![]() ![]() They got the idea for this shape from the stellar Japanese cutlery craftsmanship. The shape was invented by the cutlery company Cold Steel. The tanto point blade shape was invented in the 1970’s and gained most of its popularity in the early 1980’s. Which one of these two shapes is going to work best for you? There are about eight popular and commonly used points, but today we are only going to go over the advantages and disadvantages of tanto and drop point tips. It has a strong, sharp tip, useful for stabbing, prying, delicate carving, notching, and many other tasks you'll face in a wilderness survival situation.Some knife blades are made to be able to perform almost any task well, some are for utilitarian purposes, and many are designed for specific purposes. A drop point blade has a straight back edge, which is perfect for batoning. Drop point blades (my favorite survival knife blade)Īll things considered, drop point blades are the most versatile and useful in a wilderness survival situation. Summary: A Bowie (clip point) blade is a good survival knife-just don't get a blade with an extremely curvy tip or it will be susceptible to breaking under impact. The curve of the blade can be useful for skinning game. The curvy tip is designed for stabbing, so keep that in mind. An especially curvy tip can break more easily when being used for batoning or other tasks that involve prying or chopping. If you do go with a Bowie survival knife, just make sure that the clip point is not too drastic (too much of a curvy tip, that is). The truth is that there are pros and cons, and that it's really up to you. There are mixed opinions on the subject of whether or not clip point knives (commonly referred to as Bowie knives) make good survival knives. What about Bowie (Clip Point) survival knives? Summary: A tanto blade is a good survival knife, depending on your preferences. In my opinion, tantos are a good option as survival knives, but it really comes down to what you like and what you find most useful. Tantos do not have a belly (curved edge), which makes them less useful for slicing and skinning game. The strong tip also makes them suitable for prying. Tantos are generally thick and strong to the tip, which makes them good for stabbing and piercing. Tantos are technically fighting knives, but they are much better suited to a survival situation than a double-edged spear point blade. However, a single-edged "spear point" blade is fine. Summary: A double-edged spear point blade is not a good choice for a survival knife. This is a handy way to cut wood that would otherwise require a hatchet or axe.įor another thing, you'll often hold your thumb against the back edge of your blade for leverage and control while using your knife in a survival situation (for things like delicate carving or dressing small game), and having a sharp edge on the top of your blade can make using your thumb in this way dangerous or impossible. It involves placing your knife against the wood, then striking the back of the knife with a baton (usually a wooden stick). Quick Tip: Batoning is a technique for cutting or splitting wood using a knife. For one thing, a sharpened top edge can make batoning next to impossible, which is often a vital use of a survival knife. Why should you avoid a double-edged spear point? Well, having a sharp edge on the top of your blade can be a disadvantage in a survival situation. These single-edged "spear point" blades are not what I'm talking about here.ĭouble-edged spear point blades are more suited for a combat situation than wilderness survival, in my opinion, since they are designed to be good for stabbing. However, some blades are called spear points that have a similar shape, while actually having only a single sharpened edge. Avoid Double-Edged Spear Point bladesĪ true spear-point blade has two sharpened edges-one on the top and one on the bottom. Our main purpose at Survival Knife Experts is to help you be prepared for wilderness survival situations, so I'll share my opinions with you about the best blade shape for that situation. Some blade shapes are more suited for combat, while others will be much more useful if you're stuck in the wilderness. When choosing a survival knife, it's important to understand the pros and cons of various blade shapes.
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