Why would you choose a tanto over a drop point or

B

blue8

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for that matter a drop point over a tanto? I can't seem to find any good pro or con arguements, and am facing this delema. I want the strength of the Tanto, but think that the drop point would be more versatile. What I guess I need is what can't a tanto do well?:confused:
 
What can a tanto do well? Impress the mall ninjas.

A drop point is much better at just about everything. Tantos are for looks. Well, they look stupid, so they aren't really for looks as much as they are for having a certain style: "omg look how tactical I am" style.

However, tantos are good at stabbing since there is a lot of material right behind the point. But again, stabbing is really just a mall ninja thing.

So for a "real knife", yes a drop point is better.

Can you tell I don't like tantos?
 
Really depends on what you are going to do with the knife. Drop-Point is by far more versatile thanks to the curved cutting side.

Regards, vC



Edit:
Yes, Tanto are more sophisticated when it comes to stabbing.
 
drop points for me. I don't really see any ( I was going to say point but...) advantage to a tanto. I love drop points.
 
Tantos are designed for piercing. I don't dislike tanto blades, but as Hair said, it's mostly due to appearance. I woudn't carry one.

If I were buying a carry knife, I'd want a utility-style or drop point blade, depending on what I intended to use the knife for.

Best Wishes,
Bob
 
Stabbing would be the main practical advantage of tantos but I think most get them for their looks.
 
I got my BM 910 for the "looks." Then found out it works great too. It's actually a more practical "Wharncliffe" as it has the straight cutting edge with the added attraction of not having a point to worry about when sharpening just the flat part. The tip part takes a different technique, but also rarely needs sharpening as I seldom pierce car fenders.

The 910 is not that radical for a tanto also.

http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/8422/stryker6ox.jpg

:confused: :)
 
Yeah, I know all about the stabbing arguement, and I have no desire to stab through anything, but I drop everything. My big concern is that if I am buying a knife and it is expensive, and I will probably drop it and it is S30V, I don't want it to break off the tip. I have lost so many knives to the broken tip. It is a curse I have and a phobia.:o That is the only excuse I can think of for a tanto tip, But I am kind of looking for What a drop point can do that a tanto can't, or that I would wish it could do if I got one.
 
I almost never use my tanto for piercing. As a mechanic I use my EDC with a tanto blade daily for general cutting, tape , string, opening packages.It works very well as a gasket scraper, aluminum edge deburring tool (made of A2 steel). Where I am employed I'd say half the guys have tanto EDCs. They do many jobs in the aircraft trade.
 
That's interesting, I have used the one tanto I have with a chisel grind as a chisel before and forgot about that use.
 
I have a tanto M-16 and it is a great knife. I used to carry it for EDC for about 4 months but then got a different knife:o
 
I am not fan of what I have heard some Japanese blade students call the "American Tanto", the knife with a squared-off, chisel style point that is not quite at a ninety degree angle to the cutting edge. (I have seen several Japanese tantos, both antique and new, with a flat back to the blade and the edge curving up to meet the back at the point in a more or less , traditional knife manner. Ther is, obviously, distal taper to the blade as it nears the point.) Supposedly, the angled point was developed in order to pierce armor, but I can see where it could easily be used as severtecher suggests. I had not seen the American Tanto in that light before. Interesting.
 
blue8- There isn't really anything a drop point can do that a tanto cannot do, or vise versa. The drop point will just do most things better.

If you want the stronger tip because of fear of breaking tips off, then the tanto might be right for you. It will just be more akward than a drop point in almost every cutting task.

I might suggest you get a drop or spear point with a beefy tip, though. But there is nothing wrong with wanting or getting a tanto.
 
Tanto's are better at scraping or prying. That being said, I prefer drop points,
it's easier to sharpen since you don't have to do in in two steps.
 
Hmmm... I might not be understanding something. I thought that a thicker tip, like on a tanto, would be harder to break, but less efficient for piercing. Is there something magical about a tanto that allows it to be thick and pierce well?

I would go with the drop point because the blade I have used tantos and they don't work as well as a standard blade shape for most things.
 
Keep in mind that a tanto has four cutting points, while a drop point only has two.

Drop Point - Blade and tip

Tanto - Blade, Secondary blade, Tip, and secondary tip.

The secondary tip can do some real nasty scrapes on a piece of material because of the triangle that meets with the two blades.
 
If I was looking for a paint scraper or a linoleum cutter, then a modified tanto would be a good choice. Other than that I have no use for the tip at all.
 
I've never tried a tanto myself, but I saw one used to make tapered holes in a few fireboards for bow drills, at a survival session I was at. It did a great job. (Timberline folder)

That knife's owner has quite a bit of experience with knives, and it's his everyday-carry knife, so that is something to consider. (Arnis instructor and military SERE instructor)
 
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