The Tanto Blade Profile

[DocJD]

When it comes to knives, the "cutting experience" is all I'm after. Sounds to me like you could get by with a nice screwdriver. They unscrew screws pretty well and even pry stuff.

It seems to have become more common for some, to be concerned with everything a knife does besides its ability to cut

Not everybody wants to EDC a screwdriver , pry bar , scraper etc . Is that wrong ? People have different needs and priorities .

 

[stonproject]

Not everybody wants to EDC a screwdriver , pry bar , scraper etc . Is that wrong ? People have different needs and priorities .

What are you having to pry and scrape so frequently?

 

[longun]

I don't use a knife to pry except as a last resort. But I do use the Tanto to scrap off stickers on a regular basis. I've also used the Tanto as a chisel to install door lock striker plates for example. For me it makes a great work knife.

 

[DocJD]

What are you having to pry and scrape so frequently?

How frequently do you use your vehicle air bags , spare tire and jack, or a fire extinguisher ?

 

[stabman]

Explaining the tanto...well, it is a knife. It cuts stuff.
If you are looking for a knife to cut stuff, a tanto might work for you.
Of course, so will many other knife styles, which also cut stuff.

 

[stonproject]

How frequently do you use your vehicle air bags , spare tire and jack, or a fire extinguisher ?

Do you realize it's pretty asanine to compare prying with a pocket knife to air bags?

 

[mt666tm]

What are you having to pry and scrape so frequently?

My knives get used for non-cutting tasks far more frequently than anything else. Today I used the 7 to scrape tree sap residue off a vehicle windshield after a tow truck dropped it off. Had to make sure there were no chips or cracks under those areas as it was a trade-in.

I actually did use it to cut something today. There was one doughnut left in the box and I cut it in half for me and our receptionist. It was a wonderful cutting experience... mmmmm doughnuts

 

[DocJD]

Do you realize it's pretty asanine to compare prying with a pocket knife to air bags?

No , could you PLEASE explain in detail , in small and simple words , why it is "asinine" ! ?

You might need either your air bags or to pry with your EDC knife , in some rare emergency situations . May never happen , but if it does ...you are ready .

Low frequency , high impact events are difficult to plan for . Seems unimportant and stupid to even worry about until it happens ; but then the penalty can be death (or worse) for the unprepared .

 

[Lapedog]

Not all tantos are thickly ground. Honestly other than skinning I don’t really find many cutting tasks that I need a belly for. Thus I prefer straight edges typically, which the americanized tanto has two of.

For what tasks other than skinning is a belly really needed?

 

[AntDog]

No , could you PLEASE explain in detail , in small and simple words , why it is "asinine" ! ?

You might need either your air bags or to pry with your EDC knife , in some rare emergency situations . May never happen , but if it does ...you are ready .

Low frequency , high impact events are difficult to plan for . Seems unimportant and stupid to even worry about until it happens ; but then the penalty can be death (or worse) for the unprepared .

It's asinine because the user saying he uses his knife for stuff other than cutting claims to use it for these purposes much more than actual cutting. In this case, it's not a once in a while occurrence, it's routine "use" as a screwdriver, scraper, prybar, etc.

Right tool for the job comes to mind. The same thing could be done with a small prybar and an SAK. Hey, it's his knife. If he wants to bugger the tip up using it as a screwdriver and eventually break the blade prying with it, more power to him.

I just hope he won't be a schmoe about it when it finally breaks and send it to Emerson for warranty service.

 

[DocJD]

It's asinine because the user saying he uses his knife for stuff other than cutting claims to use it for these purposes much more than actual cutting. In this case, it's not a once in a while occurrence, it's routine "use" as a screwdriver, scraper, prybar, etc.

Right tool for the job comes to mind. The same thing could be done with a small prybar and an SAK. Hey, it's his knife. If he wants to bugger the tip up using it as a screwdriver and eventually break the blade prying with it, more power to him.

I just hope he won't be a schmoe about it when it finally breaks and send it to Emerson for warranty service.

I basically agree . I have lots of tools and normally try hard to respect and use them as intended .

But , I also respect others' right to do whatever the heck they please with THEIR tools and their time/money wasted . Free country ! Not my business .

But they don't get to use mine and I don't wanna hear no whining when they have problems .

 

[mt666tm]

Why would it break?

It's funny how when the word 'prying' is used some people assume it's being used to lift a manhole cover.

Or to use it as a screwdriver implies I'm using it to break free a motor mount held with red loctite.

A knife is more than capable of handling minor tasks when other tools are not present. I'm not Tim The Tool Man Taylor walking around with my pouch with every tool to save the day you know. I wear a suit to work.

I've got room in my pocket for one tool, and this is the one I have found to be the most useful to date.

 

[ponykid]

I don't see how the Tanto grind on a knife is good for SD. I have seen all the videos of FB tantos being stabbed into car doors or whatever. they don't penetrate very far. the point is strong but blunt. On a Samurai sword you have the long curved blade that's good for slashing/slicing . don't see a lot of stabbing with them though . just don't see how when applied to a shorter bladed knife the tanto is gonna be superior or even as good as a clip point/bowie/wharncliffe or leaf shape blade or even a claw shape.

 

[bush-haus]

Not all tantos are thickly ground. Honestly other than skinning I don’t really find many cutting tasks that I need a belly for. Thus I prefer straight edges typically, which the americanized tanto has two of.

For what tasks other than skinning is a belly really needed?

It may be the angle in which I hold knives, but other than batonning large fixed blades, the only part of a knife I use is the belly. I see the secondary point as a hindrance to how I cut, but again this may be because i’ve Never used a tanto profile.

 

[Lapedog]

It may be the angle in which I hold knives, but other than batonning large fixed blades, the only part of a knife I use is the belly. I see the secondary point as a hindrance to how I cut, but again this may be because i’ve Never used a tanto profile.

You should give it a try sometime.

 

[Dr Heelhook]

This has been up before. You have two straight edges that are really easy to sharpen on a flat stone. Great if you tend to cut stuff that tend to dull the edge quickly. Add a sharpening choil and it's even easier still. You can have a really sharp and thin main edge for cutting cleanly and a more obtuse grind in the front for hacking into things or - yes - prying and scraping. If the front edge is chipped or the tip is broken off, it's really easy to reprofile that part of the knife. If you still think the thing isn't handy enough to sharpen, get a chisel ground one.

If you don't like these things that's fine, just get a regular knife.