Warcraft tanto tang

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Oct 2, 2007
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15
Hi all, was unable to find the answers searching this forum nor reddit. Cold steel website description lists the warcraft tanto as "full tang" however from joe x's destruction video, both the SM3 and 4034ss variants he destroys the handles to reveals that both variants has what he calls "shit" tangs which is his colorful word of describing skeletonized tang. Are all the past warcraft tantos the same style tangs even the 3v ones?
 
Hi all, was unable to find the answers searching this forum nor reddit. Cold steel website description lists the warcraft tanto as "full tang" however from joe x's destruction video, both the SM3 and 4034ss variants he destroys the handles to reveals that both variants has what he calls "shit" tangs which is his colorful word of describing skeletonized tang. Are all the past warcraft tantos the same style tangs even the 3v ones?
its a full tang knife. holes to change the balance point or not should have little noticeable effect on its strength. gsm isn't gonna put more manufacturing steps into skeletonizing the tang, cause they want to raise the cost of the knife. think about it. the knife hasn't changed with the tang setup since it was created....least in whether it was skeletonized before or not.

notice it can have a car hang from it and not break...the 3v one....


joe x is fun to watch, but he is an entertainer, not a knife tester or scientist or engineer. don't take his ramblings as gospel....cause they aren't even close to gospel. he's there to get views and make money. don't be confused to what his motives are......that said he's funny snd entertaining and sometimes I enjoy him breaking knives and how much effort he has to put into it to break it.
 
its a full tang knife. holes to change the balance point or not should have little noticeable effect on its strength. gsm isn't gonna put more manufacturing steps into skeletonizing the tang, cause they want to raise the cost of the knife. think about it. the knife hasn't changed with the tang setup since it was created....least in whether it was skeletonized before or not.

notice it can have a car hang from it and not break...the 3v one....


joe x is fun to watch, but he is an entertainer, not a knife tester or scientist or engineer. don't take his ramblings as gospel....cause they aren't even close to gospel. he's there to get views and make money. don't be confused to what his motives are......that said he's funny snd entertaining and sometimes I enjoy him breaking knives and how much effort he has to put into it to break it.
Have you seen the video though? it's not really "skeletonized" as much as it is essentially a giant hole cut into the center of the tang with maybe 5/16" of metal that runs across the top and bottom edge with a full width tang at the rear screw mount for the grip but essentially the entire middle section of the tang has a giant hole cut out of it.

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AP1GczMAA7i1JzNbfs2hQp95eQ2qtIrVq0nQEH7MB34shb65jHTrBoo1o-3bNsR8JPb6Z2aXGUGeNOAxTbqWU8MvSaxZvuIpc_95EN5OfVwb4ZcY3XWjhvUoLRkJTUEQSUsnQfMgRNcYCoT4jwiDRSPY2_pE=w1128-h793-s-no-gm


When a knife is listed as "full tang" shouldn't it be a solid single piece of metal from blade tip to tang tip? With such a large chunk cut out through the center, shouldn't the description list the tang as skeletonized?

From the 2 pictures each from different tests (1 with medium 4032ss and the other was i believe the regular sized SM3

Contrast the above 2 pictures to the tang of the 3v AK47 he destroyed. Would you not say the AK47 has a full tang and the 2 warcraft tantos above are skeletonized? We can't possibly classify all 3 blades to be full tang blades as 2/3 of them are drastically different with the large cutout?

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The car hanging video clearly showed a full tang for the WC tanto. Now i'm wondering if all the post GSM WC tantos are skeleton tangs. I have a 3v made in italy medium WC tanto on order right now. Just wanted to see if anyone on here can verify that the 3V versions had full solid tangs unlike the (post gsm?) SM3 and 4032ss. The place i have the order with has a few 3v ak47's in stock so i would opt to cancel the tanto order and get the ak47's instead if the discontinued italian made 3v WC tantos do not have the full tang.
 
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Have you seen the video though? it's not really "skeletonized" as much as it is essentially a giant hole cut into the center of the tang with maybe 5/16" of metal that runs across the top and bottom edge with a full width tang at the rear screw mount for the grip but essentially the entire middle section of the tang has a giant hole cut out of it.

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AP1GczMAA7i1JzNbfs2hQp95eQ2qtIrVq0nQEH7MB34shb65jHTrBoo1o-3bNsR8JPb6Z2aXGUGeNOAxTbqWU8MvSaxZvuIpc_95EN5OfVwb4ZcY3XWjhvUoLRkJTUEQSUsnQfMgRNcYCoT4jwiDRSPY2_pE=w1128-h793-s-no-gm


When a knife is listed as "full tang" shouldn't it be a solid single piece of metal from blade tip to tang tip? With such a large chunk cut out through the center, shouldn't the description list the tang as skeletonized?

From the 2 pictures each from different tests (1 with medium 4032ss and the other was i believe the regular sized SM3

Contrast the above 2 pictures to the tang of the 3v AK47 he destroyed. Would you not say the AK47 has a full tang and the 2 warcraft tantos above are skeletonized? We can't possibly classify all 3 blades to be full tang blades as 2/3 of them are drastically different with the large cutout?

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The car hanging video clearly showed a full tang for the WC tanto. Now i'm wondering if all the post GSM WC tantos are skeleton tangs. I have a 3v made in italy medium WC tanto on order right now. Just wanted to see if anyone on here can verify that the 3V versions had full solid tangs unlike the (post gsm?) SM3 and 4032ss. The place i have the order with has a few 3v ak47's in stock so i would opt to cancel the tanto order and get the ak47's instead if the discontinued italian made 3v WC tantos do not have the full tang.
no. cause i dont care that much.
okay just listen to joe x then.....I see he's got ya convinced.......and I assume you're gonna use the knife like he does so then it's important to listen to his advice.......

BTW he broke the ak47 3v too.....he breaks every knife
 
JoeX is an entertainer, not a tester. His goal is to get money from YouTube ads, his method is by filming himself doing stupid things with knives until he breaks the knife. Do you honestly think that you will do any of those things with a knife you purchased with your own money, ever?
 
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JoeX is an entertainer, not a tester. His goal is to get money from YouTube ads, his method is by filming himself doing stupids things with knives until he breaks the knife. Do you honestly think that you will do any of those things with a knife you purchased with your own money, ever?
if I was gsm I'd skeletonize all my tangs to save lots 'o' 💰.......

cause extra machining steps and cutting blanks with more shapes saves big money....
 
From the photos, it sure looks like the new Warcrafts have skeletonized handles, which I didn't realize. Remember that GSM completely redesigned the Warcraft models after acquiring Cold Steel. So it makes sense that the tang cutout was incorporated during that production transition, not necessarily to save money but rather weight, since the original 3V Warcrafts had tapered tangs and the GSM versions have full-thickness tangs.

IMG-0712.jpg


IMG-0724.jpg



The short-lived Italian 3V Medium Warcraft (the only model made in Italy) was introduced prior to the GSM sale and did not have a tapered tang (or at least not a significantly tapered tang).

IMG-0726.jpg


It was faithful to the original design in all other respects, though, so I doubt its tang is skeletonized.

While I agree that the cutout in the new Warcraft tangs is kind of disappointing, and that GSM shouldn't advertise them as full-tang when they're actually skeletonized, I also agree that the cutout isn't going to make much difference in normal use. If you're considering a GSM Warcraft for combat (or something equally demanding, such as getting Likes on a YouTube video...), then it might make sense to look elsewhere. But for most other uses, I think the hollow tang will be fine.

And if you've got a 3V Medium Warcraft on the way (either Italian or Taiwanese), by all means don't cancel that order! It's a fantastic knife, and they are becoming quite scarce.


-Steve
 
From the photos, it sure looks like the new Warcrafts have skeletonized handles, which I didn't realize. Remember that GSM completely redesigned the Warcraft models after acquiring Cold Steel. So it makes sense that the tang cutout was incorporated during that production transition, not necessarily to save money but rather weight, since the original 3V Warcrafts had tapered tangs and the GSM versions have full-thickness tangs.

IMG-0712.jpg


IMG-0724.jpg



The short-lived Italian 3V Medium Warcraft (the only model made in Italy) was introduced prior to the GSM sale and did not have a tapered tang (or at least not a significantly tapered tang).

IMG-0726.jpg


It was faithful to the original design in all other respects, though, so I doubt its tang is skeletonized.

While I agree that the cutout in the new Warcraft tangs is kind of disappointing, and that GSM shouldn't advertise them as full-tang when they're actually skeletonized, I also agree that the cutout isn't going to make much difference in normal use. If you're considering a GSM Warcraft for combat (or something equally demanding, such as getting Likes on a YouTube video...), then it might make sense to look elsewhere. But for most other uses, I think the hollow tang will be fine.

And if you've got a 3V Medium Warcraft on the way (either Italian or Taiwanese), by all means don't cancel that order! It's a fantastic knife, and they are becoming quite scarce.


-Steve
Thanks Steve, based on the pictures you linked, the Italian ones does indeed look like it retained the same design as the original with the tang shape unlike the post-GSM stuff. I def want to keep the Italian 3v version if it is the old design over the AK47 since the 3v WCT is now discontinued. The pricing for the 3v WCT from this retailer does have a small markup over the AK-47 from the retailer I ordered from so that was why I wanted check on here to confirm that the Italian version was a solid full tang. I do not wish to pay more for a knife with a less durable tang.

Yes, I am fully aware nobody would ever "need" any potential durability advantage of a solid tang over the skeletonized one as they wouldn't never even come close to destroying the latter with normal use. However, it's a matter of principle of getting the best bang for my buck. AK-47 and Warcraft tanto aside from blade shape are virtually identical in specs. g10 grips, 5.5" 5mm thick 3v blade. I would gladly pay a bit more of a premium for the WCT because it's discontinued. However I am not willing to compromise on structural changes that affects durability regardless whether I ever even come close to needing the difference in durability. Dollar for dollar I would take a solid full tang over a skeletonized full tang for the same price with all other things equal. Better to have and not need than need and not have.
 
let's compare a proper testing by the knife maker vs. joex......same steel and knife.....

so maker pounds through steel bolt with hammer......and through solid concrete....and knife survives and is fine......

and Joe x...tries real hard to break it and won't stop til it breaks.....


this says it all.....which testing shows what we really need to judge a knife? id bet any warcraft in 3v would hold up to any normal use and some abuse if needed. nothing will hold up to Joe x as his only goal is to break it on video and keep at it til it finally breaks, full solid tang it not......
 
let's compare a proper testing by the knife maker vs. joex......same steel and knife.....

so maker pounds through steel bolt with hammer......and through solid concrete....and knife survives and is fine......

and Joe x...tries real hard to break it and won't stop til it breaks.....


this says it all.....which testing shows what we really need to judge a knife? id bet any warcraft in 3v would hold up to any normal use and some abuse if needed. nothing will hold up to Joe x as his only goal is to break it on video and keep at it til it finally breaks, full solid tang it not......
Yes, I'm not arguing about the fact almost all normal users of knives wouldn't even come close to breaking a civivi folder, let alone a cold steel blade. However, as I stated above, dollar for dollar I would rather pick the blade that doesn't have a potential weak point in the blade regardless if those weak points would ever be an issue with my use througout my ownership of the blade. I wouldn't be opposed to seeing a video on whether the current SM3 WCT can survive the same car hanging test as the Thompson era 3V versions.

That's all irrelevant anyways. My original question was about the 3v Italian made WCT tangs. I wanted to make sure that it was the Thompson era solid full tang design that was able to suspend a car and not the new GSM ones with the cutout tang. The question had been answer by Whip above (although not confirmed). I will remove the scales when I get mine and confirm the tang design when I get mine. Will likely exchange for an ak-47 blade if it turns out to have a cutout tang as I prefer to pay less for a solid full tang blade.

Thanks to The Whip, I have again learned something from this forum. I have a medium WCT made in Italy. I did not know it was a short-lived model.
Hi Hawk, any chance you could take a peek under the scales by removing the 2 hex screws to confirm the tang design of the blade? This model is the same one I have on order
 
Yes, I'm not arguing about the fact almost all normal users of knives wouldn't even come close to breaking a civivi folder, let alone a cold steel blade. However, as I stated above, dollar for dollar I would rather pick the blade that doesn't have a potential weak point in the blade regardless if those weak points would ever be an issue with my use througout my ownership of the blade. I wouldn't be opposed to seeing a video on whether the current SM3 WCT can survive the same car hanging test as the Thompson era 3V versions.

That's all irrelevant anyways. My original question was about the 3v Italian made WCT tangs. I wanted to make sure that it was the Thompson era solid full tang design that was able to suspend a car and not the new GSM ones with the cutout tang. The question had been answer by Whip above (although not confirmed). I will remove the scales when I get mine and confirm the tang design when I get mine. Will likely exchange for an ak-47 blade if it turns out to have a cutout tang as I prefer to pay less for a solid full tang blade.


Hi Hawk, any chance you could take a peek under the scales by removing the 2 hex screws to confirm the tang design of the blade? This model is the same one I have on order
okay when you get yours if it has the weak tang as ya call it. hang a car from it and let's see......
 
Strong enough, not strong enough, etc., etc., etc. I’ll leave that argument to others. But it is clear from the pics in this thread that there was a change from a solid, distal tapered tang to a cut out, even thickness tang. That was definitely done for economic purposes, since it would be much easier to cut the holes in the same operation as the rest of the blade rather than taper grind both sides in an extra operation or two. The knife that lifted the car shell was solid, I doubt the version with holes would do so.
 
Strong enough, not strong enough, etc., etc., etc. I’ll leave that argument to others. But it is clear from the pics in this thread that there was a change from a solid, distal tapered tang to a cut out, even thickness tang. That was definitely done for economic purposes, since it would be much easier to cut the holes in the same operation as the rest of the blade rather than taper grind both sides in an extra operation or two. The knife that lifted the car shell was solid, I doubt the version with holes would do so.
depends on how it's engineered and designed. all we know for sure is we don't have broken tangs on warcrafts all over this forum.
 
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