Explain the tanto

brownshoe said:
I have the large Cold Steel Voyager tanto in AUS8a with an intergral clip. It cuts very well and is quite strong and has taken abuse for many years. It cuts much better than a sack of doorknobs. You can abuse it and pry with it and not worry about tip breakage. I've done lots with this knife that would have cause my tip to break or chip, but have no problem with the Tanto. It's a good design for someone who wants a very strong tip.
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I have a prybar that does that very well. A screwdriver too. They both cut much better than a sack of doorknobs! You are correct.
 
There is nothing wrong with not liking a blade shape, but to state a sharp knife won't cut just because of it's blade shape is pretty funny. That's like saying a knife with a green handle isn't as comfortable as a knife with a black handle.
 
silkworm said:
Historically the tanto was just a long knife or a very short sword (shorter than the wakizashi). It did not necessarily have the chisel ground tip as you typically see on tantos today. Although many Japanese swords, do have that chisel like tips they more up-swept than say the tip of an CQC7 or a Cold Steel Voyager. After WW2 possession of a sword was illegal in Japan and many of the swords were destroyed and some people rather than have their heirloom swords confiscated cut them in half. That more blunted chisel like tip eventually found its way to Western knife makers and sort of became the standard tanto type of blade. At least that's the way I understand it - and I admit I'm no expert.
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Yes, the tanto was the samurai's belt knife. It was made in the same manner as the swords just with a shorter blade and handle. The shape of the point of the blade, as mentioned earlier is for stabbing.

The single bevel part of it arises from Japanese traditional kitchen knives, almost all of which are single bevel. It doesn't arise from the traditional samurai sword and tanto which were double beveled. I won't get into a long discourse about why the Japanese are so fond of single beveled kitchen knives and their advantages and disadvantages. The major advantage is that it is easier to sharpen with bench stones than a double bevel blade. The major disadvantage is that the blades are right or left handed and don't work well for people of the opposite "handedness."

But I will mention that most single bevel knives made by U.S. manufacturers are ground left handed. The reason for this is that it is customary in the U.S. for the mark side of a blade to be facing a right handed user when in use. So the makers do it that way either out of custom or ignorance. It makes them fussy to use for right handed people. Great for lefties, obviously. Also they tend to rotate in use so it takes more care to use them.
 
pvicenzi said:
There is nothing wrong with not liking a blade shape, but to state a sharp knife won't cut just because of it's blade shape is pretty funny. That's like saying a knife with a green handle isn't as comfortable as a knife with a black handle.
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Blade "shape" and cutting ability are unrelated?
 
Normally, I have absolutely no interest in the Tanto blade shape, but I found a Kershaw Tanto Blur recently for super-cheap on the FleaBay and couldn't resist.

Not sure if this is typical of tantos, but I find it's a pretty capable blade shape.

I find it way easier to sharpen than recurve blades (like on the plain edge Blur, which I had my eye on originally) and pretty much on-par with most other knives I've sharpened. On benchstones, I could equate it to sharpening a chisel or Exacto-knife blade (or rather, two of them...): I just treat each part of the blade as a separate edge and sharpen accordingly - no hassle :D

I haven't used it yet for anything than cutting a bit of paper and an apple, so I don't know anything about its value as a work/edc knife.:confused:
 
They look cool. I almost bought a zt 400 then I saw the 200 and it looked much better for cutting.
 
Per "I have a prybar that does that very well. A screwdriver too. " So marcinek, I gather you carry your folding prybar in your pocket? You must look like a teenager with droopy pants :)

The stock answer is a knife should not be used to pry. However, it denies two simple facts. First, most people don't have a pry bar or a screwdriver "folder" in their pocket, but many have a knife in their pocket. Second, many people pry with knives and many people want a knife that can withstand such "abuse". Many people have modified tip designs (Nealy, Hinderer, Elischewitz) to allow a knife tip to pry and stab better.

A tanto is not as useful a knife as other designs, but they can cut very well, and unlike other knives, you can pry with them. It's a compromise.
 
brownshoe said:
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The stock answer is a knife should not be used to pry. However, it denies two simple facts. First, most people don't have a pry bar or a screwdriver "folder" in their pocket, but many have a knife in their pocket. Second, many people pry with knives and many people want a knife that can withstand such "abuse". Many people have modified tip designs (Nealy, Hinderer, Elischewitz) to allow a knife tip to pry and stab better.
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I do! I call it a SAK! :thumbup: And its a knife too...not a tanto though. :D
 
marcinek said:
Blade "shape" and cutting ability are unrelated?
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Not completely. If an Americanized Tanto blade has a decent edge, and edge geometry, it will cut very well. Many people here on BF love their Wharncliffe blades that have no belly, myself included, and they can cut and slice with the best of them. The Tanto is similar, as it usually has a straight edge, up until you get to the upswept tip.

The problem is probably that most americanized tanto blades you see are low end models, from cheaper makers, found in Wal Mart and the like, and aimed at mall ninjas. For instance, guy at my work has one that he refers to as his "armor piercing knife", and it's dull as a spoon. But you can find poor examples of any blade style.
 
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