Tantos: do you love/hate ‘em?

[DangerZone98]

As of right now, I only have three tanto blades. One folding and two fixed. The folder is surprisingly good for mundane EDC tasks like opening boxes and cutting rope. I’m quite happy with it.

Do you guys use tantos?

 

[JAB]

I fell in love with Americanized tantos after first seeing Cold Steel’s offerings in the mid eighties and even though I’ve owned more than a few from various makers/manufacturers since this is currently the only one that I carry regularly.

 

[OldHercDude]

Only one I have is an old Cold Steel Recon Tanto from the '89 or '90 time-frame, hasn't been used in years. Stout blade, but better profiles available for most of my uses. Been kept so far for nostalgia.

edit - I didn't answer your question. Like sabre cat, whether or not I like a knife depends on the knife. I don't really love or hate tantos.

and edit 2 - I think I need to go for sleep. Forgot about the Benchmade Elishewitz, modified tanto blade, nice knife.

 

[sabre cat]

Right now I only have one and don’t have serious plans to get another.

As for like/hate of Tanto blades, it really just depends upon the knife.
The whole knife, not just the blade.

 

[The_Knife_Man]

It's not my most carried blade shape, but the Michrotech Halo V is pretty dope. I would like a Japanese style fixed tanto sometime.

 

[tgtodd]

 

[knarfeng]

I can't say that I hate them.
I think you actually need to own one before you can say that you hate one.

 

[Zulus]

One for tanto

 

[Planterz]

I dislike them as I never found them particularly useful. Sometimes I find them aesthetically pleasing, generally the more they follow Bob Lum's style. I hate the purely angular ones. I carried a Severtech for a good while - never liked the tanto tip. I do own a Kabar "zombie" tanto folding knife - AUS-8 for $15 was a deal I couldn't pass up. I bought it thinking I would use it as a beater with a strong tip that I could use to scrape if I need to. I never carry it. The "beater" that I actually carry is an Opinel N°6.

The one knife I still own and actually carry and use that's a tanto is an old Microtech that I vowed never to sell/trade and to use and abuse (for sentimental reasons). Oddly, the knife represents nearly everything I dislike in a knife. It's a tanto, the blade is beadblasted and partially serrated, it has rubber handle inserts, and carries tip-down only. And it has uberdouche Anthony Marifone's signature etched on the blade. I do appreciate that although it's a "tanto", the blade has a bit of belly and the tanto angle is much less dramatic and has a very pointy tip compared to the typical "Americanized tanto" fare.

 

[Henry Beige]

I had one, a SOG Flash II. I bought it because it was cheap long before I came to BF. I never bonded with it, grew to hate it and gave it away on another forum. I don’t have plans to seek out another tanto, but you never know.

 

[Smiling]

I personally prefer tantos over other blade shapes.

 

[Ruari]

I really like tanto folders. Bought a gen 1 Recon 1 tanto in the early 2000s, having bought the fixed Recon Tanto in the 90s. I do not use the fixed blade tanto nearly as much as I do 'bowie' type blades on fixed (Ka Bar, SOG, Cold Steel). But I love the tanto on a folding knife.

 

[MolokaiRider]

I have a few. My favorite is the Kershaw Blur tanto. It’s tip is at a shallow angle that makes push tip cuts pretty effective, and the hollow ground straight edge works great cutting things like cardboard.

 

[marchone]

I can't say that I hate them.
I think you actually need to own one before you can say that you hate one.

They're meant for stabbing. I don't need to own one to know I don't need one. Neither do I have a tactical tomahawk.

 

[MolokaiRider]

They're meant for stabbing. I don't need to own one to know I don't need one. Neither do I have a tactical tomahawk.

That’s kinda a limiting view on a tool.

They work great on tip push cuts; things like plastic clamshell, tote bags of whatever, scraping, and chisel work.

I suppose as a weapon as well, but I have
no experience in that field.

They are also really easy to sharpen, since they have two flat edges.

A tactical tomahawk however, totally different, but looks fun to throw for giggles. I don’t have one of those either.

 

[midnight flyer]

The blade shape can be quite useful. No need to think that it is merely a tool for homicide.

I have a HARNDS tanto that I bought a few months ago and I love it. The blade shape is perfect for carpentry work. I have purchased a few tantos over the years, but I wanted one heavy enough to use as a wood chisel and light scraping when I am at work. (Pic from HARNDS)

I have a Utilitac II that I bought several years ago with a tanto blade. It is a great little knife, and good for light work. But the blade is too light and thin to do much more than a few light planing cuts and a little splinter cleanup. Great knife, though.

The one above has a 4" blade, plenty of handle, and the point of the blade is thick and stiff, perfect to use as a chisel, cleaning out mortises, finishing up hinge mortises, and as a light scraper. The straight/main edge is perfect for trimming molding, sharpening my carpenter's pencils, etc. I am a free hand sharpener, and with just two flat surfaces, it is a piece of cake to sharpen on a stone. This knife was mentioned on another thread about "big knives" and I tracked it down. Glad I did, it is hard for me to take this one out of my pocket when I am on the job as it has excellent utility value for me.

I grew up using knives as tools, so my brain doesn't really go to using knives as weapons.

Robert

 

[marchone]

That’s kinda a limiting view on a tool.

They work great on tip push cuts; things like plastic clamshell, tote bags of whatever, scraping, and chisel work.

I suppose as a weapon as well, but I have no experience in that field.

They are also really easy to sharpen, since they have two flat edges.

A tactical tomahawk however, totally different, but looks fun to throw for giggles. I don’t have one of those either.

Maybe I'm being harsh. I have one of these Burgers but I never use it. Modified sheepsfoot/tanto. It's not very versatile but I'm sure it'll murder a car door.

I'm a plain vanilla type with a preference for good drop points. Boring, expected, and very useful.

 

[Zulus]

They're meant for stabbing. I don't need to own one to know I don't need one. Neither do I have a tactical tomahawk.

Actually they were meant to salvage broken katana in Ancient Japan
Imagine price of top steel then ...
Longer ones was converted to wakizashi
Shorter pieces to knives
Very simplified explanation of course :^)
Tanto was short sword max. 30 cm long
[wakizashi 30-60cm]
Today tanto rather means shape of blade than weapon

 

[MolokaiRider]

Maybe I'm being harsh. I have one of these Burgers but I never use it. Modified sheepsfoot/tanto. It's not very versatile but I'm sure it'll murder a car door.

I'm a plain vanilla type with a preference for good drop points. Boring, expected, and very useful.

Roger that. I have a lot of respect in your opinion and experience as a chef.

As a farmer, I have experienced the tanto design is pretty useful despite its stereotype as a weapon.

 

[Planterz]

Maybe I'm being harsh. I have one of these Burgers but I never use it. Modified sheepsfoot/tanto. It's not very versatile but I'm sure it'll murder a car door.

I'm a plain vanilla type with a preference for good drop points. Boring, expected, and very useful.

The "reverse tanto" is a completely different thing. It is "reversed", after all, with attributes generally opposite those of the Americanized tanto.