#3 Tanto

[mtns2hunt]

Knife looks good. I have heard of a Tanto. Can someone explain the benefit of that type of blade over a regular drop point? Wondering if it is functional or just a preference.

Well since no one could answer my question I preformed a little research on the Tanto and came across the following article. http://www.thetruthaboutknives.com/2013/03/ask-a-knifemaker-the-truth-about-tantos/

The above link provides some information about Tanto's. While the knife looks great and I would love to have one it would probably not work for me. Still I can only take my hat off to someone skilled enough to make something so beautiful.

[pappy]

In a sense i can see where you are coming from, these were made for stabbing, A tanto "short blade is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords that were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. Over time, they evolved, going to the sleek thick design you see today sought after in America, going from thin to thick obviously allowed for armor piercing capabilities. But the original users "the samurai" preferred the thin style for speed ... making knives today is no where near the art as it was back when your life depended on what you forged out. Today we make great knives, and combine them with eye candy, that is just what we do, with this particular knife, I bought the steel in billet form, designed and cut out the shape, ground it down to near finished form, heat treated it to maintain its ability to perform, then finished it on the sanding wheels to the final finish you see in the pics. The I cut and designed the handles out of laminate, to fit the hand and to accent the shape of the knife, then went through the final sharpening process, so there is hours of time spent on the knife, I am proud to be able to create and display what the Good Lord has given me. the talent to express myself through His earthly materials, so I also learn to appreciate the praises all the more as well as any constructive criticisms that will be offered, believe me when i say this. I hope this helps in your question and I figure noone answered because they did not want to offer an opinion without knowing fully what to say? 

[mtns2hunt]

In a sense i can see where you are coming from, these were made for stabbing, A tanto "short blade is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords that were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. Over time, they evolved, going to the sleek thick design you see today sought after in America, going from thin to thick obviously allowed for armor piercing capabilities. But the original users "the samurai" preferred the thin style for speed ... making knives today is no where near the art as it was back when your life depended on what you forged out. Today we make great knives, and combine them with eye candy, that is just what we do, with this particular knife, I bought the steel in billet form, designed and cut out the shape, ground it down to near finished form, heat treated it to maintain its ability to perform, then finished it on the sanding wheels to the final finish you see in the pics. The I cut and designed the handles out of laminate, to fit the hand and to accent the shape of the knife, then went through the final sharpening process, so there is hours of time spent on the knife, I am proud to be able to create and display what the Good Lord has given me. the talent to express myself through His earthly materials, so I also learn to appreciate the praises all the more as well as any constructive criticisms that will be offered, believe me when i say this. I hope this helps in your question and I figure noone answered because they did not want to offer an opinion without knowing fully what to say?

Yes, you have answered my question! Thank you. Your description of knife making and the history of the Tanto is extremely informative and easy to understand. I own over thirty knives from belt knives to sykes fairbairn and use them for hunting and self defense. While aware of the Japanese knives/short swords and some of their history I have no experience with them and was primarily interested in when and how they are used by today's sportsman. While beautiful I have concluded they would probably not be of much practical use in most of my applications even through I do own several stabbing blades.. This in noway is intended to reflect badly on the knife or its maker. I am, in fact, quite impressed by the workmanship.  Again, thank you for taking the time to respond to my questions.