Cold Steel Master Tanto

[bigfred]

I am new to Bladeforum and have just recently started to get into knives. Is a Cold Steel Master Tanto worth $175. A friend is selling his and is giving me first shot at it. Would my money be better spent on another knife. I would mostly be using it for camping and hunting.

 

[Will Kwan]

Maybe, if corrosion is not a problem their Carbon 5 recon tanto is a better deal. Better edge retention and it might be tougher.

Will

 

[KillerMan]

Welcome to the forums! The Master Tanto is indeed a great knife, but the tanto blade shape isn't that well suited for skinning animals and general camp utility tasks. If you want to stick with Cold Steel though, their Bushman, Bush Ranger, Master Hunter and/or Recon Scout are much better designs for field use in my opinion.

 

[bigfred]

I agree with both of you, I guess what I really want to know is if $175 is a great deal for the knife. I see that on the Cold Steel site they retail for $280. Is the San Mai III steel worth the money, or is it a bunch of hype?