Cold Steel G.I. Tanto 7" Durable 1055 Carbon Steel Fixed Blade Tactical Outdoor Throwing Knife, 5" Handle w/ Polypropylene Scales, Integral Quillon Guard, Resistant Secure-Ex Sheath

I'm a field biologist and I needed a knife that could handle light to moderate bushwacking and provide a bit of peace of mind when working in the bush alone in places where the predators are large and bitey. My normal habit is to do a bunch of research and then spend a bunch of money on a knife I can show off to my friends and feel cool about, but for work like this, I wanted something that was cheap enough for me not to cry about if it got destroyed or lost. The important thing was functionality, and a knife that's too pretty to be carried isn't very functional. I've been pleased with the quality of Cold Steel blades in the past, so when I saw this for $30, I didn't hesitate to buy it. It comes with a decent edge, which proved durable enough to chop through some 2" green branches. More importantly, the edge was easy to restore with light honing on ceramic. Stropping with a bit of compound brought it back to shaving sharpness. The ground edge does rust fairly quickly, but the black coating prevents corrosion on the majority of the blade. The weight is good for heavier tasks like chopping, but I barely noticed it on my hip after carrying it around for some long days. The plastic sheath is adequate, but the weakest part of the system. I wish the retention was a bit stronger, and that it had straps for attaching to MOLLE/PALS webbing. If a thigh strap isn't securing the bottom of the sheath, drawing the knife can lift the sheath a couple inches before the knife will begin to dislodge. Not really a big deal in practice, just a little annoying. If this had been a really expensive knife, I might have cared, but at this price point, I'm just happy it wasn't a fabric sheath.

...so I believe I can speak with a bit of authority on knives, and you can be sure this review is an in-depth review of my informed take on this knife. This review is admittedly verbose, but accurate. I don't really know where to start, so I'm just going to jump right in with this. This knife is 100% worth buying, that's the gist of what you need to know, however... If you don't like reading and you don't mind missing a few pointers, go ahead and skip to the end for the "TL;DR" version. As I stated, I'm an avid knife collector with an extensive collection of various brands, types, shapes, sizes, and qualities of knives. I've done extensive research over the past five or so years into what makes a knife a high-quality knife in an empirical sense, with all opinions aside. I'm extremely picky about what knives I'll buy or keep, and I would say that this knife is most definitely a high-quality knife, according to facts and not just my opinion. It isn't the highest quality you'll ever find, that's gonna run you hundreds of dollars, but it's probably one of the greatest, highest quality knives you'll ever find for this price, that's for damn sure, and not only that, but this price is honestly almost too low for the quality here. After holding, inspecting, testing, and getting to know this knife personally, I've decided I'd gladly pay in the $50-$60 range for this knife. Some proverbial "bells and whistles" are sometimes nice to have on a knife, at least for a "tacti-cool" kind of knife, but in my opinion, the utter minimalist simplicity of this knife is a big part of what makes it so great, and it's a strikingly good looking knife as well. The GI Tanto is most definitely a no-nonsense tool/weapon that isn't here to impress or play games, it's here to serve a few purposes, and it serves them 'very' well. The knife came razor sharp out of the box (literally- I was able to shave a patch of my arm smooth with around five swipes, and slice through a sheet of 8.5" x 11" sized, 24-pound paper with one.) This knife's one-piece construction, full-length tang, and 1055 carbon steel mean I wouldn't be afraid to use this knife to chop, dig, pry, et cetera. The polypropylene hand scales are pretty smooth, that might be one "downfall," depending on who you are and how picky you are...if you can even call it a downfall... I suppose if the handle got "wet" then your hand may slip, but I have two responses to that issuance of complaint which I have seen a few times in these reviews... The first is that the notch you see between the blade and the integral quillon guard is useful for removal of a blade with a "wet" handle... Just wrap your hand around the handle as usual, only just a bit higher, enabling you to place your index finger in that notch, and you'll have no problem with slippage. Second, if you want a more textured, "grippy" handle, you can go pick up 100' of nylon 550-lb test paracord (the real stuff, no Chinese knockoff stuff, folks..it's out there...) and spend a few minutes wrapping the handle with that if you don't like the way it feels. Alternatives include removing the hand scales, placing them flat-side down on newspaper, plugging the holes for the screws with wads of newspaper, and coating the surfaces of the scales that your hand touches with something like the spray-on Rhino truck bed liner or something textured of that nature that can take a beating, although I personally WOULD NOT suggest that route, but it's up to you. Paracord is not only a reversible fix, but you can remove it in a survival situation and use it for myriad other emergency applications. The knife is 'perfectly' balanced as well, which means it could function great as a thrower if that's what you'd like to do with it. I tested the balance using the sheath; I set the knife on the thin edge (spine) of the sheath, with the the quillon guard lined up exactly with the "spine" edge of the sheath, and the knife balanced there as perfectly as it possibly could have. The sheath has the same personality as the knife; simple, good looking, functional, and not at all convoluted. I would recommend using paracord to tie the "tip" or bottom portion of the sheath around your thigh for faster, easier removal, and to keep the blade/sheath from bouncing around when you run. Also, as with any solid sheath, try your best to keep the spine of the knife pressed against the inside of the sheath as you insert of remove the knife, so as to reduce the blade contact with the sheath upon insertion or removal. This knife will retain an edge for a VERY long time, even through rigorous use, but any blade rubbed repeatedly against the inside of its solid sheath (plastics, etc.) will begin to dull slightly with time, however, I imagine it would take a very long time for that to really be much of an issue with this knife. This method of removing the knife from the sheath is more of a formality with a knife of this quality. The $19.19 price it was going for when I bought it was an absolute STEAL!!! The bottom line for all of you "too long; didn't read" folks out there: if you're looking for a survival knife, or just a heavy-duty knife that looks good, functions well, and lives for a long time, but you don't want to spend around $200 on a "tool-steel extreme" knife that you could "kill a bear" with, (catch my drift?) this is one of the few knives I'd be fully confident in staking my pride as a collector on by telling you to go ahead and buy without worrying about any of that "latent buyer's remorse" I think we've all probably experienced at one time or another... If you know knives the way I do, you won't regret buying this guy. The knife is strong, heavy, durable, razor-sharp, perfectly balanced (worthy of throwing,) intimidating, simple, functional, and it looks awesome to boot. Don't let the minimalist simplicity and low price of this knife and sheath fool you into thinking it's a "cheap" knife. The GI Tanto is by no means "cheap," unless, of course, you're speaking strictly of price. I definitely consider this knife one of the best knives I own, and I myself own some of those $200 "tool-steel extreme" kill-a-bear knives.

Let's get the most obvious point out of the way... this knife ROCKS!!! For $25 what more could you want? I just got back from a week long camping trip and I took this knife with me. I used it for splitting logs, chopping cut down trees into smaller units, and I even cut down a dead tree approx. 6" in diameter with this knife. I can't speak highly enough about it. The blade is awesome, it's so easy to sharpen and stays sharp for long periods of time. (In my experience). Of course I did sharpen this knife, but only because I'm anal about it. I would not of needed to. I put this knife through the gauntlet and it has passed my standards with flying colors. The ONLY bad thing that happened with this knife is that that very poor custom paracord wrapped handle that I did (first time ever) came loose and I had to duct tape it. Although this is my fault for doing such a poor job wrapping it of course. People say the choil on this knife blows, but let me tell you, it doesn't. I always wear leather gloves when working with wood and it was comfortable for me when I used it. No problems. It was awesome when I needed to make kindling for a fire, when I needed to precisely chop or slice something as well. The blade is long and sturdy, along with the steel. It has scratches and wear on it.. but what good is a knife if you aren't going to use it? All in all this knife is awesome. I trust it in the wilderness, and I definitely trust it with my life. I would easily be comfortable and confident enough with it to cut down a tree and then immediately after have no problem using it as a defensive tool (if necessary) without any sharpening. This knife deserves a 1,000,000/5 stars. Very awesome, high value. Buy 2, or 3, or even 10. You won't be sorry you did.

Knife shipped quickly, packaged in an Amazon box then wrapped in bubble wrap in its own OEM Cold Steel box with a tip guard on it too! I know that sounds like a little thing but having a tip guard and cardboard sheath over the knife blade when shipping keeps it from cutting through the box as it moves during transit. The knife came VERY sharp! I'll start out by saying I have a soft spot for Cold Steel knives. Some years back I was traveling home after working in the Dakotas for a month when the engine caught fire in my Dodge van. The seat belt always stuck and had to be worked a bit to get loose and with fire starting to burn through the engine cowl and the van filling with smoke I didn't have time to jack with it. In the seat pocket I had a Cold Steel Recon Tanto so I grabbed it and sliced through the seat belt like it was butter, and got out before being totally overcome by the smoke. I only had to go to the ER for the night and no burns and I know that wouldn't have been the outcome had I not have the Recon at hand. Now on to the GI Tanto... I read some reviews here that complained about the handle size but for me, it fits really well. I have average-sized hands, wear a size "large" work glove and the GI Tanto fit my hand perfectly. Sure, there's a chance if you were dressing game or hacking through a zombie hoard your hands could slip but not if you're careful. Besides, you shouldn't have got yourself into a situation where all you have to defend against a zombie hoard is a knife. Seriously, you deserve to be eaten for sloppy planning! I wet the handle and tried several common tasks with the knife and had no problem maintaining a firm grip but I did not try it with my hands covered in zombie juice. Yes, the knife is manufactured in China but it is a decent quality blade, especially for the money. Cold Steel has pretty good quality control and the steel is "good enough for gova'ment work". I bought it to belt-carry while in the north woods of Minnesota and feel it will be great for my needs. It's not a huge knife like the Smith & Wesson Homeland Security Tanto Knife (I got one as a gift and that thing is a monster! It would lay to waste any zombie you come up against but again, how could you let yourself get overwhelmed by zombie with nothing but a knife? I mean really, who are you, 'Dale' from The Walking Dead?) This tanto is light enough to handle well, yet heavy enough for most any backwoods chore tasks from chopping branches to cutting onions. It's full tang too so it's sturdy to the core. If you do plan to do any chopping or zombie hacking, I'd suggest running a loop of paracord through the hole in the tang so you don't lose it. And seriously, don't hurl the knife at a tree and not expect some sort of damage! If you want to throw knives at stuff then buy a throwing knife made to handle that kind of abuse, not a carry knife. If you plan on throwing your blade in a defensive situation then you've already lost. It's a one-time shot and if you don't do enough damage or miss entirely, you're left with your Richard in your hand and a stupid look on your face. I'm not a big fan of Kydex but I have to say I like the sheath. It's got a lot of mounting options for molle gear and can be configured many ways for carry on a belt, vest or pack. It's sturdy too, with screws, solid webbing and snap. The blade "locks" into place and then can be secured by the snap feature. Now if I was entering a dark building and not sure if there were zombies I'd just unsnap the strap and let the sheath tension hold the blade in place for quick access but then again, you should have more than a knife and something "personal" in your hand when entering a dark building after the zombie apocalypse. Personally, I'd at least have a shotgun but then the knife would come in handy to chop off the just-bitten arm of that whiny, hipster dude that always seems to show up during a crisis yet can only babel about what bands he was listening to before they were cool... and before the zombie apocalypse. You know these types too, with their thick-framed glasses, long, greasy hair and beards they've only worn as a fashion accessory for the last year. Actually, I'd let them get eaten because they can't contribute anything to the group other than complaining and slowing us down. They'd be good zombie bait but you just know that when a band of roving marauders started chasing you, he'd be the one to get caught and then tell them where you were holed up and then they'd do stuff to him like in the movie "Deliverance" then come and raid your supplies and make you "squeal like a pig". And was Burt Reynolds not the man with that compound bow?! So here's the deal: Buy the knife already. Unless you're a "blade snob" you'll appreciate the fit, feel and quality of this blade and it's only $20 fer cryin' out loud! It's a tool, not a status symbol and it does the job well. You won't be disappointed in this knife. Sure, if through someone else's mistakes I wind up having nothing but a blade to hack through a zombie hoard I would prefer something bigger, but this would do in a pinch. I could always use it to slow down the hipster so I could escape while they ate him. (Though if they were the brain-eating kind of zombies they'd be disappointed.) PROS: Full tang, decent steel Very sharp and holds the edge well Sharper swage (back of point) Sturdy, locking Kydex sheath with molle mounts Good size and weight Perfect for the zombie apocalypse CONS: Should never be used as your sole weapon against zombies

I compared the cold steel recon tanto, cold steel GI tanto, & the Walther P99 knife. I tried to split an oak 4x5 about 1-1/2 feet long. The Walther P99 did the worst. It sank in the depth of the blade but did not split the wood. The GI tanto was next. It took 9 hits from a wooden baton to split the wood. The recon tanto took 3 strikes and the wood split apart. All 3 feathered wood decently. Some better than others but none of them did too bad. They all held edge well. All wound cut paper after the test. The Walther P99 is tough. I beat the fire out of it trying to split the wood and it didn’t show any signs of wear. All 3 are tough for that matter. All 3 would make an excellent combat knife. As for overall versatility I would recommend the Cold Steel Recon tanto. If you have a tight budget, the G I Tanto works as a good 2nd. I found the grip on the recon Tanto the most comfortable, the grip on the Walther P99 2nd, and the GI Tanto last but not uncomfortable, just not as comfortable as the other two. I would take any of these 3 into combat with only reservation on the Walther P99 being not recommended for bushcraft. Otherwise. All 3 are TOUGH, excellent knives.

This has to be the best value in utility/military knives out there. It is fashioned from a single chunk of steel, was delivered adequately sharp, and is just a very all-around sturdy-looking field knife. I have been somewhat uncomfortable with standard Marine Corp issue K-Bars even since I saw one snap right at the tang when thrown against a tree. The only comfort I found to that was the knowledge that I would never throw a K-Bar; you just don't throw your knife. I wouldn't throw this knife either, but with the full tang design I think it would survive a lot better. Plus, I can't think of any other (ab)use that a knife should be subjected to that the GI Tanto can't handle. I haven't tried to sharpen it yet-- I think most users will be happy with the factory sharpening, and don't know how long it will keep its edge, but I'm betting that it will last a normal lifetime. The steel (or at least the knife anyway) is made in China but this is of no consequence to me. I particularly like the sheath. This knife is adequately protected and it isn't going anywhere until I want it to. Here is some additional feedback I left concerning packaging: "Needing protective packaging for the Cold Steel GI Tanto is a laugh. You could run a truck over this knife without hurting it, although it might hurt the truck." Still not certain what I will do with this knife, but if I ever have to hurt a truck I will be well equipped.

Great quality, the blade is sharp and thick. the finish is well executed with a tough handle. The sheath is well made and fits the blade well. An awesome value at this price point.

I am a knife and firearms enthusiast and I can say with conviction that this is a great knife. It is larger than I expected and came with a great hard plastic, friction lock sheath. The blade is nice and sharp and comes with a protective rustproof coating sprayed over the whole of the blade except for the sharpened edges. I have not bothered at trying to throw it since I personally think that throwing knives is a waste of a good edged weapon. That being said, this knife is very well balanced and I think that anyone with some throwing skill could get this blade to land with “good effect on target.” This knife is great for anyone who wants a sturdy, thick blade with minimalist features that they can modify, or leave completely as-is. And the whole package is under $30! I have seen some complaints about the grips, but I think that with a little work, anyone can make this knife into exactly what they want. You could carve your own grips to replace the factory ones, texturize the grips, place a rubberized sleeve over the whole handle, remove the grips and replace them with 550 cord, or do like I did and wrap 550 cord around the handles as they are to make the overall grip larger. There are countless ways that you can modify this knife to be the tool that you want. It is a great value! I think my only ‘complaint’ is that the sheath has absolutely no MOLLE attach points. It is definitely designed to hang from your belt and nowhere else. Of course, I will not dock a star for this since it’s obvious from the pictures and I would just be a knuckle-head for expecting something that wasn’t mentioned. I just feel that with a knife that is this high quality, a good MOLLE sheath is almost an automatic inclusion. I kind of wish there was a way to get a sheath for this knife like one included with my LMF II Infantry Knife (http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-22-01400-LMF-Survival-Knife/dp/B000G0HP5C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362071541&sr=8-2&keywords=gerber+lmf+2). However, if you’re concerned about attaching this knife to a backpack, Load Bearing Vest (LBV), or Outer Tactical Vest (OTV), the sheath has plenty of holes and slots for weaving 550 cord or whatever other attachment setup you can think of. It won’t be the prettiest thing ever, but it will be where you want it. You could even just duct tape it to your backpack shoulder strap. I am just happy that knives like this exist and are so affordable! Both this knife and the Shanghai Shadow (http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-Shanghai-Shadow-Secure-Ex/dp/B004Z4CU78/ref=pd_sim_sg_1) are a great value for a minimalist knife that has a great edge, great steel, and a simple design that you can customize as needed.

I have purchased many Cold Steel products in the past; Latin Machete, Trail Hawk, Rifleman's Hawk, Nightshade series Tanto and Karambit, Pendelton Hunter Lite, Roach Belly, Finn Bear, and Cold Steel NEVER disappoints, their 'budget' products are of a quality that far surpasses their price point. I am very active in the outdoors, and where I live much of the wood is hardwoods, and it gets very cold (northern Canada), so stout, quality blades are needed. I really like this GI Tanto, it is robust, came hair shaving sharp and is a work horse. At first I thought the grip scales would be uncomfortable, but to my surprise they were not, and afforded a good grip when carving (fuzz sticks, try-sticks, tent pegs, traps, ect..). The only thing that I changed was I took the top quillion (cross-guard) off to allow my thumb to rest along the spine. It wasn't overly obtrustive, but I wanted maximum comfort. The beauty of this blade also is that it is carbon steel, meaning you can strip the coating and add your own patina to it. This is a very cheap knife that offers a lot of customizing potential. Though, even if you just leave it as it is, it will not disappoint you...and will keep taking almost any kind of abuse you put to it (I've seen videos of people batoning concrete)

Valeu a pena comprar

Este cuchillo GI Tanto lo compre hoy y al dia siguiente me lo lleve al combate. Mi trabajo es en el campo y me relaciono mucho con hiervas, ramas, plantas, leña madera y mas acciones muy rudas y es superexcelente, una autentica obra de arte, resiste dureza en todo, filo, cortes y palancas. Estoy muy agradecido con Amazon de haber llegado a mi vida y a para todos. Soy una persona que toda su vida a estado en combate en supervivencia por descendencia, y he aprendido muy bien esto: La arrogancia no estrecha su mano con la supervivencia, y la persona deve tener buenos conocimientos sobre el temple de sus herramientas, no forzarlas al extremo al menos que sea muy nesesario... Voy hablar un poco sobre la funda. es muy buena y de buen material y su diseño es perfecto para asegurar el cuchillo. Pero para mi en lo personal cuando andas en combate trabajando es mejor tener una funda que puedas meter y sacar con mucha facilidad el cuchillo hasta con los ojos cerrados. En este caso le estorba mucho el boton del broche, solo digo este comentario para que los ingenieros de las empresas traten de crear una funda mas rapida que una vivora de cascabel. Muchas grasias a Cold steel y Amazon. estoy muy contento con este producto.

Super Messer, schöne Größe und fantastisch Balance. Paket kam sogar ein Tag früher :)

It's a big thick, full tang knife. It will very likely outlast me. I like the design and the tanto-style edge lends itself to precise cutting. For self defense there are better alternatives since the blade is a little too thick. I've thought about sharpening the small angled part of the spine, which would make more suitable for stabbing, but might also make it harder to sheath.