Cold steel gi tanto vs kabar tanto.

B

buyer5207

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Mar 30, 2010
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The cold steel is really cheap and i went to knifetests and they gave it 4 "stars"

so I'm assuming its really good but I've always been a fan of kabar. The kabar tanto hasn't had any bad reviews and has a nice sheath. However, the cold steel sheath sucks but it's a good knife.

1055 steel on cs gi tanto and 1095 on kabar tanto

I will be using it for bush-craft/camping etc. please: dont say "tanto isn't good for bushcraft" because I like the tanto's reinforced blade and I'm already set on getting a tanto

Theres a 40 dollar difference the cold steel is the cheaper one so whitch one (cs is 25 dollars shipped and the kabar is 65 shipped)?
 
In that price range you should also check out the Cold Steel Recon Tanto. they are available online for as low as $55 and have a sturdier tang than the Kabars. If you are set on a tanto I would go with either the GI tanto if you're on a really tight budget, or the Recon Tanto if you can afford it. I am not a fan of the rat tang design used by kabar. I bent the handle on mine while batoning some cedar for kindling. Granted it was an off center hit, but even so the tang should have not bent from a single hit.
 
I like cold steel's sheath. I can forget about rust if it's been in the sheath too long. Unlike leather. But Kabar sells the plastic sheath (I just checked the catalogue) too.

I prefer the Cold Steel tanto. Full tang and tough steel. Though I actually prefer 1095, full tang is always my first choice.
 
I second the CS Recon Tanto. I've had one for a long, long time- it has been through hell and back with me, in the bush, in the jungle, in the yard, seen combat and combat conditions and is still ticking strong. Mine is the carbon V steel while the new ones are aus 8 I believe but that is still a good steel. After years of use and abuse I recently had the edge on mine re-profiled and overhauld as it was pretty beat up and its now shaving sharp again.
Peace
John
 
cowboyup0669 said:
I second the CS Recon Tanto. I've had one for a long, long time- it has been through hell and back with me, in the bush, in the jungle, in the yard, seen combat and combat conditions and is still ticking strong. Mine is the carbon V steel while the new ones are aus 8 I believe but that is still a good steel. After years of use and abuse I recently had the edge on mine re-profiled and overhauld as it was pretty beat up and its now shaving sharp again.
Peace
John
Click to expand...

:thumbup: I've used one in the woods for almost a year.

Can't see that a Tanto Kabar is any less tough than the reg version which I currently carry out now. I'd say the Kabar for the better quality sheath too.
 
The GI tanto has been to hell and back with me and has been personolized along the way
#1 made the " false edge " back in a acual blade
#2 unsnaped belt loop and attached para chord to make rig
#3 when first got it took off G10 plates and added para chord but later demeled plates and put back on
I would trust this blade with my life
Great for batoning , splitting , gutting game , could be used for SD , could be lashed to make spear
Only prob is its alittle big for EDC
I wish CS would make a GI mini
 
Polypropylene handles. To be clear. The handles are not G10. Completely different, more expensive material, G10 is.


OP's question, the GI tanto is just crazy tough for the price. I've been throwing one of the original releases since they were first released! (is that over 10 years now?

Tough as tough can be for the price. The sheaths are much better now than mine.




The bad? not finished very well. But for the price? As well as can be expected.


It will be significantly, and I mean SIGNIFICANTLY tougher than the KBar. It is a full tang, in the correct meaning of the word.

The KBar is not near as strong in the tang department.

If you plan chopping, batonning, or generally abusing the knife, I would not go with the Kbar.




There are lots of knives I would recommend above the GI Tanto, but they are more expensive.

I can't really complain, as mine is still going strong all these years later. Of course, I don't use it for knife tasks. Just throwing, and banging off of stuff.
 
tang.gif

Ka bar tangs are not exactly heavy duty.
kabarredo003.jpg

I love my bars, but for the money and life span of a full tang knife,
I would be blind for not at least owning one piece of Cs's gi tanto.
even if it's not as pretty as the ka bar tanto...
 
You're not going to like the handle on the Cold Steel and the sheath is kydex lookalike. It doesn't look as good as a KaBar either. Not really sure of the long term ramifications of a cheaper steel full-tang vs. a better steel partial tang. I guess that's up to the individual to determine.

I personally would go with the KaBar due to lengthy experience with them, but I can't say I'm that familiar with the Cold Steel so...let us know how it goes.

A tanto is fine in the bush.---a double ground tanto blade is quite strong. I've used a leuku in the wild for decades and the basic blade is not that different. In fact, they're about as similar as two distinct blade types can be. So don't sweat that part. The tanto blade will be SLIGHTLY more rigid than a standard type blade, with a little less flex. Probably not even noticeable.
 
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