Tanto challenge

[Richard338]

Here's one.

 

[scorpnsnake]

I do consider it a brute tip design. But can also be a capable all around task performer. Especially with some mid 60's magnacut. Slice, dice, stab and slash with the best of em.

 

[DocJD]

A tanto, like any, knife is going to be more useful if it was well designed and executed, and less useful if it was poorly design and/or poorly executed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tautology_(logic)

 

[HexY3co]

My CRK tanto Inkosi is one of the most versatile blades made. The drop point tip is very good for piercing. The secondary tip is good for line draw cuts allowing the blade to be held at a stable low angle. The short curved tanto edge works great for fine chisel type work and the main edge is a great slicer. Most blade styles don't have the multiple functions as the CRK tanto. Functionality should translate to larger blades as well.

 

[David Mary]

Yes, D DocJD , I used a tautology to express the idea that there is nothing inherently wrong with the tanto design in general. And I'm sure you are aware that tautologies, like tantos, can be used well, and used badly.

 

[Daedric Panther]

My first good quality “modern folder” was a benchmade mini griptillian with a tanto blade. That little knife was plenty capable for edc. Had it for a few years before I bought my 940

 

[DangerZone98]

For next 2 months (May and June) I will be using exclusively these 2 knives.

I heard plenty of people say how tantos aren't particularly useful for anything except stabbing car hoods.
I like tantos. And my guess is that it's just a myth. So, after seeing another challenge on here (small knife challenge), I decided to do a tanto challenge. And thanks to personal bet with my real life friend - I will only be using tanto knives for next 2 months.

Now I wonder if anyone disliking tanto knives will try to do similar challenge and if that might change their opinion of tanto blades...

Pretty! I have the same two knives.

Wouldn’t be my first choice for food prep, but they are absolutely more than adequate for EDC utility work.

 

[LostCause]

Pretty! I have the same two knives.

Wouldn’t be my first choice for food prep, but they are absolutely more than adequate for EDC utility work.

Yeah, I think that those 2 are just classics when it comes to production tanto knives. Like these are the ones your average guy will go out and buy.

 

[ShaiHulud]

I used a kershaw brawler for a long while in one of my old jobs, never felt the tanto get in the way

 

[ebidis]

I’m not a fan of tantos. Some (Japanese style) are ok, pretty good in fact, but IMHO, all American style tantos are useless for anything other than stabbing car hoods.

 

[David Mary]

all American style tantos are useless for anything other than stabbing car hoods

So what you're saying is if I handed you this, you would not be able to open your mail, or a package, or break down a box, or remove a splinter, or slice your apple, or, or, etc... Not sure I'd want to try stabbing a car with that one. 63 HRC AEB-L, and not much of a guard, as well as being only around 7" in overall length. If I had to do the tanto challenge, pretty sure I could ace it with this Wolverine Scout.

 

[DocJD]

I’m not a fan of tantos. Some (Japanese style) are ok, pretty good in fact, but IMHO, all American style tantos are useless for anything other than stabbing car hoods.

On folders , the Americanized tanto style started out on overbuilt "tactical " models , made for hard use .

Guys figured out they actually work good for scraping , chiseling , light prying ,etc ...and don't tend to break .

Only took a few years to become popular as working knives , in the trades and more generally for hard work use .

 

[David Mary]

Only took a few years to become popular as working knives

Exactly. Why carry a wharncliffe, when you can have two of them on the same knife?

 

[Delta-v]

I love carrying my Bailouts. And I find the blade works fine for EDC. It does have a slight belly, and the angle between the two edges is wider than some tantos, so that might help a bit in EDC tasks. It's slicey at .09 inches, but the tip is still quite robust, one of the tanto's main virtues.

 

[Blues]

 

[DocJD]

wharncliffe

I got a ton of tanto style ...only one sorta wharncliffe :

 

[w]

 

[Synov]

 

[LimpCroissant]

I agree that there are some very useful tanto bladed knives that work well for a whole range of uses. I used to be very anti-tanto, as far as knives that I'd consider buying, but then there were a couple knives I really liked that only came in tanto, and I bought a super inexpensive (comparitively) small used bundle of knives that all happened to be tanto, that i couldnt turn down because they were all knives that i really wanted. After carrying those a bit, I found out that they can work quite well for me. This is maybe my favorite blade shape of the tantos I own. I grew up shooting a lot and hunting rabbits, and I always wonder to myself how a particular knife would do in skinning. This tanto has so much curve that I could easily skin an animal.

 

[Grizzly3]

I thought I'd like to try a Tanto at 76 just to see what advantages they might provide. I bought a Cold Steel Code 4. It took a while to get used to the stiff lock. I didn't really care for that and so I repositioned it to lighten it. I liked the S35VN and enjoyed sharpening it but it didn't take long for me to realize this knife was not for me. I was going to either add some grip tape or find a way to engrave the smooth alum sides. Instead, I put the spring back where it belonged, and I gave it to my grandson who works as a cook and also in the building trades. I figured he would get much more benefit out of it than I would. He said that he would be able to get some diamond stones at work to keep it sharp. I need to check up on him to see if he did. If not, I'll find him some in maybe 300 and 600 to keep it sharp.