Do you like the Tanto style knife blade? If not what is your favorite/recommended style blade?

Written by: Reese

Published on: September 25, 2022

Question

Do you like the Tanto style knife blade? If not what is your favorite/recommended style blade?

Ayla97 · Answer

I dislike tanto tip knives, though the Japanese style isn’t quite as bad as the American version. I simply don’t find that extra point to be at all useful, and in fact it often interferes with tasks I may want to perform with a knife. I find it more difficult to make clean slices with a tanto knife.
My favorite style of blade for a working knife is a drop-point.

It gives me a strong point and a good cutting edge, with a strong spine that I can thumb if needed. Failing that, I want a clip point with a shallow clip.

This is pretty good. It’s got most of the strength of a drop point, and you can sharpen the short edge for certain tasks. But the one labeled “Turkish” is too much, resulting in a weaker tip than I want.
Finally, I’m okay with straight tips.

They’re not quite as good at piercing, but they’re a fine tool blade.
For a fighting knife, I prefer a spear tip/dagger.

That is, a symmetric, double-edged blade. I don’t know why the artist felt the need to distinguish between the two above, but either fits my need here.
From there, we’re back to the same order as tool blades.
In fact, I describe what I consider the best knife here .
The short version is, my favorite general use knife is the MkII Kabar .

It’s technically a clip-point rather than a drop point, but it’s very shallow, and I don’t see much practical difference at that point.

Original question- Do you like the Tanto style knife blade? If not what is your favorite/recommended style blade?

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Claire · Answer

Knives, to me, are useful little tools - if I’m wearing pants, I probably have three or four on me.  Tantos? Sure - but I’m picky. My favourite execution of tht tanto blade is done by Ernest Emerson in his CQC-7 - Fixed Blade:        Folding:        My very favouritest fixed blade? The Applegate-Fairbairn, I find it useful for just about everything! Fixed:        And folding:        (I have this one in all three sizes.)  Here’s one that would get me in all sorts of trouble around here, should I choose to carry it - the Fairbairn/Sykes Commando Dagger (but I do like the thing…)        I also have some assorted bayonets as fixed-blades, like the M7:        and the M9:        I have a small carbon-fibre and titanium Wharncliffe I keep in my left front pocket as a “holdout”, it’s only a 2″ blade, but I can shave with it, so I keep it around for “special occasions.” I don’t have a picture of it handy, but I got it from Massdrop, so one could look there, were one to be interested.  I do also have a couple of  katana  swords that I really wish I  could  carry every now and again as much for novelty value as anything else (I have a practice sword, weighted to feel like the real thing, but with far less chance of doing myself a serious injury - and I practice with it regularly.) I don’t have pictures of these handy.  This isn’t all I’ve got, but I’m not where I can “check inventory,” so to speak. But no, I haven’t a fondness for edged tools, what makes you think that? :)b

Valentina · Answer

I do, but I've always preferred the drop point over tanto.        This is one is nice but today I'd rather have the original Kabar instead, which is on my wish list.  I did have a SOG TRIDENT ELITE Tanto folder that I used a lot for work as ski patrol but the spring broke so I got it replaced with a SOG Trident tigershark, clip point.        But the drop point just works better for me. Especially when I need to do the more delicate carvings.  And to be fair, I might not do it right with the tanto. There's probably a trick to it.        The Sog Trident Elite Tanto, it was a decent knife. I do miss it, since the replacement has a partially serrated blade.        It does well, and the clip point is decent. But the serrations makes rougher cuts which I don't want.

Piper · Answer

Hate them.          We are talking about this style, right? The angled bevelled blades.  Still  ,  hate them.   The lack of a tip to hilt draw cut drives me nuts on doing any task requiring that work.  I prefer a drop point, hawkbill or small dagger knife.        With the drop point, you have versatility and function. Using the belly to do long draw cuts and smoothly shear off shavings or scrape sensitive things. While capable of doing deep smooth transition plunge cuts without an and thrust to start the second edge. Clip points are nice but not entirely necessary.  Hawkbill knives these are just cutters they'll go through thick cordage or heavy flesh easily, they're more than capable of delimbing a carcass or taking chunks off a woof carving. But it can still do tracery cuts with a deft hand on the blade. Choking up on it is safe to do because the tip is almost recurved towards the handle. So using it as a scrapper is also feasible.  Dagger knives hold very usefully double duty. One edge set for fine the other edge for coarse allowing you to do a myriad of tasks without multiple knives or rehoning the blade after trying the wrong blade on the material. It also routinely has a guard which is just gravy for the problem of slick hands or doing some really heavy wrist work on the blade. By entrapping the guard with a finger or 3 and doing things that way it saves stopping and start constantly.

Ava138 · Answer

There are many good answers here already and reasons why certain blade types are better than others under certain circumstances. I’ll just offer my opinion on what I carry and why.
My EDC is:

It was this, then a police officer in Sterling Heights Michigan stole it from me while he was on duty and I was also OTJ, but unable to identify, a uniformed police officer in Sterling Heights Michigan stole my property using his badge and his authority illegitimately, this is what he stole.

My Emerson Commander has accompanied me around the world, but a police office stole that away from me because he is a selfish dick and a thief. Sterling Heights Michigan Police officers are blatant thief’s and bullies. I love this drop point knife, it was a great slasher, but it’s geometry made it a good stabbing instrument too. This is one of the best designed folding pocket knives for self-defense, that is probably why the Sterling heights police officer stole it from me.
When I was serving in Afghanistan I carried this:

It met all my needs, it protected me one occasion where nothing else would do and since has held a point of eternal admiration.
As far as tanto’s style point goes, I don’t dislike them, but I’m not a fan either. The only aspect I seriously consider in a blade is if it is a double edged instrument or not. Double edged weapons provide a significant advantage in a knife fight, I’m not aware of a tanto blade that offers a similar advantage. If I deployed again in a capacity where weapons were necessary my choices would remain the same old school ones. Although I might be carrying this, cuz I just bought another one which means I have a back-up, so I might deploy with this;

I would carry this because it is double edged and I can inflict twice as many slashes with fewer movements inflicting more hydraulic damage on the attacking human.

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Reese · Answer

Like Murphy Barrett, I dislike the American (excessively angular) tanto more than the Japanese “tanto point”. I am okay with a kissaki on Japanese swords, because the belong there. On tantos, katana, wakizashi, it all makes sense. If it doesn’t have a ray skin and ribbon wrapped handle and a tsuba, it doesn’t need a tanto point. . . . In my oppinion.
I like warncliffe blades for a general purpose utility knife. I am also fond of the folding utility knife with replaceable blades “box cutter”. Knives aren’t a primary weapon for me, utility is paramount, so I prefer blades that can take a good consistent edge or are replaceable. Oh, I should add, I also like the traditional Exacto. I keep a retractable Exacto on my keyring for cutting out splinters and other light/percise cutting. Use the utility for heavy cutting where blade damage is probable, and the warncliffe for the in between and more often clean tasks.

Charlotte · Answer

I don’t like them… Difficult to sharpen properly.
If you look up historical Japanese tanto daggers, they do not have such a point. They have a pretty ordinary point:

What we are calling a “tanto” point is actually a modification of the kind of points used on the katana swords. To my knowledge, this was pushed by the Cold Steel company some years back, which got a lot of press out of their display at one of the big industry knife shows. The owner, Lynn Thompson, was demonstrating how easily these knives penetrated then-standard “soft” body armor… And all of a sudden everybody wanted one.

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Maya · Answer

I don't care too much for tanto point knives, American or Japanese style. For me, they are just harder to sharpen, and I prefer a good drop point. I run my knives on a ceramic rod frequently to hone the edge, and its just easier to make a long straight pass than deal with the angle change. I've never really had a situation where I needed a tanto point. I did carry a Benchmade 722 tanto for years, because it was a gift from my dad. It was a good knife, but also not easy to sharpen. When I changed over to carrying a drop point after it had too much sentimental value to carry anymore, I never looked back.

Gianna · Answer

I’m more of a fan of spear point knives myself. The tanto can be a useful blade, but I find that there a very few circumstances when I say to my self “boy I wish I had a tanto”. Other knives, like a wharncliffe or sheepsfoot, I pine for more regularly. More importantly, they’re a pain in the ass to sharpen. I think you’ll find that if you have an American style tanto with sharp angles on it, and use it often for more than a couple of years, it will increasingly look like the Japanese style tanto. Overall, I don’t think it’s worth it. Not because of any inherent weakness of the design, but my experience has been that due to the “tactical-cool” nature of tanto blades, there are quite a few crappy blades produced to be sold to the mall-ninja crowd. Separating the wheat from the chaff is a lot harder with tantos than it would be with a comparable straight back or drop point blade. Both, as noted elsewhere, have near equal functionality to a similarly constructed tanto blade. All else being equal; they’re not my cup of tea.

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Bella · Answer

I have realized that if you look up tanto the first image is not what I imagine. From forging when you say tanto style I kinda imagine a straigh blade, with a basic handle possibly a small guard
It is nice, basic and not to hard to make but if I had to chose a blade I would have to go with the Clip Point Bowie knife
I will admit I am biased since it was my first knife, a beautiful well made blade that I carry nearly everywhere.
My reasoning for it is the point drops and comes back up, leading a very narrow tip that is also back by more thickness later on. It can do just about anything you need it to do, you can gut an animal, chop wood (though I advise you use a hatchet or axe this knife is a lot better than the tanto for chopping),sharpen a stick, stab and slash
I much prefer this blade to a good old Bowie, it’s not as thick and much easier to wield, has better stabbing ability and all in all if you pull this out it just looks scary.
Hope this answered your question

Elliana · Answer

Benchmade Osborne reverse tanto

Yes I do like tanto blades. I prefer a reverse tanto blade like the one I have on my Benchmade Osborne 940 if I am going with any sort of tanto blade. But my profile of choice will always be a Wharncliffe style. I love the overall looks and it’s a great utility profile that is capable of just about any task at hand. It’s great for daily Carry and serves well if ever needed in self defense if need be. I like the Spyderco Delica VG-10 Blade Wharncliffe for a great all around daily Carry knife. You can’t go wrong with a tanto blade I just prefer a Wharncliffe.

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Eloise · Answer

I like the look of tanto blades, but they’re arguably less functional than a classic drop point or clip point. The tip is great for poking and puncturing, so if that’s something you do a lot then a tanto may be a good blade choice for you. However, the flat cutting edge is less effective at slicing than a blade with more curvature.
If you’re going for style, get whatever blade you like the most. If you want functionality, a tanto often isn’t the best choice.
Personally, I don’t have a single favorite blade style. If the blade complements the rest of the knife (and vice-versa) and cuts things well, you shouldn’t have any problems – especially if you have multiple knives and can switch between them for various tasks. If you only have one knife though, you’ll probably want a drop point or clip point that’s both pointy and nicely curved so you get the best of both worlds.

Mia · Answer

I’ve done some Tanto blades. I like the look, but is it my favorite? No.

I mostly make drop point hunters. It’s a very versatile blade and holds up well to abuse in the field.

Other styles like this upswept hunter/skinner:

Image Source: broken-arrow-knives | eBay

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Ariana · Answer

I consider a knife as a basic tool, I don’t have the time or the interest to study various designs or types, I just consider its ability to perform its primary function in harsh environments. We were issued with bladed weapons – Bayonets and fighting knives which had been thoroughly tried and tested which performed all the other basic functions from chopping and slicing to skinning and butchery and so did not carry any other knives save a small pocket lock knife for sharpening pencils and peeling fruit.
My prime concern was my rifle – a real weapon.

Elliana · Answer

AS a field utility knife the Tanto style blades come in handy .. ( not hunting utility knife ) while they my fail at being a useful game knife in skinning etc , They are far more useful for tasks that require prying and gouging to puncturing tin cans …So yes I like them as they serve a purpose . The secret to using the Tanto is to sweep your wrist with the arc of your arm , ..as the blade is straight instead of keeping your wrist fix and sweeping only your arm . If used like this Tanto blades are very effective .

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Alice · Answer

Yes, I like the looks of the tanto, and a well made tanto is a very tough knife. Would I use a tanto as an everyday, utility type knife? Absolutely not. It’s usefulness is limited by its design.

Daisy · Answer

I will not go out to look for one, but if it is given to me as a gift, I will not look the gift knife in the point.
I use whatever i get as well as possible, that includes knives that have Tanto-styled points.

Katherine97 · Answer

I carried one for years I just got tired of how hard they are to sharpen.

Savannah · Answer

Definetly like western tanto knives, but I'm not too picky on blade style. I just don't like,convex or,serrated,blades for everyday use.

Ariana · Answer

I am not a big fan of the “Tanto” style knives. I prefer a knife with a nice smooth radius for most of the things I use a knife for.

Liliana · Answer

Thx4A2A-
I don’t like the Tanto for everyday use.
1- I do use it on a couple “kiridashi” type marking knives I made from old files and pieces of bandsaw blades. But I don’t do a lot of woodwork anymore.
2- I have a couple CRKT K.I.S.S. Knives and carry one when I’m in a tuxedo maybe once every couple of years. These are elegant little units.
But for the most part I like a drop point knife with the double bevel, it’s what I grew up with and what I’m kinesthetically familiar with. I’ve sharpened plenty of plane and chisel blades but find the single bevel of the tanto knives to be too much trouble. At one time I was a bit of a Japanophile studying Aikido and using Japanese woodworking tools so I gave the Tanto knives a try. I still have the saws, planes and chisels- but ditched the knives.

sheca · Answer

Not a fan of tanto blades. I prefer drop point or straight back knives for hard use, clip points for fine work.

Ella · Answer

I definitely like the tanto style blade, and own several fixed blade and folding knives of this style. While I also own other types of blade styles, this is one of my favourites.

Melody · Answer

No I don't. I carried an Emerson CQC7 for quite a while and I loved everything but that tanto point. It would be ok for stabbing but terrible for general use. My brother gave me a CRKT Carlson M16 for Christmas and I immediately adopted it. It has a spear point like a Boy Scout knife that is useful for all around use. I like the spear like that or the classic clip like the Buck 110 and copies.

Katherine · Answer

My favourite is a drop point profile like the Grohmann / D.H.Russell Canadian belt knife. The smoothly curved cutting edge slices evenly while a tanto style edge does not slice evenly and the dropped point is more than strong enough.

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Margaret · Answer

I like them well enough, but don’t yet own any myself.
I mostly use a classic spearpoint Swiss Army knife, of which I have two. I do occasionally make use of others, depending on what’s closest to hand, mainly clip, drop point and such. I also have some larger fixed-bladed sheath knives and bayonets, but they’re not really intended for use in most situations.

Ximena · Answer

for what? I have some but my favorite blade style is a spear point for most things but I have specific uses for my knives.

Myna · Answer

Depends on what I am doing with that blade. Cleaning fish, dressing game, general bushcraft, cleaning my nails, cutting rope, intimidating an opponent?
I like my old Gerber Mark II for a lot of things.

Raelynn · Answer

I love the looks of the Tanto, it’s my favorite blade but not necessarily better than others.

Ivy · Answer

tanto is good for scraping wood and chiseling but that’s it. I like the shapes only for the looks

Eliza · Answer

the tanto style blade is the most versatile of all blades its perfect because it has 2 points and 2 edges as well as the tanto blade is least likely to break if used for light prying (drop point is 2nd least likely to break with prying although that’s not what knives are meant for). so yes tanto is probably the single most versatile blade style on a knife and is my favorite along side the clip point blade.

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Mia · Answer

I think they are fine, but I have never owned one. I mostly have clip point knives and a few drop point hunters. Favorite all around knife is a traditional buck knife

Josie97 · Answer

I like tantos. These are some of mine. My favorite blade style is like this Buck “Nighthawk'.

Quinn · Answer

I like both American and Japanese tantos.
I disagree with a common belief that the less angular tantos are still American if the blades are knife blades rather than sword blades. Having a non-sword grind will kane it a knife and not a Japanese tanto.
I actually prefer American tantos as tools rather than weapons, though they could also be used for defense. I like the utility of the secondary point and edge.
The knife design matters more than the point type, and some variations of the American tanto could be very acute and not have the strength advantage commonly attributed to the tanto point, and some are flat enough to be almost chisels.
I’ve used a Carbon V Recon Tanto from Cold Steel as an outdoor knife, kitchen knife, and a general use knife since 1997.
Generally for weapons I prefer a dagger for knives boot knife size (especially the A-F Boot Knife) to maybe 7″ and then I prefer Bowies.

Do you like the Tanto style knife blade? If not what is your favorite/recommended style blade?

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