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Tanto blades?

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 1:47 pm
by gull wing
Does anyone have a tanto? How do you use it?

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 3:17 pm
by jackknifeh
I don't have a tanto blade. If not mistaken they are supposed to be tougher when stabbing someone who is wearing armor. That's about all I've ever heard that they were better than a standard curved edge. As far as I know that is a knights of the roundtable myth. :) However, on many situations I have wanted to scrape something (old glue, paint, etc.) and a flat blade would be better than scraping skinny slivers of it off with my curved, belly edge knife. Every time I see a tanto blade I think of the times I could scrape glass or something like that with the front, flat edge of my EDC tanto blade knife (if I had had one). :) So, how I would use one is only speculation.

Jack

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 3:20 pm
by sharpguitarist
Hey gull wing,
I have a couple.
An Emerson CQC-7 mini in combo edge, chisel grind, and two CRKT Carson designs.
The Emerson is a heck of a cutter, and a real workhorse.
The CRKT's are traditional hollow grinds.
Tantos are a different animal, and I don't think I would purchase another just because I've cooled on the novelty of them.
But they are functional tools with a lot of tip strength.
These two designs had a more acute edge angle on the tip sections of the blade, supposedly to be more durable for penetration.
I rebeveled mine to around 20 per side so the tips were comparable to the main cutting edge.
This allows me to use the tip section for push cuts somewhat like a chisel.
Later,
Don

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 4:05 pm
by The Deacon
Have one, a titanium C46 Lum Tanto, but I've never used it. Also have a Katana, which I'd say has a tanto tip, and I've had a lot of fun practicing with it, but only thing I ever cut with it was the living room ceiling in my apartment back in Rensselaer. :o

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 4:38 pm
by Evil D
I believe my Vallotton is considered a modified tanto.

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 7:31 pm
by Oofa
I have a Vallotton but I don't consider that a tanto whatsoever. If I'm not mistaken, there are "American Tantos" and "Japanese Tantos". I think the Japanese has a softer, more rounded curve to it than the American version. I have a couple. A Kershaw Brawler with a soft line curve and a mini Grip with a distinct, hard line curve. I don't particularly like the way they look but they are very useful. That front flat part of the blade is something you don't really think you need until you start using it. Then you realize just how handy it is.

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 8:25 pm
by SpyderNut
Hi Gull Wing,

I have three or four Tantos (Emerson, SOG, Spyderco, etc.), but my favorite is still my original Ti Lum Tanto. :) (The Lum is more of a safe queen these days, however). As for EDC purposes, I really like the SOG Mini Micron Tanto. It is extremely small and light-weight and carries discreetly in my dress slacks. I didn't think I'd like the Tanto configuration at first, but it's certainly grown on me. I find the Tanto style blade to be very useful for utility purposes around home and at work.

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 8:36 pm
by chuck_roxas45
I had an S&W tanto(SWAT or something) and it was very useful for scraping things off other things. It worked, kinda.

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 8:44 pm
by Chipped Karambit
A tantos design is primarily piercing, It cuts as it goes in and goes in smoother and stronger. I have an old tanto with a combo edge that I use primarily as a can opener. Stab then saw then pour

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 10:13 pm
by Slash
American or Japanese?

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 3:51 am
by JD Spydo
The 2 Tanto blades I've owned and used a lot are first and foremost my Spyderco C-46 G-10 handled, black combo edged ATS-55 Lum Tanto folder. It's one of my grail "users" that I do indeed carry and use from time to time. Bob Lum's tanto design is about the only one I've ever used and enjoyed using. His tanto design is streamlined so you can use it efficiently IMO. I also had a tanto fixed blade that I enjoyed using but it either got lost or stolen I don't know which. It was a Cold Steel Kobun made with AUS-8 blade steel. I used it as my watermelon knife for the 2 years I grew a lot of watermelons. It was great for that job and it took a pretty wicked edge although looking back on it I wish I would have gotten the Carbon V version instead of the AUS-8 knowing what I know now.

But as far as being a useful tool I liked Bob Lum's design far and above much better than any other design. Conventional tantos to me are more for mall ninja types who are strictly there for "SHOW" ( show off that is). I also found the Bob Lum Tanto much easier to sharpen.

Having the Bob Lum fixed blade Tanto return as a Sprint run with VG-10 or better blade steel is on my top 5 most wanted Sprint run Spyders.

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 9:20 am
by gull wing
Thank you all.
There may be room in my knife area for a tanto. Thinking getting a 3" one as a beater from the company that is always beating their knives up on utube.

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 9:37 am
by Sithus1966
The Kershaw RJ1 and RJII have more rounded tanto points as well as opposed to the more straight angle chopped off point.

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 12:09 pm
by tautisg1
Well, since I dont plan on stabbing anyone in the near future, a tanto ain't for me ;) On a serious note, i don't see a use that a tanto could bring, over say, a leaf shaped blade, so I tend to stay away from them.

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 1:28 pm
by GCG199
I have a few Americanized tanto points from Cold Steel and one from Kershaw.

Like most other knife fans, I find them to be geared towards self-defense purposes than every day carry/utility designs.

Wharncliffes and drop points are much better for EDC.

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 1:28 pm
by Chipped Karambit
tautisg1 wrote:Well, since I dont plan on stabbing anyone in the near future, a tanto ain't for me ;) On a serious note, i don't see a use that a tanto could bring, over say, a leaf shaped blade, so I tend to stay away from them.
check out the angle of the bob lum design tanto, it gives cutting edge with point control and a good piercing capability. it may change your mind

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 9:55 pm
by bdblue
I have a few different ones. I see that there is a lot of difference from one tanto to another, just like there is a lot of difference in one curved blade to another.

I think a tanto makes it easier to make the point stronger because that part of the blade could easily be ground to a different angle than the rest of the blade, with a curved blade it is more common to have the same back bevel all the way down.

I tend to like tanto's that have a relatively long point, in fact by coincidence my favorite is this fixed blade Spyderco.

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Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 12:10 am
by defenestrate
I have a cheap, one-piece-cast black imported tanto which I have used occasionally - it probably has about a 4-5" blade. Also a Bear damascus bali-song which is a horrible flipper but the blade is actually kind of pretty. I considered putting the blade in a fixed handle of some kind but never got around to it.

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 4:33 am
by mkd
i have a benchmade emrson cqc7 plain edge that i got 5 yrs ago.it is a heavy strong no gimmick knife and has a plain edge blade that is honed to razor sharpness.a very good folding heavy duty utility knife!

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 5:39 pm
by Sht
It's nice to know you can stab stuff & not worry about breaking off your tip. Think of it as a mult grind you can have a super this hollow & a scraper/ pry bar all in one knife. I think my next life will either be a smf 3/4 tanto or a sebenza 21 tanto. I'm not going to sell all my drop points but it's nice to have different tools in the toolbox.

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