Magnum Tanto II - #13MII (regular) & #13MBII (SMIII)
The Magnum Tanto II replaced the Magnum Tanto in 1990. Along with the blade length difference, the other main difference is that it no longer has the raised spine.
Period: 1990 - 2015
Blade Steel: Cold Steel’s “400 Series Stainless” (1990 – 1994) and San Mai III (1992? - 2015). Not exactly sure when they started offering it in San Mai III…the 1990 flyer only mentions 400 Series Stainless, while the 1992 catalog has both 400 Series Stainless and San Mai III versions.
Blade Length: 7 1/2"
Blade Markings: There are 3 versions that I know of:
1) Side 1:
MAGNUM TANTO II logo
Side 2:
COLD STEEL, INC (in plain block print, not logo font).
VENTURA, CALIF
MADE IN JAPAN
2) Side 1:
MAGNUM TANTO II logo
SAN MAi III logo
Side 2:
COLD STEEL, INC (in plain block print, not logo font).
VENTURA, CALIF
MADE IN JAPAN
3) Side 1:
MAGNUM TANTO II logo
VG-1 SAN MAi III logo
Side 2:
COLD STEEL logo
MADE IN JAPAN
Sheath: According to the 1990 flyer, it originally had a black Cordura/nylon sheath. At some point this changed to black leather with a snap strap (not Velcro). Not exactly sure then this happened, but the 1992 Special Projects catalog I have shows the leather sheath, so looks like the Cordura sheath only lasted a year or two.
Misc: Seems to be a lot of fake Magnum Tanto II/IX/XII’s out there. There are a few things to look out for…1) No lamination line on knives marked as San Mai III…2) I see many that just say “JAPAN” instead of “MADE IN JAPAN”…3) Bad fit/finish, such as rounded corners, gaps, etc…4) Leather sheath with Velcro strap instead of snap. Velcro was only used on the original Magnum Tanto sheath back in the 80’s…5) Many fakes come with plastic sheaths. This used to be an obvious red flag, as the Magnums always came with leather sheaths. But the waters have been muddied with the introduction of the 3V Nightfall Series Tantos (2015) and Taiwan San Mai III Tantos (2018), which come with plastic sheaths.
====================================================================================================
Magnum Tanto IX and XII - #13MBIX & #13MBXII
There isn't much mystery to these guys. They are just longer versions of the Magnum Tanto II, available in 9" (IX) and 12" (XII) blades, and as far as I know they have always been San Mai III steel exclusively. They came with black leather sheaths, with snap straps (not Velcro). They first appeared in the 1998 catalog, and were last seen in the 2011 catalog.
====================================================================================================
Mini Tanto with Stainless fittings - #13ASG
Strangely, when the Tanto, Master Tanto, and Mini Tanto got updated with stainless fittings for 1992, only the Mini Tanto received a full oval guard like the Magnum Tantos. Also, the jimping that was on the brass version was removed.
Period: 1992 - 2000
Blade Steel: AUS 8A Stainless
Blade Length: 4 1/4"
Blade Markings:
Side 1: MiNi TANTO logo
Side 2: COLD STEEL logo
VENTURA, CALIF
MADE IN JAPAN
Sheath: Black leather with Velcro strap and metal belt clip.