Cold Steel GI Tanto

[beta464]

Well I got my CS GI Tanto about a month ago and initially I was impressed,it had a razor sharp 7 inch long 1055 medium carbon steel blade,thin back edge that could easily be sharpened on a bench stone or ceramic rod and an outstanding price point (around $25.00),the original sheaths were cordura nylon however I was happy the see them switch to Secure-Ex plastic sheaths with a quick attach nylon belt loop,

the handles are slick polypropylene but you can very easily make Micarta handles for it because the handle slabs are attached via T-10 torx driver,here's a link to my photos of the knife being used:
http://s804.photobucket.com/albums/yy326/skorm730/?action=view&current=d8de229a.pbw

It's edge was really sharp prior to hacking and splitting but it did need some sharpening afterwords,it did rust just a little bit but was easily cleaned up,the hacking performance was shocking for a tanto it actually did fairly well,it's wood splitting performance was good on soft wood but when taken to hard wood I was slightly disappointed however that's due mainly to the blade thickness,CS claims this to be a 4MM thick blade but according to my measurements it's 3.38MM thick,overall it's a good value knife.

So that's my short review of the GI Tanto

 

[Tostig]

Cool , I've thought about scoring one to have destructive fun with.

Thanks for the review

Tostig

 

[beta464]

Cool , I've thought about scoring one to have destructive fun with.

Thanks for the review

Tostig

They can take quite a beating so you wouldn't regret it,overall it's a very high value knife,take care!

 

[Gambrinus]

I did not know about the new sheaths.
Can they be mounted for lefties ?
I might be tempted to buy one, then.
Though i don´t like the dumb ricasso.

 

[beta464]

I did not know about the new sheaths.
Can they be mounted for lefties ?
I might be tempted to buy one, then.
Though i don´t like the dumb ricasso.

Yes it could very easily be mounted for lefties,
simply take off the nylon strap and move it to the other side,
the ricasso actually serves the purpose of preventing the knife from cutting you
if it starts to fall out of the sheaths pressure fit,take care!

 

[Gambrinus]

thx. the nylon sheath was a major point against this model for me.
would a large teklok fit ?
then i have to find a US dealer that ships first class so the postage is not more expensive than the knife!

 

[beta464]

Well I haven't tested it with a Tek-Lok but I'm sure it would work fine,it's a great value blade for sure man,take care!

 

[Albin]

thx. the nylon sheath was a major point against this model for me.
would a large teklok fit ?
then i have to find a US dealer that ships first class so the postage is not more expensive than the knife!

A large Tek-lok fits the Secure-Ex sheaths I have (Drop Forged Hunter, Recon Tanto, SRK-C) but the problem is that to clear the upper part of the sheath the Tek-lok ends up being pretty low, which makes the knife ride high. Like dig into your ribs high, see pic. I'm looking on how to modify the sheath so that I have the Tek-lok "rigidity" (vs. the nylon belt flopping around) but not be so high it digs into the ribs.

I've tried carrying both the SRK-C (left) and the DF Hunter (right) but they both dig in. I haven't tried the SOB carry for the Recon Tanto - yet. I'd really really like to find a comfortable way to carry it though - that knife was made for my hand!!!

 

[RDog]

The "matchpoint AMP mounting plate" might work for you. You hard mount your sheath to the mounting plate at almost any angle, and the plate has belt loops to put onto your belt.

 

[DangerZone98]

Ancient thread I know, but I just wanted to add my thoughts for any future viewer considering a GI. It’s a decent knife for the money, but for a few bucks more, I’d rather opt for the Recon Tanto to fill the “budget beater tanto” role or the Kobun for a compact fixed tanto (although the slim handle might bother folks with large mitts). The GI is certainly durable and it won’t shrink from any reasonable knife task. It’s the “little things” that bother me: the straight handle doesn’t give a positive grip, the guards are more of an impediment than protection, the finger choil isn’t ergonomic. Those issues vanish with the Recon Tanto for just a couple more dollars.

 

[Guy McVer]

It's a solid all around decent budget knife and I like it for what it is. The problem I have is that it's too damn big. It's one of those silly rambo knives you get when you think you're supposed to be using your knife to chop down trees and split fire wood all day. When you've seen too many videos of guys batoning, this is the kind of knife you end up getting. You end up thinking of this as a survival knife, and it's just not.

It's a fun knife that you can toss around and beat up, but it's not something I would ever want to be stuck carrying and having to depend on for the long term. I would pick something smaller and lighter.

 

[DangerZone98]

It's a solid all around decent budget knife and I like it for what it is. The problem I have is that it's too damn big. It's one of those silly rambo knives you get when you think you're supposed to be using your knife to chop down trees and split fire wood all day. When you've seen too many videos of guys batoning, this is the kind of knife you end up getting. You end up thinking of this as a survival knife, and it's just not.

It's a fun knife that you can toss around and beat up, but it's not something I would ever want to be stuck carrying and having to depend on for the long term. I would pick something smaller and lighter.

Definitely a fun knife yeah. For a car or backpack knife, the size ain’t so bad. But as a belt knife, yeah it’s quite a chonker. I’d reach for the Kansbol or Bushcraft black first.

 

[sodak]

Ancient thread I know, but I just wanted to add my thoughts for any future viewer considering a GI. It’s a decent knife for the money, but for a few bucks more, I’d rather opt for the Recon Tanto to fill the “budget beater tanto” role or the Kobun for a compact fixed tanto (although the slim handle might bother folks with large mitts). The GI is certainly durable and it won’t shrink from any reasonable knife task. It’s the “little things” that bother me: the straight handle doesn’t give a positive grip, the guards are more of an impediment than protection, the finger choil isn’t ergonomic. Those issues vanish with the Recon Tanto for just a couple more dollars.

I agree with everything you said. I have one in my truck. It's a fairly tough knife if I get into a spot, and for me, it's cheap and ugly, so if my truck is broken into or stolen, it won't hurt my feelings. I've had other knives in my car when it was stolen, and I regret having them in there. I seriously doubt I'd miss this one, but it would still be useful if I need it.

 

[Albin]

Ancient thread I know, but I just wanted to add my thoughts for any future viewer considering a GI. It’s a decent knife for the money, but for a few bucks more, I’d rather opt for the Recon Tanto to fill the “budget beater tanto” role or the Kobun for a compact fixed tanto (although the slim handle might bother folks with large mitts). The GI is certainly durable and it won’t shrink from any reasonable knife task. It’s the “little things” that bother me: the straight handle doesn’t give a positive grip, the guards are more of an impediment than protection, the finger choil isn’t ergonomic. Those issues vanish with the Recon Tanto for just a couple more dollars.

I have both and agree with everything you said. I really really need to find a way to EDC one of my Recon Tantos. No knife has called to me since my Randall #5-5 from 1979 like these two have (San Mai and SK-5).