cold steel recon tanto?

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rev_jch

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Jul 29, 2002
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Ive never owned one of these. The only cold steel knife I own is a recon 1 in a clip blade. Ive heard many mixed things about these knives, seems mostly negative though.

Can anyone say anything positive about the cold steel recon tanto?
 
not a huge cold steel fan, but if you're gonna' buy a tanto, this one is pretty good for the cost. I owned one for about a year and it served me well. I sold it to a buddy of mine, and he has been using it for 4 years since then.
 
So what did you think of it? Since you sold it, it does not sound ike you were too atatched to it, but what did you think overall of the quality, etc.?
 
The Recon Tanto is the squared off tip version of the SRK. Carbon V, thick blade, should be a good reliable knife.
 
I've owned a couple of the Recon Tanto, and they actually are a pretty good, sturdy knife, although I like the stainless 6" Tanto better, because of its' AUS-8A steel, and the pointed pommel.

The Recon Tanto IS a good knife "for the money".
 
It's unbalanced and unwieldly - a sharpened prybar in the worst sense of the word. Unless you are hell bent on a tanto, an SRK would be better.
 
I liked the recon tanto. It came sharp and was easy to keep that way. I sold it only because I began to realize the limitations of a tanto for general purpose. I used the money and put it towards an all VG10 Fallkniven A1. No regrets for that decision.
 
I really like mine. Large enough to be useful, yet still easy to pack, and doesn't weigh a ton. I find it very good for day hikes, occasional archery target shooting, etc. It has enough belly to be a good cutter, and a good strong tip for digging my field points out of stumps (even though I'm not supposed to miss my target...).

The handle also fits my hand perfectly. I happen to really like how Carbon V takes and keeps an edge, very easy to resharpen. YMMV.
 
Mine's about 5 years old and still looks new. It's been awhile since I took it camping or actually used it for more than opening boxes, but the edge is still scary sharp and can be easily kept that way, even by me. My only gripe about the Recon Tanto is the handle. It just seems too small in every dimension. I have small to average hands and I just don't like the way this one feels (or looks for that matter). Its one of those times that a half inch or so would make all the difference to me. I believe that it is a matter of proportion and balance because as much as I gripe about the handle on the RT, I like the SRK, which for all intents and purposes has the same handle. I know it doesn't make sense, but thats the way it is.
 
I've used mine both outdoors and in the kitchen and it is a good knife IMO.



glockman99 said:
I've owned a couple of the Recon Tanto, and they actually are a pretty good, sturdy knife, although I like the stainless 6" Tanto better, because of its' AUS-8A steel, and the pointed pommel.
Click to expand...

I also have a stainless tanto and what I like best about it is the handle design. It is more comfortable than the Recon Tanto's.
 
Used to think it looked cool. Then I grew out of liking knives that were too big to carry around and, like, use.
 
I've owned one a Recon Tanto and an SRK for about 7 or 8 years now. Though the SRK has more of a general purpose design, I seem to prefer the Recon Tanto more. I like the way it balances, the handle fits my hand rather well, and it can take a very sharp edge. I thinned mine down and polished the edge and it is wicked sharp. The only way I'd like it even more is if it had a traditional style handle and no epoxy coating. Now that would be a sharp looking knife.


Chris
 
I've had a Recon Tanto for about 6 or 7 years and it hasn't been out of the box in about as much time. It would make a good fighter IMO, and a hell of a prybar. The thick grind on the Recon Tanto just makes it impractical for a lot of slicing and the tanto design is about as bad as they get for any sort of detail or skinning application. The SRK is a better all around knife that makes a good fighter and pry-bar while still extremely usable for woods work and skinning applications.
 
I've got both the Recon Tanto and the SRK. Whenever I'm going through my knives, I always make a point to hold both at the same time... While the Recon Tanto is "fun," it always makes me appreciate the SRK's blade shape.

That being said... I wouldn't give up either.
 
The recon tanto as a fighter... it's very blade heavy and has a trailing point. Not good. :(
 
I've had mine for 13 years and I still like it for backpacking I can hack with it if necessary or slice with it as well and if I ever break it or lose it I'm not out a ton of money. I find it to be a good strong useful and inexpensive knife.
 
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