Practical Tanto?

J

Jkjklkl

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Jan 7, 2010
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My inner mall ninja loves tantos, but I can never justify buying one. Anyone EDC one? What does the blade shape excel at that you can't find better in another blade shape?
 
I had a tanto mini grip and liked it plenty. I found the point where the two edges meet is nice for opening boxes, cutting tape and other cuts where you don't was to go too deep. Tanto blade shapes also vary so that matters as well.

https://flic.kr/p/rmpR8M
 
I snapped my Kershaw Leek years ago and just reground the tip to a mini tanto. I use that portion as a small width straight blade, pretty good for carving, easy to sharpen, gives a good tidy point, allows me to have the tanto edge at a different angle than the rest of it for a little more versatility, scrapes paint etc really well.

The only downside I see is not having a belly, but that depends on what you want to do with the knife. My leek is mainly used for small/precise cutting tasks.
 
Sheepsfoot would also be good. I actually really like sheepsfeet? ;) but they don't seem to be too prevalent in modern folders.
 
That "second" point works fabulously for push/pull cutting and controlled depth as previously mentioned. The front portion, when the primary grind is chisel like a non-v CQC-7 Emerson, is great for chisel-type duty. I have found that quite useful more often than I would have guessed.
 
They good for everything except skinning. On a normal day I don't pick up roadkill so I think I'm covered.
 
I carry a small Sanrenmu tanto at work often. It's great for scraping with the tanto tip and shallow pull cuts with the secondary tip. I like it a lot. I too thought it was a mall ninja thing but it's just a thing you gotta try. Give it a shot!
 
Jkjklkl said:
Would a sheepsfoot with that sort of blunted blade be similar?



Isn't this more a consequence of the blade size rather than the shape?
Click to expand...

Nah, I found that I could effectively push the knife like some kind of angled chisel and gain a good amount of power from pushing through the spine of the knife.

Full disclosure, I probably won't buy myself a tanto because I don't particularly care for the shape, it's just dead simple when I had to regrind a tip.
I found no real faults with the tanto that would prevent me from using it and actually found that a flat edge that's not parallel with the spine can be better with pushing/chiseling or scraping.
 
Some rope unravels very easily when cut by making a loop and slicing. You can lay that rope on a wood base (or whatever) and use the front flat edge to cleanly cut said rope.
 
I have Ganzo G714 with tanto blade. Tanto blade really practical, so I think it is one of the best blade shapes. Its strength is perhaps the most prominent advantage, this style gives the blade more power and durability compared to other types of blade points. Also tanto blade is easy to sharpen. What about this Ganzo model - love it, it has a stylish look, works great and has a cheap price. Bought it as a tanto-joke but fell in love with this knife.http://ganzoknife.com/knife-ganzo-g714/
FBE4C51D6E52146FF50BA2821116F884D290C0C788D14D2B30pimgpsh_fullsize_distr_zpsubh0d7qp.jpg

EE0969567F4EB3CCDC26FCFE86222701AB7986FF04539E8DFDpimgpsh_fullsize_distr_zpsk4aduxoz.jpg
 
tanto's becomes top choice for whatever reasons they are marketed to represent.
affording some utility work, general cutting purposes but not quite the blade choice for brain surgery...
a kiridashi might work out better for that an EDCing
a cheap OLFA CK-2 heavy-duty craft knife with disposable blades works for me.
77_1.jpg

77.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1B2XhIA7UE
 
The only tanto's I have EDC'd was my BM stryker auto, and my two custom slimline machetes, which I use a lot!! All three work great, although I don't really use the stryker anymore. I just keep it as a backup.
 
Check out the CRKT Amicus. This one has a nice belly and a nice price.
rolf
 
I EDC a tanto. I like the scraping aspect as well as being able to push through stuff and make a straight cut. The tip is still small enough to trace cut.
 
It's an AFO

For example I cut this out with the tip and generally front fart of the blade

340259b0c3805762eec2682714a323ec.jpg
 
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I don't think they're impractical for EDC. Not ideal for skinning or food prep on a cutting board.
 
Cool.
I usually EDC a CQC7 but today, its a $5.00 zombie tanto. Hey, a tanto is a tanto, in my book.
 
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