Tanto blade: how hard to resharpen?

m.and

m.and

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I am considering buying my first Chris Reeve knife as well as my first tanto blade. I really like the lines of the Umnumzaan Tanto. But what I would like to know is if a tanto style blade is any harder to sharpen than say a spearpoint blade since it has a pronounced change in angle near the tip. For reference, I have a Spyderco Sharpmaker. Thanks in advance for everyones' input.

Regards,
Matthew
 
It's easy if you know how to sharpen....the tanto is a exellent choice...IMO
 
m.and said:
I am considering buying my first Chris Reeve knife as well as my first tanto blade. I really like the lines of the Umnumzaan Tanto. But what I would like to know is if a tanto style blade is any harder to sharpen than say a spearpoint blade since it has a pronounced change in angle near the tip. For reference, I have a Spyderco Sharpmaker. Thanks in advance for everyones' input.

Regards,
Matthew
Click to expand...

I use various grits of sandpaper for the front portion.
The rest I do on the Sharpmaker.
Works great.:thumbup:
 
It's easy. You just have to sharpen the two arcs as though they were separate blades... unless you want to intentionally round out the transition point.

You may also find that you want to treat the two differently. I tend to use the forward part for tasks that are more abusive to the edge, partly as a means of preserving the main part of the blade.
 
I personally think it's a little easier to sharpen the tanto, even if it is a little more time consuming.
 
I haven't handled the Umnum tanto, but it looks as if the front edge is ground differently, may not be as sharp. But I find water stones the best way to sharpen any knife, but I still do touchups on the Sharpmaker, not for true sharpening (a new edge). The Sharpmaker has never worked for me in that respect. I tried once to put a new edge on an Endura and the rougher brown ceramics didn't do anything but mess up the edge further. If you learn how to use water stones, you can sharpen anything to perfection.
 
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