Different models of Zat'nik'atal

[the fifth man]

I don't care really how they've changed it. I just love those weapons.

[Perriman33]

I thought I'd noticed a couple of different designs through the seasons but presume it's just decoration that the different system lords use!
They are so cool, and compared to the staff weapon they hardly ever miss!

[Ascended Times.2]

The jaffa have the Zats MAINLY on they're left arm (or right, depends on Jaffa desire.) there are ocasionans when they have them on they're left or right leg.

The Zat designs do change, like the designs of the staff weapons, in the beggining the zats never had the little purple ends on them (note my picture of the most recent zats look...) The zat changes just change like every 3 season or something, not very often. and I noticed that about season six, *Prometheus* he zat blast look changed completely, they also sounded slightly different...

[Space Cadette]

In the tv series, when Teal'c first shows O'Neill the zats, O'Neill had never seen them before and asked what they were. So what was used in the movie might have been a different weapon.

On the show, in the first season, the zats did not have the ornamental piece on the very top. That came later. They were also more of an oxblood and copper color in the first season and later became a much darker gray, almost black with copper.

As for the hinges, like most props, there are working props and static props. The static props and stunt props are solid pieces that do not open and close. This might account for some of the differences you've noticed in the hinges.