Why a tanto tip?

R

RAGS

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Jul 11, 2000
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I've seen it stated in almost every discussion about tantos that they are great for penetration.In looking at them,I can't really see why a tanto would penetrate any better than a clip or spear point w/swedge or even say a double edged dagger type of tip.What makes the tanto tip so good?
 
hmm im not really sure but i think it might be because scince th top it toattly straight its much more straigt overall not like bends like a bowie shape the tip meet at a design that will make it much more pointy , Sorry im tryin to help you out here prob didnt but i tryed haha
 
I think the story on the tanto is that it is a traditional blade shape for combat and was designed to penetrate hard objects like body armour or a shield. A comparatively thin double edged dagger would probably be better on soft objects, but might be more likely to break on a hard object. So the tanto's thick tip doesn't really help it penetrate, but it does make it strong for hard thrusts so that it is capable of penetrating something that might break a thin blade.
 
The armor piercing blade, the Yoroi Toshi, was chisel ground and was designed to create a stab wound channel larger than the following blade's cross section. This tip, along with a contoured spine, allows the the blade to puncture and to be withdrawn easily from armor.
 
So, if you are in the woods and a bear attacks wearing body armor, you want to have a tanto point.:D As others have said, the tanto design is a stronger tip less likely to break when piercing harder targets, hitting bone, etc.
 
Take both a tanto blade and spearpoint and try to "pierce" a piece of hardwood. I think you find your answer. The tanto should feel like a good solid strike, while the spear point may glance off to one side or the other depending on the angle of the strike. A tanto allows you to have a more solid strike at varying angles while you have to strike with a spearpoint at just the right angle for it to feel solid.
 
A tanto point will not penetrate better.

It just have a stronger tip than a clip one.

So the matter is to mantain a decent penetration with a tough point.

( IMHO )
 
Zeasor said:
So, if you are in the woods and a bear attacks wearing body armor, you want to have a tanto point.:D As others have said, the tanto design is a stronger tip less likely to break when piercing harder targets, hitting bone, etc.
Click to expand...



:D If I am in the woods and a bear attacks, I want to have a fast motorcycle to run away.... ;)
 
In addition to the reinforcement of the tip, I find that a tanto also allows you to use the point as a chisel or scraper, and the often pronounced angle at the transition (the kissake on a true tanto) causes the blade to pierce into the material when you initiate the cut.
 
Thanks for all the replies,I have a much better understanding now.Was never really crazy about tantos,but I've been eyeing one up lately.Think I'll give it a try:thumbup:
 
Rags---Your welcome. Good luck! Make sure you understand what a tanto "isn't!" Contact Phill Hartsfield or Pohan Leu. Those two makers specialize in the Japanese style blades.
 
The secondary tip on a tanto is its main advantage as it allows for some seriously devastating quick slashes with the flick of your wrist. It really catches and rips through meat like that even with light strokes.

A tanto is not necessarily better at piercing but it does usually have a more break and bend resistant tip because of the thickness factor mentioned already. If anything, the tanto actually has a harder time piercing hard materials like metal drums if you compare similar knives like an SRK and Recon Tanto from Cold Steel. They champion the durability of the tanto point, not its piercing prowess.
 
I have found that several of my Tanto (Americanized) tipped knives come in handy for utility work. I have used my tanto blade for a scraper, to cut tape and other things that it seem to work better on that my drop points or spear points. So I have not dispatched any enemy gaurds at night with one or jumped out of a plane with one but I use knives every day for chores and on the job and have fount the tanto style point to be useful and has done just as well as a regular tip except for skinning things. To each his own though.
 
Tanto isn't especially good at stabbing, but it's good for stabbing. The tip is generally stronger because the spine extends farther down. Like many people have said, I do like some of the features of the tanto (for certain tasks) such as the second point and the two different cutting angles.
 
My old school CS Master Tanto has dispatched the bark off of 3 deadly walking sticks I made and destroyed 1 couch, 3 chairs(while moving), a crappy bathroom organizer, and a few 2x4's.
I honestly doubt any other tip configuration would have handled so much silly abuse(stabbed some trees, too).
A dagger is "stabbier", and a good curved blade will stab better in reverse grip, but for plain toughness(and paint scraping:)), you can't beat a gool ol' Americanized Tanto tip.:thumbup:
 
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