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What's the benefit of a tanto?
- Thread starter bill_duoduo
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- Jun 6, 2005
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The Americanized Tanto gets a bad rap here. It has many virtues. The biggest one being that the design, when executed correctly, provides a fantastic compromise between tip strength, and penetration/detail work. Granted, it won't penetrate like a spearpoint, but it's not going to snap like one, either. It also provides the benefits of the wharnecliffe's straight, utilitarian edge, but with a more conventional tip orientation. The secondary edge also makes a great scraper (think Razel).
It's a great all around blade shape that is very stout and takes abuse well, better usually than more conventional shapes. Makes a great knife for nonknifenuts, who tend to abuse and improperly use their blades.
Really, it's the look and way they are marketed that kills them. They are very utilitarian, despite what most say. Most people that rag on them must have never really EDCed one for a while and treated it with respect as a tool because I have used all bladeshapes without bias, and tantos perform admirably in utility and even have exclusive virtues.
It's a great all around blade shape that is very stout and takes abuse well, better usually than more conventional shapes. Makes a great knife for nonknifenuts, who tend to abuse and improperly use their blades.
Really, it's the look and way they are marketed that kills them. They are very utilitarian, despite what most say. Most people that rag on them must have never really EDCed one for a while and treated it with respect as a tool because I have used all bladeshapes without bias, and tantos perform admirably in utility and even have exclusive virtues.
Granted CS's marketing (and there is marketing far worse than theirs!) is hyped but the point they make in punching through car doors, oil drums, etc isn't simply that the knife can DO it. Many point out rightly that many mediocre blades can do the same--but can they do so without damaging the tip? The narrow daggers you speak of have great penetration on soft targets but are often notoriously fragile, the tip especially bending or snapping quite easily.
That said, I too generally prefer the spearpoint for both aesthetic and practical reasons.
Why do you all think that tanto has stronger tip? 
What makes you think that e.g. drop point can't be ground that way as well?
E.g. my Ranger RD6, before I resharpened it looked like this:
Very inutile indeed. Obtuse tip is no good IMHO.
What makes you think that e.g. drop point can't be ground that way as well?
E.g. my Ranger RD6, before I resharpened it looked like this:
Very inutile indeed. Obtuse tip is no good IMHO.
Bill, your English is about as good as mine. I don't know what your native language may be, but I am sure you will have no trouble communicating using your written English skills.
Our Americanized version of the tanto blade as popularized by the Cold Steel company might be considered more of a weapon than a tool, but I think it is a blade style that can be very useful for a variety of other purposes. It does have a point that appears to be very strong to me, but I don't usually see a car with doors I need to stab. (You may have seen the Cold Steel advertisements showing how well a tanto point blade stabs through a car door without apparent point damage.) I believe the Recon Tanto would be an effective and useful tool for a soldier to carry because I think its thick, strong blade will survive a lot of abuse with little or no damage to it.
I like many of Cold Steel's knives, and I have a reasonably good collection of their various models of fixed blades. But their Recon Tanto was almost the last of their blades I bought because I was not convinced the design was something I wanted. I was interested, but not at all convinced. Well, finally they had a Christmas sale on the Recon Tanto model at a price I could not resist, and I ordered one to see what all the fuss was about. Now that I have it I really do like it, mostly for what a big, tough knife it is with its heavy 7 inch blade and its comfortable handle.
Our Americanized version of the tanto blade as popularized by the Cold Steel company might be considered more of a weapon than a tool, but I think it is a blade style that can be very useful for a variety of other purposes. It does have a point that appears to be very strong to me, but I don't usually see a car with doors I need to stab. (You may have seen the Cold Steel advertisements showing how well a tanto point blade stabs through a car door without apparent point damage.) I believe the Recon Tanto would be an effective and useful tool for a soldier to carry because I think its thick, strong blade will survive a lot of abuse with little or no damage to it.
I like many of Cold Steel's knives, and I have a reasonably good collection of their various models of fixed blades. But their Recon Tanto was almost the last of their blades I bought because I was not convinced the design was something I wanted. I was interested, but not at all convinced. Well, finally they had a Christmas sale on the Recon Tanto model at a price I could not resist, and I ordered one to see what all the fuss was about. Now that I have it I really do like it, mostly for what a big, tough knife it is with its heavy 7 inch blade and its comfortable handle.
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2007
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- 8
Thanks, Dr. Mudd! My native language is Chinese, and I live in China.
In the city where I live, the options about buying those imported knives are quite limited. Option one is to go to a real shop, try every single one of them, which won't take long, and spend at lease twice as much as the price in the US. But as far as I can remember, there are no tantos. Option two is to buy one from an online store that offers a much better price(still pricier than US), but without even seeing the real thing. However, it's not difficult to find a tanto from an online store, BM 910(Stryker), BM 556(Mini Griptilian?) with tanto point, BM 140(Nimravus) with tanto point, and a few selections of CS, not much.
I hope one day I will have enough money and enough time to open a cutlery store myself.
In the city where I live, the options about buying those imported knives are quite limited. Option one is to go to a real shop, try every single one of them, which won't take long, and spend at lease twice as much as the price in the US. But as far as I can remember, there are no tantos. Option two is to buy one from an online store that offers a much better price(still pricier than US), but without even seeing the real thing. However, it's not difficult to find a tanto from an online store, BM 910(Stryker), BM 556(Mini Griptilian?) with tanto point, BM 140(Nimravus) with tanto point, and a few selections of CS, not much.
I hope one day I will have enough money and enough time to open a cutlery store myself.
Second that!
Originally Posted by J85909266
The Americanized Tanto gets a bad rap here. It has many virtues. The biggest one being that the design, when executed correctly, provides a fantastic compromise between tip strength, and penetration/detail work. Granted, it won't penetrate like a spearpoint, but it's not going to snap like one, either. It also provides the benefits of the wharnecliffe's straight, utilitarian edge, but with a more conventional tip orientation. The secondary edge also makes a great scraper (think Razel).
It's a great all around blade shape that is very stout and takes abuse well, better usually than more conventional shapes. Makes a great knife for nonknifenuts, who tend to abuse and improperly use their blades.
Really, it's the look and way they are marketed that kills them. They are very utilitarian, despite what most say. Most people that rag on them must have never really EDCed one for a while and treated it with respect as a tool because I have used all bladeshapes without bias, and tantos perform admirably in utility and even have exclusive virtues.
I'll jump onboard as nr 3.
The Americanized Tanto gets a bad rap here. It has many virtues. The biggest one being that the design, when executed correctly, provides a fantastic compromise between tip strength, and penetration/detail work. Granted, it won't penetrate like a spearpoint, but it's not going to snap like one, either. It also provides the benefits of the wharnecliffe's straight, utilitarian edge, but with a more conventional tip orientation. The secondary edge also makes a great scraper (think Razel).
It's a great all around blade shape that is very stout and takes abuse well, better usually than more conventional shapes. Makes a great knife for nonknifenuts, who tend to abuse and improperly use their blades.
Really, it's the look and way they are marketed that kills them. They are very utilitarian, despite what most say. Most people that rag on them must have never really EDCed one for a while and treated it with respect as a tool because I have used all bladeshapes without bias, and tantos perform admirably in utility and even have exclusive virtues.
I'll jump onboard as nr 3.
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- Jul 30, 2006
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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Alas I behold no beauty when I eye a tanto. However, YMMV.:jerkit:
As to usefulness, I can't find the thread, but somebody decided to take a tanto deer hunting. He had a miserable time skinning the deer with that blade. He was an experienced skinner, too, so it was not lack of skill, but the blade shape.
For EDC, can't think of anything a tanto does that other blades can't. And for control of fine cuts, I think the tanto is less accomplished. YMMV.
It looks impressive. But I'm too old to impress people. They look beyond the blade at the white in my beard, and there goes that.
I have no use for a Tanto. If you do, awesome.:thumbup:
As to usefulness, I can't find the thread, but somebody decided to take a tanto deer hunting. He had a miserable time skinning the deer with that blade. He was an experienced skinner, too, so it was not lack of skill, but the blade shape.
For EDC, can't think of anything a tanto does that other blades can't. And for control of fine cuts, I think the tanto is less accomplished. YMMV.
It looks impressive. But I'm too old to impress people. They look beyond the blade at the white in my beard, and there goes that.
I have no use for a Tanto. If you do, awesome.:thumbup:
The Americanized tanto, especially in the right-hand chisel-ground incarnation, is a LOT better than just about any blade shape at removing decals from your car window, especially those on the inside, concave surface.
Although it is the Premier #1 choice for this task compared to a spearpoint, drop point, trailing point, hawkbill, compound grind, or wharncliffe blade shape, it works about as well as a Stanley utility razor blade.
Why, this IS my serious face.
-j
I'll agree with the point that they seem to handle abuse better than most other shapes. I carried a CRKT KISS tanto, and the blade shape was fine for me. The knife had other issues, but nothing to do with the blade shape.
I like the Taiwanese Cold Steel copy I use for yard work. I dont have any trouble with sharpening the tip. Their strength comes from geometry IMHO. They are typically shaped with a more robust geometry than other knives. If one was ground like an Alvin Johnson paring knife, it would still break just as easy, no matter what the blade style. I think the penetrating power of the tip is somewhat misleading. The tip is usually left quite thick, allowing a great deal of force to penetrate things that are able to stop thinner knives, because at the same level, the thinner knife would break. The usually dont penetrate any easier than other knives, but can be forced through things that will stop other knives. In my experience, the chisel ground version is less common than the symetrical(sp) version, of coarse, my experience goes back before the popularizing of the chisel grind in the first place. On that note, I kind of like chisel grinds too, having carried the above mentioned KISS.
For reference, Alvin grinds paring knives with full hollow grinds, down almost to a zero edge on 1/16" thick stock, then sharpens at a total angle of less than 20 degrees, sometimes less than 15.
I like the Taiwanese Cold Steel copy I use for yard work. I dont have any trouble with sharpening the tip. Their strength comes from geometry IMHO. They are typically shaped with a more robust geometry than other knives. If one was ground like an Alvin Johnson paring knife, it would still break just as easy, no matter what the blade style. I think the penetrating power of the tip is somewhat misleading. The tip is usually left quite thick, allowing a great deal of force to penetrate things that are able to stop thinner knives, because at the same level, the thinner knife would break. The usually dont penetrate any easier than other knives, but can be forced through things that will stop other knives. In my experience, the chisel ground version is less common than the symetrical(sp) version, of coarse, my experience goes back before the popularizing of the chisel grind in the first place. On that note, I kind of like chisel grinds too, having carried the above mentioned KISS.
For reference, Alvin grinds paring knives with full hollow grinds, down almost to a zero edge on 1/16" thick stock, then sharpens at a total angle of less than 20 degrees, sometimes less than 15.
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The tip is stronger and less likely to break off (already mentioned). Others have also mentioned "penetration". I'm not quite sure what is meant by that but possibly what I'm going to say.
The intention of the design is because the wound shape is wide during a thrust. After only penetrating only about 1/2 - 3/4", the wound opening is as great as most other "pointed" designs that would require many inches to cause the same type of damage.
The intention of the design is because the wound shape is wide during a thrust. After only penetrating only about 1/2 - 3/4", the wound opening is as great as most other "pointed" designs that would require many inches to cause the same type of damage.
spyken
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like is said above, the Americanized Tanto = box cutter shape / mini digger
spearpoints/droppoints can also have strong tips...you just have to make the tip a "diamond" or "snakehead" tip...and not taper too much. Japanese swords typically have a "snakehead" kissaki....
I hate the Americanized Tanto tip...much prefer a traditional tanto point, or at least a much less severe change in angle (something like what Bob Lum does)
spearpoints/droppoints can also have strong tips...you just have to make the tip a "diamond" or "snakehead" tip...and not taper too much. Japanese swords typically have a "snakehead" kissaki....
I hate the Americanized Tanto tip...much prefer a traditional tanto point, or at least a much less severe change in angle (something like what Bob Lum does)
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It's pretty easy to change an American Tanto into a more Japanese one, just sharpen the second tip (triangle of death 
) with a normal stroke, not treating the two edges separately, and they will blend right together. It's what I've done with Strider tanto's and it gave the best of both worlds, a strong point, with an edge thats easier to maintain, and slice with. Of course I also convexed the front edge, so it would cut better, but thats another story....ends up looking like the Hinderer "spanto".
) with a normal stroke, not treating the two edges separately, and they will blend right together. It's what I've done with Strider tanto's and it gave the best of both worlds, a strong point, with an edge thats easier to maintain, and slice with. Of course I also convexed the front edge, so it would cut better, but thats another story....ends up looking like the Hinderer "spanto".