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Posted: 8/5/2002 4:27:49 PM EDT
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I am buying my first and probably only knife for self defense. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a tanto style point compared to your more traditional styles. Forgive me for being a knife rookie. |
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Very, very few of the knives being sold as Tanto Style really are. In the traditional Tanto edge, the curve is continuous and smooth. The sharp break you see on most of these commercial knives is a gimick more than anything else. The advantage to the original Tanto was that it was optimized for penetrating layers of heavy quilted armour, and the disadvantage of the commercial Tanto is that it can be more difficult to sharpen. If you like the look, go ahead and get on. It's not a bad design but it also doesn't add anything. If you look at the designs from the better knifemakers, most of their defensive knives use either a drop point or spear point blade. |
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Just to add my $0.02 worth, tanto blades are very strong because the spine is thick almost all the way to the tip of the blade. They're well suited for stabbing and slicing, which is what you want a defense knife to do, but less suited for general utility purposes. I have several tanto blades and I like them just fine, but if I had a choice of blade styles from the same knifemaker, I would opt for a spearpoint or a droppoint blade, simply because they will handle a wide range of cutting tasks. |
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Mod said: The sharp break you see on most of these commercial knives is a gimick more than anything else. The advantage to the original Tanto was that it was optimized for penetrating layers of heavy quilted armour, and the disadvantage of the commercial Tanto is that it can be more difficult to sharpen. One viewing of Cold Steels' video of the guy stabbing a car hood with one the knives below and you wouldn't consider it a gimmick. And sharpening is no more difficult than sharpening a regular blade. I own several and the pocket version makes a very good knife for working on cars or opening doors as Big Bear pointed out the point on these knives are really tough.  Mike |
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I've seen all the Cold Steel videos, and they are great marketing. But I stick to what I said. The bit about the Tanto being strong because they maintain thickness closer to the point is also just a myth. If you examine the old Cattaragus 225Q you'll find that it too carries the thick part of the blade right down to the tip. And in reality, it's far closer to a Tanto blade than anything being sold by Cold Steel. BTW, I have several of the Cold Steel Tantos and they are fine production knives. But they I also have quite a few non Tanto knives that are also PDG.  If I had to choose a defensive or general purpose knife, I'd pick the Cattaragus 225Q, the Kabar 1207 or even the little Kabar 1203. These are all real defensive knives and have stood the test of time. When you factor in being able to find one of those for about $25.00 today, they are really a great buy.  |
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Are you looking for a pocket knife or a fixed blade? What price range? I am a fan of the Emerson CQC-7B which is a tanto. the CQC-7A is a spear point. I also like the Comanders. Price is a major issue in this area. Benchmade, CRKT, there are many budget knives that will serve well. A defensive knife is a tool that you will have with you much more than an AR, I have spent more on tactical knives than many spend on there handguns and dont feel bad. You also should check your states laws. |
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