6" Master Tanto II, 7" Magnum Tanto II, maybe a Recon Tanto

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Press_the_button

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Not a Cold Steel guy here, but have had my eye on either a 6" Master Tanto with VG10 or 7" Magnum Tanto II with San Mai III Stainless Steel. Can anyone shed some light on the uniqueness or preferred aspects of either of these knives? I prefer the Mangum's full hand guard/hilt but don't care for having the text "MAGNUM" printed on the blade :(. Also, the 7" Recon Tanto looks like a better user for me, but the San Mai Tantos sure are nice to look at! They all seem to have the same steel.

master-tanto-vg-10-san-mai

magnum-tanto-vg-10-san-mai

recon-tanto-vg-10-san-mai

Does anyone have personal experience with any of these 3 knives?

And are they exactly the same steel and heat treatment, etc ? Thanks in advance.
 
have all 3. I like them all. all are made by same maker in Taiwan, current production I believe.

its more blade size , handle shape and want or dislike to pick from there.. heat treat should be the same assuming same maker is making them.
 
I only have one of these specific knives, the Master Tanto.

I have different versions of the other two, the Magnum Tanto II in 3V and the Recon Tanto in SK5 and Carbon V.

The 3V Magnum Tanto II and Carbon V Recon Tanto have flat saber grinds which makes them as different from the others as the steel types do.

Aside from my Carbon V Recon Tanto these are all new, especially the Magnum Tanto I got earlier this month.

The Master Tanto is the oldest design, basically the same thing as the original tanto but with a different steel. I've had the 1980s version of the Tanto since 1989 and my cousin had the AUS8 version in the late 1990s and used it to slaughter numerous pigs. He laughed when I told him a knife expert on Youtube said it couldn't stab well. Many people have used this design for various tasks over the years. Considering the size it is probably the best of the three for low-profile carry if that is your intent.

I've used the Carbon V Recon Tanto over the years as an outdoor tool and it worked very well, and now I'm trying out the SK5 version. It is a good basic knife. The blade is wider near the tip than the other two knives which taper so it might be a better chopper while the other two might be better at stabbing. I've never used the San Mai version, however.

I prefer the handles on the Master/Magnum tantos to the one on the Recon Tanto.

The current prices on these knives are close, with the Master Tanto being maybe $20.00 more than the Recon Tanto and the Magnum Tanto being maybe $10-20.00 more than the Master Tanto.

If I had to choose one, for collecting I'd go with the Magnum Tanto, for a defensive knife maybe the Magnum Tanto, for low profile carry the Master Tanto, and for outdoor use the Recon Tanto, but they all should work for all those purposes.

The Recon Tanto has a trainer made for it, so if you want a training knife that looks like your real knife that would be another thing in favor of the Recon Tanto.
 
I have, and highly reccomend the Magnum tanto ii.
I have them in both san mai iii vg10, and cpm 3v.
The san mai takes an excellent edge which is easy to sharpen, cuts like the dikens due to the hollow grind. However it can prove a little chippy in hard use.

The cpm 3v holds an edge a bit longer, is fairly easy to sharpen, is less prone to edge damage. Tough as nuts! I have even used it as a field knife camping and hiking. It worked amazingly well.

Be advised, they are addictive. I have four now.
 
Press_the_button said:
Not a Cold Steel guy here, but have had my eye on either a 6" Master Tanto with VG10 or 7" Magnum Tanto II with San Mai III Stainless Steel. Can anyone shed some light on the uniqueness or preferred aspects of either of these knives? I prefer the Mangum's full hand guard/hilt but don't care for having the text "MAGNUM" printed on the blade :(. Also, the 7" Recon Tanto looks like a better user for me, but the San Mai Tantos sure are nice to look at! They all seem to have the same steel.

master-tanto-vg-10-san-mai

magnum-tanto-vg-10-san-mai

recon-tanto-vg-10-san-mai

Does anyone have personal experience with any of these 3 knives?

And are they exactly the same steel and heat treatment, etc ? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
While Cold Steel's ternminology is confusing,
SAN MAI III refers only to the VG1 core laminate knives manufactured in Seki Japan. Production of those ended in 2015 with the exception of 1 or 2 models.
SAN MAI refers to the current VG10 core laminate knives manufactured in Taiwan.
All three knives you listed are in the latter category.
 
KenHash said:
While Cold Steel's ternminology is confusing,
SAN MAI III refers only to the VG1 core laminate knives manufactured in Seki Japan. Production of those ended in 2015 with the exception of 1 or 2 models.
SAN MAI refers to the current VG10 core laminate knives manufactured in Taiwan.
All three knives you listed are in the latter category.
Click to expand...
Sorry Ken, gotta get a bit nit-picky. "San Mai III" was the original version with AUS8 core that went from the 80s till 2006 I think. After that was "VG-1 San Mai III"...was always marked as such on the knives, but some of the catalogs left off the VG-1 in the list of steels.
 
jlauffer said:
Sorry Ken, gotta get a bit nit-picky. "San Mai III" was the original version with AUS8 core that went from the 80s till 2006 I think. After that was "VG-1 San Mai III"...was always marked as such on the knives, but some of the catalogs left off the VG-1 in the list of steels.
Click to expand...
Yes that is correct, The name "San Mai III" was used by CS for their earlier versions prior to the VG1 core contracts with Hattori, Kinryu and Fukuta. But I did not touch on this because it was obvious the OP did not know the difference with respect to the post 2015 Taiwan made VG10 San Mai IIIs.
Yes, you are being nit picky .,,,LOL.
 
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Thanks for all the replies. I noticed the CS terminology for the steels was whacky lol. The biggest thing imo that differentiates is the Taiwan vs Japan. After looking these knives online (over and over!) I think a Magnum Tanto 3V or a Tai Pan 3V would be very nice to have and use. Still trying to decide.
 
Benjamin Liu said:
I only have one of these specific knives, the Master Tanto.

I have different versions of the other two, the Magnum Tanto II in 3V and the Recon Tanto in SK5 and Carbon V.

The 3V Magnum Tanto II and Carbon V Recon Tanto have flat saber grinds which makes them as different from the others as the steel types do.

I prefer the handles on the Master/Magnum tantos to the one on the Recon Tanto.
Click to expand...

Great info and W wildmike

I'm fairly convinced to go with Magnum Tanto, but not convinced which steel.

Are you saying the Magnum Tanto in CPM-3V vs the current VG-10 will have a flat grind? I am a huge fan of a flat/hollow type grind. Looks amazing. Not to mention the increased durability of 3V as ya'll have posted. If the 3V is in fact a nicer grind, that'll loosen up my wallet, quick!
 
No. The flat grinds are still available but I suspect they don't actually make them anymore or will soon stop making them, considering that the 3V Master Tanto and Magnum Tanto XII are now hollow ground.

The 3V Magnum Tantos were first made with flat saber grinds (like the Carbon V Recon Tanto) and coated with black DLC.

Then CS started making them with plain satin blades with hollow grinds.

I'm not actually sure if they did this with all of them or if they are even making all the Magnum Tantos in 3V at this time. They could have had many more 3V Magnum Tanto II and IX made with flat grinds and still have old ones in stock.

The reason I suspect this is that I've never seen the 3V Magnum Tanto II or IX sold with hollow grinds and satin finish.

From what I've seen, this is what is available:

Hollow Grind and Satin finish

MT II - SM
MT XII - SM
MT XII - 3V

Flat Saber Grind and black DLC coating

MT II - 3V
MT IX - 3V

All should be durable but the flat grind should be more durable, but that really would only matter if you are chopping wood with them.

The flat grind with black DLC coating are rarer and probably will continue to become even more rare if that is important in your selection.

The hollow grinds with satin finish look much nicer IMO.

The 3V and SM Magnum Tanto XII look the same aside from the lamination line on the SM. The 3V is a little thicker and since both use the same sheath it will be tighter in the sheath.
 
Press the button.
The Magnum tanto's I like the most are the cpm 3v models.
The first real work I did with mine was to cut 40 lbs. + of beef chuck and top round. The meat was cut for stir fry 15#, jerky 14#, the rest into steak and roasts.
This included de fatting the meat, which I was surprised but the yakote worked excellent for that.

I liked the knife so much I bought another, and the Magnum tanto ix as well.
I have one of the san mai vg10 magnum tanto ii's as well. But it is not for heavy outdoor work.
 
wildmike said:
Press the button.
The Magnum tanto's I like the most are the cpm 3v models.
The first real work I did with mine was to cut 40 lbs. + of beef chuck and top round. The meat was cut for stir fry 15#, jerky 14#, the rest into steak and roasts.
This included de fatting the meat, which I was surprised but the yakote worked excellent for that.
Click to expand...
I am being nit picky myself, but the Yokote is only the grind transition line between the blade and Kissaki in Shinogi Zukuri styled blades.
Which is the style (Kamasu Kissaki) Cold Steel Tantos follow.
I suspect that you found the Kissaki to be good for the de-fatting work.

uIFUgt.jpg
f4vNbH.jpg
 
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It is refered to as the yokote in Thompsons video. Good enough for me.
That secondary point is exceptionaly handy.

There is a video on youtube of a chef who has been using a magnum tanto ii for over 20 years. One of the Japan vg1 san mai blades.
 
Wow awesome information!

Gonna get a Magnum Tanto with SM steel, because: Hollow grind, shiny is pretty lol, lamination line aesthetics, thinner than 3V (might be a better slicer), costs less.

Also, after getting this all sorted out, the Tai Pan in SM steel must be beautiful, with the dual lamination lines and and the dual edges/grinds! A future thing for me.

I'd like to support the forum here. Please msg me or post here so I can choose a seller for a Magnum Tanto in SM steel.
 
Cold Steel Magnum Warcraft Fixed Blade Knife 12" Tanto Point 4034 Stainless Steel Stonewashed Blade Glass Reinforced Nylon (GRN) Handle Black

Now on sale for ~$116 . (non-sponsor , please no hints ) 🙏

Somebody "take one for the team" and put this to the test ! For $50 or 60 , I'd even try one . ;)

San Mai / G10 version is ~$390 , same place .
 
Thanks for your posts everyone. The above post led me to the best $$ on a Magnum Tanto San Mai. Should be here next week. Also got a couple rubber training knives (recon tanto and Kabar). Also, couldn't resist the low priced black-coated Recon Tanto for a real "user" tool.
 
After reading this discussion of the CS Tanto knives and watching some YouTube videos I have ordered a Magnum Tanto IX CPM 3V and I should get it this week. Looking forward to this!!
 
The CS Magnum should be here Wednesday. Dang I can't wait. I hope it's sharp as hell out of the box otherwise I will take it to the next gun show and there is usually a guy sharpening knives at a table. I been taking my folder knives there for years. He knows what he is doing.
 
I decided on the Magnum Tanto in San Mai. After it arrived, I can see the lamination line, but it's very faint. Not very obvious, like I was expecting or hoping for. Yes, it is shaving sharp. The edge could use some smoothing or light polishing. They must be using a coarse belt sander in the Taiwan factory. Still, very sharp

Also got a Recon Tanto with the black coating. It's a great bargain and also has the same type of edge/coarse grind marks. Very sharp also.
 
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