Tanto style blades, what's everyone's feelings?

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Feb 4, 2016
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So to start off I will honestly say that I always found tanto blade styles to be a bit too much, perhaps too over the top tactical looking, and not so pleasing to my eye. I avoided them at all costs and said that I would never own a knife with this style of blade. Well a couple weeks ago I sold off a few knives here on the exchange that I wasn't completely in love with and had some money in the "knife fund" PayPal account. So I started looking around at some different knives I was interested in. While doing this I stumbled upon a sales thread here that included a new 550-1 G10 Griptilian, which I have been interested in trying for quite some time, and a pair of Benchmade Stryker 2s, one full sized and one mini. Well, the Strykers both have the Tanto style blades on them. I wasn't extremely excited about this but a good deal for both myself and the seller was agreed upon and I bought the package not being "in love" with the Strykers but figured I could sell them off over time and recoupe some of the money I had invested in the package. Now I sit here completely admiring the blade shape and have grown quite fond of these knives. The grind lines are really quite beautiful in comparison to your basic drop point or FFG blade style. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not going to go out of my way to buy Tanto style blades in the future, but I've definitely opened my eyes to this blade option and am much more excited about them than I was before. I would say that maybe it's just that this blade style goes well with the design of the Stryker, being a tactical looking knife anyway, and with most knives I am interested in I don't think that style would look as good, but I've definitely changed my mind on these as of now and I'm wondering how you guys feel about the Tanto style blade on knives. Let's talk about it boys and girls. Seems like a decent Sunday evening thread topic.
 
Tanto knives yuck! Haha.

Just not my style.

They look cool though.

When I was 18 I loved em

Now that I sharpen my own stuff, I don't see the benefits to the design, only inconvenience while sharpening and honing.
 
Tanto knives yuck! Haha.

Just not my style.

They look cool though.

When I was 18 I loved em

Now that I sharpen my own stuff, I don't see the benefits to the design, only inconvenience while sharpening and honing.

I thought the same but just something about these knives that has gotten me more excited about the blade style. If you saw my collection they are completely out of place with what I usually buy. As I said before I definitely won't seek them out though.

Here's a picture to help the visualization of the topic, and everyone knows the thread is useless without pics.

View attachment 632946
 
They have an obvious advantage for certain type of work. Anything that requires using/cutting with the tip in a fashion other then for fine work will get done easier with a tanto.
(Prying, piercing heavier materiel, cutting in tight spots, cutting on different angles)

It's just not a "tactical" design, from my experience a Tanto blade done well will add another level of usability to a knife.
You just need to decide the pro's and con's of having a fine tip based on what you do the most.

I prefer variations of Wharncliff's, and from there a Tanto. I have little use for knives with fine tips....
 
I like tantos but same situation as you kinda except I started with tanto. Then I found it stupid around the time I was looking for a new knife and bought a delica. My next knife may be a tanto because I got free, a serrated 910 original Stryker and it would be perfect without serrations. Beautiful grind on it despite clear use


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Depends entirely on who's making it. Most companies who make tantos defeat the point of the design by adding a swedges and sometimes even elongating the secondary edge. I like tantos as done by Cold Steel, Bob Lum and some of the custom makers I've seen around here. Stronger point that pierces well, and a good shape for general use. No matter who makes it, however, it's not going to be convenient to sharpen.

I most often carry a clip point or some variant of a drop point, but I do like a well done tanto.
 
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I don't have much use for them. But I got a deal on this one and as it turns out it's a pretty decent work knife.
 
Tantos have their place. For work I carry a tanto along with another blade. Great for piercing and tip work.
 
They have an obvious advantage for certain type of work. Anything that requires using/cutting with the tip in a fashion other then for fine work will get done easier with a tanto.
(Prying, piercing heavier materiel, cutting in tight spots, cutting on different angles)

It's just not a "tactical" design, from my experience a Tanto blade done well will add another level of usability to a knife.
You just need to decide the pro's and con's of having a fine tip based on what you do the most.

I prefer variations of Wharncliff's, and from there a Tanto. I have little use for knives with fine tips....

I can completely see where you're coming from and this is a great explanation of what a tanto style blade is actually used for. Myself, like many others in sure, am more of a collector than a user. So I buy knives that look and feel good. I carry a knife every second of the day along with a light but rarely does it get used for more than opening mail or the occasional package. So for me aesthetics are number 1 when it comes to what I buy, of course high quality is just as important, so the tanto style was never high on my list, but the lines of these blades just look great and I can absolutely see where it could be much more effective in a wider variety of cutting tasks.
 
First, find out what a tanto blade isn't. I think this was Phill Hartsfield advice.
I love the Japanese style blade(s).
rolf
 
Tantos are the most useless blade shape.
Ah yes, a great post backed up with little information to support your opinion:thumbup:
Tantos are great, because it gives you a tip like an exacto knife, and a nice solid cutting edge down low. Drop point tantos are the best imo.
 
Tanto is one of my favorite blade styles. I've used them since I was a kid.

They are best for urban EDC and the things you run into in that environment. They aren't the best for outdoor/bush use but I have used them successfully in that capacity as well.

I never understood those who say tantos suck for EDC. I think they're great.
 
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