So What's Wrong With a Tanto?

Originally posted by Sergiusz Mitin
In fact so-called Americanized tanto was born as the crossbreeding of fantasy to make knife what was never made and marketing intentions to catch the buyer with unusual look what should state him about unusual properties of such blade.
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Lynn Thompson designed his tanto in the early 1980s after breaking two knives in one training session. We wanted to design a knife that would be "unbreakable" yet still be able to cut and pierce. IIRC it was designed as a weapon ( as were all of the older Cold Steel knives) but some people found utilitarian uses for it.
 
Ive read great pros and cons on this thread. And a lot of BS as well. My only question/comment is who says the American Tanto has no belly and is a kitchen knife? ! :eek: :p :D

Like em or not, Bob Lum started something that is usefull, tough, enduring and is here to stay. I like a zero ground drop point with some belly as much as the next guy, but sometimes an American Tanto is what the job calls for, not everyone I know carries a wood chisel and crowbar around with them everywhere they go. :)
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=222958
 
Hmmmmm.... interesting thread. Don't quite know what to make of it. Bottom line is, nothing is wrong with a tanto. It works fine as a knife. For utility or as a weapon, depending on various nuances of the individual knife. I've got three of them, and a boat load of other knives. I'd probably say that if you factor in how many knives of other designs I have, and how much I use them, the tanto's get used as much or more percentage-wise than the others. Some people like them, some don't. Some like sheepsfoots, some like wharncliffes. They all work well to cut things. If you want to skin an animal, you might want to pick another style. But, you probably don't want to pick a fillet knife to skin an elk any more than picking a tanto. I like the looks of it, and it cuts perfectly fine. And it will work as a defensive knife perfectly fine. Gee whiz, it's just another shape. If you like it, buy it. It will most likely work great for 95% of the things you usually cut. :)
 
I personally love the American style tanto! This company, of course, puts out the best I've ever seen ;) :

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http://www.fotango.com/p/eba00174032f00000091.jpg
 
Microtech tantos seem to be much more pointed than the typical American tanto, with a far shallower upward angle towards the tip. So, im wondering if MT's tanto blade escapes any of the criticism the typical, blunter "American" Tanto blade gets. Does Microtech's more slender, pointed, less abrubtly angled tip fare better than the blunter profiles for the various tasks the American tanto is not so great at? Does the MT tanto fare better tactically?
 
It took a whole page and a half before the Lone Ranger, Tanto, jokes came out. You guys are gettin' slow.

I like tantos, for SD I have a Bud Nealy O1 Aikuchi, ground on both sides, and a CRKT Stiff Kiss, that's flat ground on one side.

Traditional Tantos, Are they typically chisel ground, or are the ground on both sides?
 
Traditional Tantos, Are they typically chisel ground, or are the ground on both sides?
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Ground on both sides. Only some Japanese utility knives have a single sided chisle grind.

n2s
 
Originally posted by T. Erdelyi
It took a whole page and a half before the Lone Ranger, Tanto, jokes came out. You guys are gettin' slow.
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Yah, but I was the first one to bring it out.:D.:D.
 
TAN-TO / tan-toe/ from the Japanese word meaning UGLY KNIFE. I was in Pearl Harbor enroute to Hiroshima when I inadvertently stuck my AL MAR Eagle Ultralight Talon in a car door thus breaking the tip off the blade..I rubbed the broken blade on the pavement to smooth the edge and a fellow named Joe Kawasaki ran up to me yelling " Tanto Tanto Tanto"
 
I didn't see any mention of WHY Strider uses a tanto format...

I don't presume to speak for them, but my understanding is that the front edge is left obtuse and blunt to allow for scraping, digging, and prying type activities without ruining a narrow-angle edge.

A thin tip would not do well at all to scrape, and would break under any kind of strenuous activity.

It may be argued that one should use a proper tool (e.g. prybar, spatula) but as Rob mentioned, it's not always likely one has the "proper" tool on oneself.

Hence, two tools in one. I don't do much of that, so I stick with a clip/drop point. Hell, I love the look of the geometric AND asian tantos, but I don't have much use for them.

-j
 
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