An overview of the best blade shape ever made

1. Sometimes you don't want an all-purpose knife. You want a knife that does one thing and does that one
thing really well. If you're looking for a knife that excels at piercing tough materials, then the tanto
blade is what you're looking for.
Originally designed for armor piercing, the tanto blade was popularized by Cold Steel and is similar in
style to Japanese long and short swords.
The tanto knife has a high point with a flat grind, leading to an extremely strong point that is perfect
for stabbing into hard materials. The thick point of the tanto blade contains a lot of metal near the tip,
so it is able to absorb the impact from repeated piercing that would cause most other knives to break.
The front edge of the tanto knife meets the back (unsharpened) edge at an angle, rather than a curve. As
a result, the tanto blade does not have a belly, which is sacrificed in exchange for a stronger tip.
Because it lacks a belly for slicing, it is not useful as a general utility knife. However, it's extremely
strong point allows it to be used in tough situations where piercing hard materials is required.
By choosing a tanto point, you will be among the few knife lovers who own a blade that is specifically
tailored to piercing tough materials. If the situation arises, expected or unexpected, you'll be ready.
Good question! First let’s talk about what a Tanto blade is. A Tantō (短刀) is a traditional Japanese
short sword with a blade length less than 1 shaku (11.93 inches) Below is a 436 year old Hira Zukuri
Tantō from the Koto period. As you can see the spine has a soft upwards sweep and the belly matches
that sweep. At the tip the edge rises upward dramatically creating a strong tip with powerful slashing
capabilities. Supposedly this was intentional for use on armored opponents.
Now that we have the origins of the Tanto covered let’s talk about the American (or Westernized)
Tanto. Back in the 80’s Cold Steel popularized the new American Tanto blade shape. Ever since then
there has been hot debate about the advantages and disadvantages to the double primary grind
American Tanto blade. Lynn Thompson himself will talk about the combative advantages to tip
strength and the secondary point’s (yokote) use in snap cutting but honestly these benefits are relegated
to offensive knife duties.

2. Your question asked specifically if there was an advantage to a Tanto pocket knife. Well yes and no.
Yes the Tanto blade shape has the potential for leaving more steel at the tip and making it stronger BUT
every maker/manufacturer grinds their Tantos differently. Honestly, unless your job involves
perforating car hoods regularly, I doubt you will miss the tip strength on a more traditional spear / drop
/ bowie pointed blade. If you’re looking for a reliable EDC blade that will fill a variety of roles I would
recommend sticking with a more versatile blade shape like the drop point.
There are a few disadvantages to the Tanto design. Firstly, sharpening is more difficult. You have two
primary bevels to deal with and keeping the first and secondary points razor sharp will take some time
and practice. Secondly, Tantos have two flat edges and zero “belly” to the blade. Slicing tasks can be
more difficult depending on the medium.
Bottom line. If you love the look of the Tanto blade go for it! But be aware that there are no practical
advantages to the Tanto design in a folding EDC knife.