi grind instead, also with a lot of meat behind the edge. It was significantly much better.

Instead, it's in penetrating cuts, thick plastic, and the like that the Z200 performs the best. It is not better than the knives I compared with but at least as good. The same applies when it's time to cut some wood. There, this blade manages reasonably well, but of course, is not close to a real "scandi". In tougher materials such as pieces of carpet, leftover plastic mat, and rubber hose, the geometry of this blade works decently. The performance is neither the best nor the worst. But then it is instead the handle on the Z200 that sets the limits. It is clearly more focused on general EDC use. And for small tasks like cutting string, rope, tape, opening packages and it is really good.

The strong tip, on the other hand, gets top marks. It penetrates effectively in hard plastic and similar materials at the same time as it can be broken loose from a piece of wood without snapping.

Handle

The material in the handle on the Z200 is in this version G10, but the knife is also available in an aluminum version and then you also get a knife with a frame lock instead. There are six different colors on the G10 to choose from.

The length of the handle is twelve centimeters and of that is around 10.5 cm grip area. Big enough for most hands in other words. The width is 12.5 mm and the height at most 26 mm. The handle has a small finger guard, a subtle marking for the fingers, and swells at the back so you do not slip backward when you cut with the knife.

The sides are simple and flat in shape with a milled pattern for the sake of appearance. The material is a fairly finely patterned G10 so it only contributes to a lesser extent to traction. Here the handle shape provides grip. 

A simple but comfortable handle in a rather smooth G10

The construction of this knife is so special that I wrote a special text about it. It's actually the seeming simplicity that makes the Z200 special as I mentioned initially. To begin with, the knife has only two screws in total!* The only other knives I have seen with so few have been all-metal knives.

Both screws have T8 heads, so the knife can be dismantled with a single tool. The straight sides, one of which is also smooth on the inside in combination with the two attachment points, make the handle extremely open, so to speak. Despite this, the handle is stiff even if a little flex can be felt in the knife if you grab the tip and provoke hard sideways in the same way as on a BM Bugout for example.

The Z200 is completely open seen from above

Here you can see some of the unusual details such as that the lock bar is only attached with one screw, the double Teflon bearings, and the clip that is attached without a dedicated screw

The adjustable pivot screw doubles as a bracket for the lock bar recessed on the G10 side. The rear screw contributes to stability even if the liner does not attach to it while also holding the clip in place. Then, of course, it holds the handle together as well. So three functions have been solved with just a single screw. The screws are of Chicago type by the way and thus only pulled from one direction, which gives an extra clean presentation side.

The handle is simple but well designed. A bonus is that the clip is not felt in the hand while using the knife

The shape of the handle is simple but works very well. It is easy to find the right grip and to switch between them. This also applies to different hand sizes. The Z200 is also a knife with a very neutral balance, which contributes to the knife feeling nimble and light in hand. Contributing is of course that it is light in actual figures. 

Opening and Lock

This knife boasts a not entirely ordinary opening method. In addition to the fact that it can of course be opened with two hands if desired, the one-handed opening is facilitated via a groove in the blade which acts as a purchase for the thumb. For those who have experience opening knives with either a blade hole or thumb studs, the function itself is not unfamiliar. It is intuitive and you just have to place your thumb in the groove and open it without the need for fine motor gymnastics. However, it is not very accommodating for the left-handed.

The thumb easily finds the groove in the blade for a one-handed opening

For this opening method to work, however, some conditions are required. One is that the blade glides easily. It does so through a rather unusual solution. The blade runs on no less than four very thin Teflon bushings, two per side. Two of them also have grease pockets in them the same way as a Sebenza. They are also oversized to provide more contact space. This in turn provides increased lateral stability, which is good. The feeling is not "ball bearing smooth" but with a couple of soft shakes, the knife closes after use.

The second thing required is a rather heavy blade which you have in the Z200. It is also a plus if the detent is not too strong. In this case, it's quite weak. This makes the knife a little involuntarily offers a third opening method. It is very easy to get the blade out with a small flick on the wrist, ie gravity opening. 

The lock bar is fully engaged but has plenty of space to wear

The lock is easy to access and very easy to release

For safety, there is a liner lock as mentioned before. There is nothing to comment on the function itself. It locks very securely without any play in any direction and the feeling is quite solid. However, it can be pointed out that it is exemplary easy to access and release.

To Carry

The Z200 is a fairly thin knife where the handle only measures just over twelve millimeters. The length of twelve centimeters is also not dissuasive and the weight of just over a hundred grams is sympathetic. When it is then combined with a fairly smooth material in the handle and an excellent clip, the result is a knife that is very easy to carry.

The wire clip with its unusual and characteristic attachment

Much of the sympathetic impression comes from a really good clip. It is a wire clip which makes it discreet. At the same time, ANV's has made it stiff enough so that it does not easily move sideways. A small movement can be felt if it is provoked but no more. The material is blackened steel.

A "deep ride wire clip", not a quite common combination

The function is excellent, the clip holds the knife in place while it is very easy to pull. As can be seen from the pictures, it is of the "deep-carry" type. In most pants, the knife is not visible at all unless the pockets are slanted as in the photo above.

What makes the clip so good and saves it from a trap many clips of the kind fall into is the handle length. Usually, the "loop" or back end of the clip ends up against the inside of the hand when using the knife and causing pressure and being a hot spot. But not in this case. Here it ends up outside most hands that are not extremely wide.

To Conclude

I must admit that I was very happy when I stumbled upon this brand by chance not so long ago. Even though they started in 2018, ANV Knives had passed me by. It feels refreshing with brands that are neither from the US nor made in China or even in Italy or Germany. In addition to the exotic nature of coming from the Czech Republic, they have also spiced up their knives with some peculiarities that make them exciting in my opinion.

Many small details contribute to originality.

• The blade shape is simple but it differs from most with a groove for opening, a luminous insert, and the name of the manufacturer found on the elegantly rounded spine

• The handle looks like a regular G10 handle but lacks a frame and there are only two screws in the whole knife in total! **

• The knife has a liner lock even though it lacks a frame and the lock bar is only screwed into the pivot screw.

• The Z200 has a wire clip, but it is a deep-carry loop-over wire clip that is attached uniquely.

• ANV has chosen its own solution for Teflon bushings. They are thin and wide, double, and have grease pockets.

ANV Z200, an EDC knife in the slightly larger format

If you combine all that with an overall sympathetic design with a classic blade and a simple but well-functioning handle, you get an excellent knife for daily use.

But not everything is glittering gold and I, therefore, have some suggestions for improvement. The Z200 would benefit from being significantly thinner behind the edge and deserves a less obtuse edge angle. This is not a survival or bushcraft knife. The edge thus does not have to be as durable as it is. This is an EDC-knife and then the emphasis is on cutting things efficiently. Then the structure of the handle material could be slightly coarser. As it is now, it is actually a bit too slippery and does not feel as exclusive as the knife actually is or even a bit "cheap" as my girlfriend spontaneously put it after testing the knife.

I do not say much about the choice to use Teflon bushings. I'm not as dogmatic on that subject as some other reviewers. I mainly look at function. But I actually asked the manufacturer about it and they replied that they constantly make a trade-off between bronze and Teflon and other materials and that in this case, it gave a smoother action.

The Z200, a refreshing alternative

But apart from that potential for improvement, this is a knife I really appreciate. That it does not feel or is constructed like everyone else is a plus. Especially when it is well built and the solutions work excellently. In concrete terms, this means good handling, superb balance, and that it is easy to carry. The materials are also well-chosen.

If you want an EDC knife that not everyone else has, this is an exciting alternative!

Specification:

Length Overall: 205 mm

Length Folded: 120 mm

Weight: 102 g

Blade Length: 85 mm

Blade Thickness: 3,5 mm (measured by me, stated 4 mm)

Blade Steel: Böhler N690

Handle: G10

Lock: Liner lock

Produced by: Acta non verba Knives, made in the Czech Republic

/ J 

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* Even "integrals", knives with handles made from one piece of material, usually have more. Usually a pivot screw, one for the clip and at least one for the steel insert in the lock bar.

** To compare with, for example, an OKC RAT1 that has fifteen.