I bought my first Cold Steel Master Tanto more than 17 years ago at a gun show in Sydney. I was about to embark on a two month hitch-hicking journey around the country and needed a good blade for peace of mind. The knife looked very well built and felt good in my hand. The dealer explained how a core of hard steel was sandwiched between two layers of softer steel. The tanto tip is really strong and the edge was hair-shaving sharp right out of the factory.
Once, on a canoe trip near Katherine, in the Nothern Territories, I found myself with a can of corned beef and no can opener… Nobody had ever told me you shouldn’t cut a steel can in half with a knife, so I did just that with my tanto. It went right through! No damage to the knife which was still very sharp after the cut, I just had to clean it. It didn’t take much effort at all.
Stupidly, I sold the knife years later on E-Bay. I have never found as good a knife as that one. So, last week, I finally placed my order for a brand new VG-1 San Mai III Master Tanto. The new model looks just like the old one, from memory. The only difference is the material of the guard and pommel, which are now stainless steel instead of brass. I liked the brass better but the steel looks good enough. The grip is the same rubbery material that makes it close to impossible for your hand to slip on the handle. The guard is small but enough to prevent your hand from sliding onto the blade when striking a hard object (like bone..). The leather sheath is very well made and silent to carry. Cold Steel makes a “Concealex” kraton sheath but I wonder if it is noisy.. I like to place the sheath upside down on my right side, where is it very fast to deploy and quasi invisible under an untuck shirt. Remember that carrying a knife like this concealed is illegal in most (maybe all) states without a CCW permit.
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