Tanto Vs Drop Point – Which Tactical Knife is Better

A knife that comes with a precious blade and efficient point cover almost all kinds of work in the kitchen. As it is pretty much known to many knife enthusiasts that the point of a blade determines the type of work it is capable of doing.

Therefore, choosing a blade observing its point is understandable and wise as well. Mostly we’ve come across with eight best types of points that come along with precious blades of knives.

But what interests people more is between tanto Vs drop point, which tactical knife is better. Well, both points have their conveniences and inconveniences. These points are popular because of their immense capability of cutting, chopping, slicing, dicing, and mincing.

Besides, these points are great in saving you from crucial situations. From prying to digging, these points work hilariously and devotedly as a survival weapon in your company.

Therefore, today we are excited to talk about the best and worst about the tanto point and drop point blade so you can get a crystal clear idea about them. And thus, can choose one of them as per your convenience.

The Depth of Tanto Point:

Blades with tanto point provide certain facilities that lack many other ordinary knives. The notion of creating tanto point for a blade is taken from the cutlery craftsmanship of Japan. Tanto point had less popularity until 1980. After that year, every knife enthusiast started to recognize the depth of the tanto point.

Besides, Cold Steel formed the right figure for tanto point to serve its purpose devotedly. But this tanto blade is not beyond any fault or defect. So, let’s check out the mesmerizing and at the same time defective characteristics of tanto point.

Advantages & Benefits:

Extremely Sturdy:

Even though the tanto point was first invented in 1970, it is first recognized for its sturdiness. The strength of the tanto point is really appreciable. It is made in a way that the blade will never break down no matter how much pressure the point is going through. It comes with a triangular shape which makes it stronger.

The grind of the blade is flat and embodies the triangular shape of the tanto blade. To examine the sturdiness of the tanto blade, you can conduct a heavy stroke on some hard material and watch it remain absolutely perfect after the dash.

Chisel Point:

This is the most intriguing part of tanto point. As it has a shape like a chisel point, the durability of the tanto point is as same as the chisel point. What makes the chisel point stronger is the thicker peak. The tanto point is made in the same way. The point of tanto carries a bigger amount of metal parts than the rest of the body part of the blade.

This point makes the blade durable and free of fragility. Besides, you can use the blade for survival advantages as well. Most of the defensive tools come with chisel-like tips for prying. And therefore, this tanto point is made to impress you in the defensive mechanism.

Easy Sharpening:

The greatest advantage that you can get from tanto point is you don’t need to get into trouble for sharpening the blade too often. Besides, an ordinary blade requires a hell of attention while sharpening the edge. But this tanto point is so resilient that it will not get you into any kind of odd situations while sharpening. Read Also: 10 Best Knife Grinder for Beginners 2021 Reviews

The fun fact is tanto point does not require any hassle. If you have a stone for sharpening, then you are surely good to go. No high-end sharpening material will be of any use.

Precise Design:

As Japanese are fond of making knives that are sturdy, sharp, and useful, you would love to know the fact that tanto blades are also polished and flourished by Japanese professional craftsmen. These blades have the shape of the popular Katana blade.

This shape ensures a nice construction of the spine. The alignment is also determined by the style of Japanese blades. This construction provides an aesthetic and vintage look to the tanto pointed blades as well.

Disadvantages:

Lack of a Belly:

As we already have talked about the fantastic characteristics of the tanto blade, you should also know what lacks in it. The first thing that you might dislike about the tanto blade is it carries no belly. A belly in a blade supports hugely in cutting, chopping, slicing, or dicing short vegetables.

For hard vegetables, the blade is more complicated to use. Therefore, most people stick to buy the blade in the fact of defense mechanism only.

Double-Bevel:

Tanto blade comes with two bevels which strengthen its feature for sure. But it carries some hassle as well. Though we’ve been told already that sharpening the edge of the tanto blade is not any troublesome work, it actually takes more time than any ordinary blade.

It’s because when you are sharpening the tanto blade, you need to sharpen two edges of the same blade. The double-beveled feature increases the hassle a little but we think it’s worth it.

Things We Liked about Tanto Blade (Pros):

• Extraordinarily sturdy, strong, and durable
• Comes with a precise tip like a chisel point
• Expert in stabbing harder materials
• Requires nothing but a stone while sharpening the edges

Things We Didn’t Like about Tanto Blade (Cons):

• Hard to chop vegetables with their flat structure
• You cannot expect the point to do everything
• This is only expert in piercing hard materials

The Depth of Drop Point:

Many people choose the drop point style blade because it appears with versatility. With its efficiency, it mesmerized many knife enthusiasts to a great extent. It is made differently than tanto point. Besides, it provides more flexibility than any other point.

Most people fall for the thoughtful construction of drop point blades and ignore other kinds of points relentlessly. Though we found drop point blades are sufficient in meeting our expectation level, it also has some disadvantages. Let’s talk about them.

Advantages & Benefits:

Convex Curve:

One of the special features of the drop point is that it has a straight edge. This straightness is constructed slowly from the beginning of the handle to the tip of the blade. This feature is vastly known as the convex curve. The spine of the drop point swells gradually to the end of the tip.

Not that, only drop point carries the precious feature. The clip point has also the same appearance. The benefit of the convex curve is it makes the path easier to slice and chop vegetables with a nicely constructed about-to-drop spine.

Precise Cutting Edge:

Many people choose drop point over other many points because it comes with a precise edge. The edge is long enough to cut any vegetables covering their full shape. However, this cutting edge also advances you in surviving any harsh and crucial moments.

As a tactical knife, drop point blades are appreciated globally. Their edges are also unsharpened. This allows the tip of the blade to be more perfect.

Controllable Tip:

If you are thinking that drop point is only capable of slicing vegetables smoothly, then you should know about its tip. The tip of a drop point is so flexible and resilient that you can use the blade for hunting purposes as well. Most of the hunting knives have the exact shape of the tip like a drop point.

This tip has a position downward. This position makes the whole process of hunting very easy and does not damage the meat of the prey. Besides, having an unsharpened tip, it skins the prey properly like buttery smooth and takes a little time to accomplish the job.

Huge Belly:

Apart from its “drop” spine, precise cutting edge, and super flexible tip, the drop point carries a huge belly as well. With all these advantages, the drop point also contributes to making batons as well. However, the significance of the large belly is known to those who want to cut vegetables with a drop-pointed blade.

The swelling of the curve makes provides extra support while you try to cut vegetables with it. Many points of blades cannot provide a large belly like a drop point.

Disadvantages:

Broad Tip:

As we’ve already said the conveniences of the controllable tip of a drop point, we should say the inconvenience of the tip as well. Because of the broad tip, it is a little difficult to stab materials with the drop point. Like clip point, the drop point is also not good in piercing or stabbing things.

Things We Liked about Drop Point (Pros):

• Comes with a straight back and large belly
• Provides multi-purpose versatility and precise work
• Cuts vegetables, skins the prey, and stabs any materials outstandingly
• Great as a tactical and survival weapon

Things We Didn’t Like about Drop Point (Cons):

• Cannot stab or pierce due to its unsharpened, lowered, and broad tip

Tanto Vs Drop Point: Which Tactical Knife is Better:

Tanto and drop point both have their own discreteness and therefore, people choose one of them by measuring their need, wish, and range of job. Though many people choose drop point over tanto, there are also reasons that you should try out tanto blade as well.

Both these points are popular and master in nailing their jobs. Like many ordinary knives, these knives are also made for different purposes that might not match with each other. But overall, they are chosen by their workability and versatility. Let’s compare their characteristics to get a conclusion.

Strength:

If we measure strength, then the tanto blade definitely wins the category. But that does not mean that the drop blade is fragile and vulnerable. Rather this blade is also strong and pretty much capable of covering everything. As tanto blades are made following the Japanese Katana tradition, it is stronger than drop blades.

Defense Mechanism:

Both tanto and drop blades are capable of supporting in defensive jobs equally, hands down. The uses of the blades in self-defense are immense. As tactical knives, both the points serve the right purpose and benefits for sure.

Sharpness:

In the measurement of sharpness, both tanto and drop blades have their own styles. Where the tanto blade has a sharp and pointy tip to stab or pierce any hard material with professionalism, the drop blade has perfect sharpness in its belly to cut edibles like a breeze. Besides, tanto blades can stab better than drop blades. On the other hand, a drop blade cuts vegetables better than a tanto blade.

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Versatility:

In this category, we have to admit that a drop-pointed knife is more versatile rather than a tanto-pointed knife. Besides, you can do all kinds of jobs including slicing vegetables to batoning by using a drop blade. But a tanto blade is only good at stabbing, piercing, and fighting.

So, you can get a clear idea from the whole segment that, if you want your blade to perform well in your kitchen, hunting purpose, and EDC then you can go for the multi-purpose drop point. But if you want a blade solely for self-defense and survival act, then tanto point is your good choice.

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FAQs:

Question: Are tanto blades legal?

Answer: As tanto blades are very strong and sturdy they are not legal in every country. Because they are found as deadly weapons, many counties prohibit the blades to use. But California makes it legal to have this tanto blade.

The country not only can brandish this knife, but it can also flourish any dreadful weapon. Because tanto has a very sharp and strong point, it is deadly and contributes to violent acts easily in any country. Therefore, tanto blades are not legal largely.

Question: Tanto Vs Drop Point: Which knife is the best for self-defense?

Answer: For self-defense, both tanto and drop points are convincing enough. Yet, there is a rational chance that tanto blades are more capable in this sector, though you can keep your full faith in drop blades as well. As tanto points are sharp and deadly, they are more offensive in a case like self-defense.

But if you don’t want to kill anybody then drop blades will give less offensive results in it. Though it’s a very diplomatic answer, you should choose your defense mechanism measuring the danger you are going to deal with.

Last Updated on November 14, 2021 by Rogers Weber

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