Pros & Cons of Tantos?

C

Chris-T

Joined
Oct 9, 2001
Messages
48
Hey guys. Have a question for everyone here. What is the point of tanto bladez? I have never actually thought about it but now that i think about it... what's the advantage there? Knives with large bellies have greater slashing ability due to the increased length of the edge and the same with recurves. Knives which are thinner and minimum curves have greater stabbing/piercing ability but then that would reduce slashing ability. Knives with tanto bladez have.................:confused:

I dont really see the use of it for slicing anything as when you do it would hit that big corner so slashing anything wont have a very smooth action. Or is that used as like a big tooth?

By the way, is there something wrong with Smith & Wesson as i get the impression that not alot of people like them? I recently found out that Darrel Ralfh has designed a fighter for them.

Chris
 
That's a good question. I think the reason many people like American tantos (as opposed to the more rounded Japanese tantos), is that they're trendy among tactical knifemakers right now. The purported reason for their use by these knifemakers is that they are exceedingly strong, as the blade generally remains at full thickness right up to the grind leading to the (usually) wide-ish tip. Basically, more material = a stronger blade, and tantos leave a lot of material towards the tip.
When it comes to cutting, I don't think the tanto gives a lot of advantages, though some claim that it is a "tough, armor-piercing point."
I'm not a big fan of tantos, as I don't think it's a very useful blade grind for the sort of work I expect a knife to do.
 
I carry a Cold Steel medium Voyager tanto point as my EDC. I have found that the corner where the primary and secondary edges meet works incredible for cutting tape on packages. It grabs and rips right through, where blade-styles with a belly on them tend to slide off the tape instead of biting and cutting through. Plus on truck day, everyone is hustling to get the frieght put up as quickly as possible. In this environment, I have accidentally dropped my knife on at least a couple of occasions. One time my Spyderco Delica slipped out of my hand and fell point first onto the tiled floor. Needless to say the point broke off, and I had to try to re-grind it. I have dropped my Voyager as well, but it has come through completely unharmed. I look at it as a well built box-cutter with an extra edge on the front. I also get a lot of "wow, what a cool-looking knife" comments as not a lot of people around here are familiar with the tanto shape:)


Flinx
 
I'm not the biggest tanto fan, but they do have their uses. I usually carry one (SOG Night Vision), in addition to at least two other knives on me. I agree with Flinx that the secondary point is very useful for cutting things, esp. flat things on a cutting board or something. This is usually how I cut sandpaper, leather, etc. The thick tip of a tanto is not the best piercer, but it can stand up to a lot of abuse without getting damaged. I often use the short edge near the tip for scraping, for which it works much better than anything with a belly would. For my personal carry, I wouldn't carry a tanto as my only knife, but in addition to other knives it adds versatility. Some people swear by the tanto as the ultimate blade shape for cutting up humans, though I'm not sure exactly why. Different knife users are different though. I have one friend who often carries a fully serrated hawkbill as his only knife and he says it does everything he needs it to do.

Another way to look at various blade shapes is to look at an Xacto or other carving knife set. You'll see a hawkbill, an upswept skinner style blade, a wharncliff (sp?) (or something resembling one), a blade with a lot of belly & the point in line with the spine, and a blade shaped like the front end of a tanto - different blade shapes for different uses. I don't find the tanto to be the single most versatile blade shape (I go with the 710 for that), but it is still useful.

Also remember that if you use a tanto for a steak knife, you only have to sharpen the secondary point, as that's the only part of the blade that contacts the plate (bonus points for whoever knows the origin of that idea :))
 
I WIN THE BONUS POINTS!

As a side note, the Wharncliffe blade is the best steak knife in the drawer too. The only part of the edge that contacts the plate while cutting your meat is the very tip. Very efficient.
Click to expand...

This was said by MaxtheKnife on the "wharncliffe as a fighter" thread! Will you ship those bonus points to Canada?
 
Thanx for the info but about my other question. Whats wrong with S&W? I dont own any but by reading some info about them they dont sound any different from any CRKT or Spydie. By the way i'm not talking about the old SWAT models. For example the Darrel Ralph Fighter and the SWAT 3500 with the tanto blade. Is it just that people dont like the brand or is it that they have bad lock-up or something along those lines?
 
The Darrel Ralph designed folder is a pretty darn good knife for the price it sells for. It is as good as the CRKT knives. In fact I have read on this forum that it is made by the same factory.

There is no love for S&W on this forum. It has to do with the quality of previous knives, and I think, their stand on gun laws and how they knuckled under to the government. Just my opinion on that part.
 
I think the key is contact area and pressure. The extra point acts just like someone mentioned, a tooth. Or a single point serration. I wasn't a big fan of the American tanto, until I bought one that I just couldn't resist, and carried it for a bit. Now, I really like them. Not to the exclusion of a good clipped point blade. But the tanto has its place where it shines. Kind of a single point design, yuk, yuk ;) .
 
Actually, I win the bonus points:D If it was said by MaxtheKnife, then he was quoting our Dearly loved, but sadly deceased friend James Mattis. :( He said that the only thing a Tanto blade was at an advantage over knives with bellies was for cutting a steak on a ceramic plate.

I like the looks of a tanto, especially one with hollow grinds along the primary edge, and flat on the secondary (front) edge. They really do make great box openers, and put the point right where needed when cutting out shapes and such on a flat surface e.g. coupon clipping, or cutting roof shingles. I think a tanto blade can service quite nicely as an every day carry. Maybe not perfect for every chore, but what shape is?

DD
 
I believe it was an article that Lynn Thompson wrote many years ago that stated "his" preference for the American tanto. It was stated that the secondary edge had the perfect angle to slash with, for it would lie parallel to the material being cut with a slashing movement. This does make sense if you stop to think about it. My only problem with this is being able to get that short portion of the blade sharp enough. It is usually a very short flat grind (in Cold Steels version), that is a bit thick at the edge, IMHO. I personally like to carry a tanto once or twice a week in my usual EDC lineup, for me, they are just plain neat!
 
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