There isnt a person working in the knife industry today that knows more about the Tanto than Cold Steel does. It was, after all, Cold Steel who invented and popularized this knife style in the early 1980s. We have spent millions of dollars persuading the public, both through advertising and live or videotaped demonstrations, of the Tantos many advantages. We have been producing Tantos for more than 30 years now, and there is still no factory or custom knifemaker around making a Tanto that can approach the cutting, slashing or piercing power of one that is manufactured by Cold Steel. All of our Tantos feature a deep lustrous satin finish on the hollow ground blade bevels and a contrasting line grain finish on the blade flats. This technique highlights our state of the art grinding methods and emphasizes the Cold Steel Tantos unique appearance. In addition, the Tantos come with our famous flattened oval Kraton handle. The oval shape provides a solid grip and resists rolling or twisting in the hand under hard use, the kind that, over time, would destroy a lesser knife. The use of Kraton in knife handles is another Cold Steel innovation. Kraton is an unparalleled space age material that wont crack or rot and is immune to the ravages of bad weather. The tapered, solid steel pommel is another important Tanto feature that should not be ignored. Lynn Thompson designed it to concentrate the full force of a crushing blow in a small area so that even a moderately powerful blow can be remarkably effective in disarming or otherwise incapacitating an attacker. The Tanto series knives in San Mai all come with a thick, high quality Secure-Ex sheath that is sure to give years of hard service and keep your Tanto at your side, ready for action.