So I have a tanto now... now what?

Inazone said:
I am EDCing a Shuffle II today, actually. I have a first-gen Shuffle, and never really took to it, but the new style is proving pretty useful. I sometimes carry a Kershaw Cryo (similar blade) or CRKT Greg Lightfoot M-1 (more rounded) but prefer the Shuffle II on the basis of ergonomics. I'm to the point now where I'd consider the Shuffle II as a secondary EDC/hiking knife, because this particular tanto shape has a fair amount of utility potential beyond what I already use it for in an office setting.
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I got to hold the first gen last summer and did not like the ergos. Too short a handle and not a fan of the bottle opener in the middle of the handle. I'd like to see the drop point/ continuous edge on the gen 2 then it would be perfect. The tantos not bad tho
 
:) Hi! I only have one folder with a tanto style blade, an ER BF2 CT. It doesn't see a lot of pocket time but I find this useful for all those types of cutting jobs which require to cut flat, horizontally laid out sheets/tiles, like cardboard, insulation materials, plastic, etc. It's basically like a super-strong box cutter :D. It’s also very good for scraping off stuff (prepare to restore the edge often :)) and also for minor prying (e.g. opening lacquer cans, etc.) it’s far less subject to tip breaking when compared e.g. to a drop or, even worse, a clip point. I find tanto profile effective also when it comes to pierce into e.g. HDPE tanks, thin chipboard/MDF, some “hard” stuff in general. It’s not my fav blade style for EDC but, for me, it finds its use mostly for all those “around the house” trivial maintenance tasks or on production floors. Fair to say for all the other more “normal” cutting EDC tasks I find tanto rather impractical, food prep is one example that comes, among the first, in my mind. It anyway looks rather cool for me :cool:.

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Use the primary grind at the tip as a scraper. Another option: Sell it if you don't like it.
 
falar said:
Just reading reviews on knifecenter it seems the liner lock G10/CF handled ones lack a detent and can open rather easily.

Those come in 3.875" vs 3.75" and also have a straighter (forward of the yokote) and more "pointy" profile available as well.
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Do the G10 and CF version really have no detent? And yet the aluminium and titanium di? How odd. So basically the liner lock versions have no detent? Huge oversight if this is true, and they call this the ShyIV as in the 4th version? The G10 version actually has a G10 pocket clip which looks like it could snap quite easily. The CF version has a CF clip which I doubt is much better.

Also tantos are not renowned for their piercing abilities not because they are the best shape for piercing but because they can pierce tough materials again and again without breaking their tips off. Also the idea that "tantos" kiriha-zakuri ("american style") or otherwise was used to pierce armour is largely a misconception. The weapon used to pry and pierce armour was the kabutowari. This often had tanto style handles which is where I think the misconception stems from.
 
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I didn’t like Emerson’s chisel-ground tanto, kind of liked Cold Steel’s tiny Voyager (before the Demko redesign), but really, really like Joe Pardue’s Utilitac II. It’s a wonderful slicer of cardboard, fun to play with, and changed my mind about never owning another tanto again, ever. The secondary point bites into material for push cuts into soft stuff and pull cuts in stiffer material.
 
A tanto with powerful steel can be very dangerous. Be sure to never use a steel more powerful than necessary.
 
I could not pull the trigger on a chisel ground Emerson tanto myself either, although I like the looks of the show side. I do like the ZT 0620CF that came this week :D

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Tango looks cool and is good for stabbing through automotive sheet meta tho

Not the best for actual cutting lol
 
stabman said:
People always mention tantos for stabbing...they rather suck at it compared to double edged daggers.
Car doors, sure, but that's just because it acts as a punch, and then the rest of the blade can follow behind.
For stabbing most other things, tantos suck donkey balls.

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I don't get the "Stabbing" thing either... Unless raked to the point of looking awful, they are about the worst thing for combat you can imagine, and they make duller the tip area where you have the least leverage to cut with...

If on a flared blade made for chopping, they would certainly help put weight far out front, while still having a point of some sort...


Gaston
 
I have been keeping up with this posting. I am very curious about blade geometry and the uses and not so good uses for it. I went and looked at the history of the tanto. It was designed as a stabbing or piercing weapon. According to Wiki they were designed at first for stabbing, piercing and as a weapon of battle. Over the years they evolved into something more ornate. Now get into EDC tanto blades and they are something more akin to modern art in many aspects. I posted a picture of some of the traditional Tanto blades. Some of these designs are obvious "stabber" while others are "slashers". You can see how this has drastically changed from the traditional to the modern EDC. Plus the article mentions the average traditional tanto blade being 12" long, does not make for a perfect EDC. I wonder what a Japanese Samurai would say about the modern EDC Tanto knife. From the size of the blades they carried I doubt anyone other than a lady would be interested in the modern version. They tended to prefer a blade with reach. Also note the traditional tanto was the knife used by samurai to commit seppuku. The modern tanto EDC, maybe not so good for that lol. It could be used but there would be a bit more work involved.

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Gaston444 said:
I don't get the "Stabbing" thing either... Unless raked to the point of looking awful, they are about the worst thing for combat you can imagine, and they make duller the tip area where you have the least leverage to cut with...

If on a flared blade made for chopping, they would certainly help put weight far out front, while still having a point of some sort...


Gaston
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I would assume the inspiration for the "american tanto" came from Shinogi-zukuri blades with Kamasu-kissaki.

I've seen more images of those in books, media, articles, etc than I have Kiriha-zukuri or chokuto swords.
 
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