I had a political science professor who was demonstrating "reason vs perception" to illustrate how so many stupid laws are generated by fear and perception.

He told the class, "I am going to cut this apple with one of two knives that are in my pocket.  After my demonstration by a show of hands I'm going to ask you which one is the more dangerous one.

He takes the first one out of his pocket, slowly removed it and places two hands on the knife and opens the knife with two hands slowly until it locks. He then slices a piece of the apple.  Cleans the knife with a napkin closes the knife with two hands and puts it back in his pocket.

He then says "knife number 2" and he whips the knife out of his pocket flicks it open immediately, slices the apple, wipes the blade on his pant closes the knife and it drops shut.

Overwhelmingly the class says the second knife was the most dangerous and many students said they are pretty sure it's illegal.

Both knives were Spyderco Tenacious's. One was a standard satin finish the other the black coating.

He then demonstrated that they are exactly the same knives with exactly the same features but the first one was not perceived as threatening at all because the process appeared to be slow and safe and the other was faster and "deadlier" 😂😂😂.

All I was looking for was camp knives when I found this channel , I am now 5 sweet knives deep in less than 30 days 🥴

I live in El Salvador, home of the condor knives and imacasa machetes... I asked a lawyer the same question, so here the law is: as long as the blade is "covered" and not perceived as a threat, you are good, so you can see farmers, gardeners, etc... sometimes walking around with a 20 inch machete wrapped in a newspaper so they abide the law 😅

Another advantage of the tanto is the ability to use it as a chisel, scraper, and to pry things. To me it's the most handy-man ish blade shape.

The secondary point, transition between angles, is viciously effective for whip-like, slap cuts. Used in this fashion it is almost like a more beak shaped knife, piercing as well as slicing.

Tantos are perfect for EDC. 99% of the time you just cut boxes and envelopes. Straight edges make that easier and more precise. The corner is perfect for cutting tape on boxes without plunging too deep.

If you want to get more crafty, it can be used as a chisel. The straight front edge if well sharpened is great for skiving leather. The list just goes on.

Spyderco, is the second to none, MASTER, of the art of, the “little big” knife!

Tanto is great for construction (front edge needs to be straight, not Japanese style). Works as an angled chisel or angled razor, great for paint prep, removing plaster, paint drips, cleaning corners, delicate wood work.

The purpose of the tanto and indeed the shape of the tips of Katanas is tip cutting at maximum range.  That is what they were meant for.  It's that simple.  Tip cuts can do serious cutting because the tip of the blade is always the fastest moving part.  The shape of the tip aids in the slicing action.  It also keeps  you the furthest away from a threat and is more likely to penetrate common heavy clothing. You don't need a tanto style blade to do this but it certainly aides the technique.

I thought tanto is what you did after you break the tip of your knife off.  😀

Tantos are excellent for baton wood-splitting. The strength and steep bevel on the edges really separate it from other types of blades.

The "perception" criteria for legal knives is actually very important.  There are areas whose laws make a distinction between "unmodified tool knives", "pocket knives", or "weapon knives", sometimes with a size restriction.  

These definitions are intentionally vague, so that a cop who's searching you can determine if you're trying to carry a weapon or just cardboard cutter.  That's good for stopping obvious criminals from getting away with technicalities, however it's terrible if you're innocent and just happened to get on his bad side while he's making the decision.  So having a knife that LOOKS like it is designed to NOT be a weapon can be a big help.

Sometimes they have explicit carveouts to ignore a knife blade that is part of a larger toolset or gadget, which is a classic example for permitting a SAK or Leatherman.

Thanks, as always, Mr. Andersen and Thomas. On the Tanto for Survival, thing - I've long agreed with the notion that a 12-14" machete is a fantastic survivial knife. And although I've never been an American Tanto fan, I recently got ahold of a Cold Steel Tanto Machete and have been blown away by its utility and versatility in the outdoors.

It's important to note there are numerous kinds of tanto styles in Japan. The American tanto isn't really American. It stems from the Japanese Shinogi style tanto which Lynn Thompson basically took credit for when Cold Steel adopted it.

Makes me happy each time you mention the Rambler. Victorinox likes to keep that model a secret and I worry it may get discontinued. That Philips is the size I use the most. Plus you can make a compass out of it if your plane crashes in the wilderness of Alaska, which the characters in the movie The Edge could've used.

Clever last Q&A Bravo!

He forgot to mention what I'd consider one of the most useful aspects of a tanto when it comes to an EDC blade and that's the false tip, they're perfect for someone who opens boxes and packages frequently as you can use the false tip at a very shallow angle.

Love my rambler from victorinox 👍👍 never has anyone freak out when cutting a box or trimming a tag etc.. handy for its size, small light and great mix of tools! Just used the toothpick while watching this video 😂

Been carrying a Rambler on my key ring for years. Good to see you recommend it versus the Compact.

Western tanto is really nice for a controlled pierce that can turn into a slice I've noticed. Speared points usually just end up going deeper quicker in a uncontrollable fashion and prone to chipping