KaBar 1245 Tanto VS Cold Steel Recon Tanto

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BLM4L

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Jan 19, 2006
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Anyone seen both the KaBar #1245 Tanto and the Cold Steel Recon Tanto?

I have seen the KaBar but not the CS. Any thoughts on the relative merits of either of these?
 
I have a 12 year old Recon Tanto in Carbon V that I have beat the crap out of. I keep it in my truck and even though the blade style isn't suited for camp work it has done so anyway. I've used it to baton, open tin cans, trim trees in the yard and pry apart pallets. I've bashed stuff with the spine and used it to destroy a lot of alarm clocks. The tip is still sharp and it holds a good sharp edge. Unfortunately CS doesn't make them in Carbon V any more since Camillus went belly up. What is your intended use?
 
I would take a Ka-Bar or Ontario tanto over a CS recon tanto but I really dont like tanto's.
 
ilbruche said:
I have a 12 year old Recon Tanto in Carbon V that I have beat the crap out of. I keep it in my truck and even though the blade style isn't suited for camp work it has done so anyway. I've used it to baton, open tin cans, trim trees in the yard and pry apart pallets. I've bashed stuff with the spine and used it to destroy a lot of alarm clocks. The tip is still sharp and it holds a good sharp edge. Unfortunately CS doesn't make them in Carbon V any more since Camillus went belly up. What is your intended use?
Click to expand...

I plan to do some light chopping, open boxes, and want something to wear on my belt as part of my last ditch strategy for defense........ wild four legged animals hopefully. Where I want to take my dog for a walk there are some trails where my CCW permit is no good so will need to leave the Glock at home. I want something stout enough and not overly big so as not to draw attention. In our area we seem to have more rabid critters than in years past (raccoons, cyotes, and an assortment of others.
 
Well it would certainly do all of those things it may not be the best choice. The blade length is almost 7 inches so it is a pretty big knife, I think it would draw attention. It can be used to chop with and has a good weight but the lack of belly on the blade prevents it from being a good chopper. The best attributes in my opinion are the point and the overall strength of the blade. I've used it to pierce and destroy mostly. The blade shape isn't the best for a lot of cutting tasks. Are you set on a tanto blade? I would think something like an Ontario Rat-5 would be a blade better suited to your use. It is definately a using knife 5" blade, 3/16" thick 1095 carbon steel.
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Thanks for the input. I like the looks of the Tanto, but could consider alternatives too. BTW: On my first post when I said hopefully animals I didn't mean I want to fight with an animal.just that I would prefer an animal to charge me rather than a human if I had to take my pick between the two.
 
Those rabid guys have been known to attack. There was a post recently about a guy in Florida that got pounced by a bobcat and choked it to death. The tanto blade is definately a good one for sticking. I'd search these forums a bit, there are a lot of good sub $100 blades out there that would fit the bill.
 
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