Magnum Tanto II San Mai

B

Benjamin Liu

Joined
Jan 26, 2000
Messages
2,526
I ordered one a few days ago and it arrived today.

It has the current GSM CS logo and the first knife I have from the Master Tanto/Magnum Tanto/Outdoorsman/Tai Pan series without the old logo.

It was on my list since it came out, the last knife in this series still in production I did not have, and I found it at a price I couldn't pass up, $109 something, so I bought it.

The sheath was so tight it was very difficult to pull out. Actually the worst of all the CS sheaths I've had.

My 3V Magnum Tanto II on the other hand is so loose it will fall out if the sheath is turned upside down if not for the restraining strap.

I switched sheaths and this new sheath was just as bad on the 3V and the other was just as bad in the opposite direction.

I fixed it by carefully shaving the inside ridges on each side of the opening with a Kyoto.

Now it works fine with either the San Mai or 3V Magnum Tanto II.
 
Take the knife out of the sheath and lay it flat on a table. If it's anything like mine it will balance perfectly on the hand guard and appear to float in place. Give it a push and watch it spin in place like a top. Not many knives can do this.
 
There isn’t a person working in the knife industry today that knows more about the Tanto than Cold Steel does. It was, after all, Cold Steel who invented and popularized this knife style in the early 1980’s. We have spent millions of dollars persuading the public, both through advertising and live or videotaped demonstrations, of the Tanto’s many advantages. We have been producing Tanto’s for more than 30 years now, and there is still no factory or custom knifemaker around making a Tanto that can approach the cutting, slashing or piercing power of one that is manufactured by Cold Steel. All of our Tantos feature a deep lustrous satin finish on the hollow ground blade bevels and a contrasting line grain finish on the blade flats. This technique highlights our state of the art grinding methods and emphasizes the Cold Steel Tanto’s unique appearance. In addition, the Tanto’s come with our famous flattened oval Kraton handle. The oval shape provides a solid grip and resists rolling or twisting in the hand under hard use, the kind that, over time, would destroy a lesser knife. The use of Kraton in knife handles is another Cold Steel innovation. Kraton is an unparalleled space age material that won’t crack or rot and is immune to the ravages of bad weather. The tapered, solid steel pommel is another important Tanto feature that should not be ignored. Lynn Thompson designed it to concentrate the full force of a crushing blow in a small area so that even a moderately powerful blow can be remarkably effective in disarming or otherwise incapacitating an attacker. The Tanto series knives in San Mai all come with a thick, high quality Secure-Ex sheath that is sure to give years of hard service and keep your Tanto at your side, ready for action.
 
Popularized... yes. Invented... no. There is a picture taken of a pair of butterfly swords either late 1800's or early 1900's that had blades shaped like the CS Tanto, It is on a Kung Fu blog that's been around for years. The fact is that the CS Tanto shape has been around before Lynn Thompson or Bob Lum were even thought of, let alone born.

And this topic has been discussed on here more times than I care to count...

As for the rest, that's accurate as far as I know.

Here's a link to the picture:

 
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What is now known as the American Tanto point was used old swords from China, Korea, and Japan before the tachi and later katana were developed.

I have seen some anti-CS posts accusing Lynn Thompson of making up this style of point.
 
The butterfly knives are a similar shape but the grind is not the same. IMO, there is not much similarity between a wide flat ground butterfly knife and a slim tanto style blade with a hollow ground main edge and a flat ground point edge. Very different in use and performance.
 
Most discussions on the American Tanto relate to the point, not the grind.

Even Cold Steel makes or made the American Tanto in hollow and saber grinds, and other companies made them in chisel and full flat grinds.

The sword style I mentioned is what is commonly referred to as a "Ninja-To" blade, though the fittings probably did not have a square tsuba, and it does not have a wide blade and probably has a convex grind.
 
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