My modification of Cold Steel GI Tanto

This knife should be modified variously. My modification made me a very nice survival/fighting knife which I needed mostly.

[@ComradeGeneralK]

The secondary point, the yokote, was designed that way by Cold Steel for the snap cut. It's a knife fighting technique where you snap your wrist forward so the secondary point bites into the target. I have also found that more cutting edge impacts the target in a stab, so the wound channel is larger than a dagger or thinner point.

[@Dan-sq5cv]

Very good modifications, and a good choice for a backup knife. GI Tanto's are very light, very tuff, and cost little. I have thought about rounding that Tanto point on mine but not quite as much and also removing the top hand guard. Thank you for showing your modifications, I was surprised knowing your a big fan of Bark River..

[@virtuovice]

No. I prepare the bear fighting knife just for emergency. Once in a few years a bear hunter was killed or injured and I am rather serious about it. The bear population has been increasing since the government banned the spring bear hunt. In spring bears get awake from their winter sleep and are easy to spot on the snow. Brown bear is a protected animal of sort. It is a symbol of Hokkaido island. We are happy to have it here although it is very dangerous. Thanks.

[@TheRubadub1]

i never liked the gi tanto myself and now after seeing what you did to that one i have to have a gi tanto and will change it like yours thank you for the idea

[@smokecrackhailsatan]

The "secondary tip" on a tanto shaped blade is for tap cutting, a very fast almost slashing cut, of use against humans, but not animals. In a stab, the secondary tip does create a larger wound path, but you will have much more resistance with something as large as a bear.

[@danzigrulze5211]

The benefits of a tanto point is to reinforce the tip from breaking.

[@aznelite325]

"i need to reduce this belly" - made me chuckle lol

[@demunbell]

American double edge tanto. Designed to be sharpened into two puncture points at the edges. Increases cutting ability 😉👍🏿. -Lynn Thompson

[@demunbell]

I'm late to the comments

[@deathofkindness]

love that sheath. .respect

[@RioZLander]

i agree i bought this knife for all multi use. i have tried to use it with cutting and keep mine paper cutting sharp . but it is better used for chopping with wood and close combat with another person or animal of dog or bigger size like large cat. the tanto blade feels like it is for show to make it look more squared off box look. i feel i might do the same mod as yours

[@believeit3203]

+RioZLander Tanto tipped knives are the best performers for penetration (of armor). That is their very reason for existence. Perhaps you do not like them at all because you are not using for the reason they were designed....penetration

[@rottvang]

This was a great modification. I just did the same thing to mine just the way you did. So much better now

[@prochargerfreak2005]

I laughed so hard when theres a big pause '' I changed my mind I need to use machine'' keep up the great work Wako I like many of us here love youre videos.Take care

[@CSGraves]

It's funny 'cuz it's true. Especially when I tried to replicate some of Wako's regrinds on blades of my own. No way I'm hunching over 40 grit sandpaper for 6 hours!

[@prochargerfreak2005]

@@CSGraves oh what were you working on. ?

[@CSGraves]

@@prochargerfreak2005 I reground two Kabars, one a 'modified tanto', two have near mirror-polished 'convex scandi' grinds. The bulk of the work was on a belt grinder, followed by hand finishing on many many grits of wet/dry sandpaper & later, boxboard with stropping compound rubbed in.

[@alan98bert]

Very nicely done, turned a single purpose fighting knife into a good multi purpose knife.

[@johnnydoe4179]

Tanto knives are way better for stabbing, that's exactly why katanas had that same exact tip, so they could thrust it into armor without having the tip break off.

[@heettreet]

yes i agree with you , ,all knives should be sharp as possible ,, only the angle of the edge is changed to its use , also , i would grind your drop point even more so ,, yours is a bit clip point ,

[@virtuovice]

Yes. But its custom barrel and my hand load ammo fires 200 grain hollow point bullet at 2100 fps. I think it is more powerful inside 100 yard range than .308 150 grain bullet.

[@Yama_Apri_521]

As Bladebuster said, maybe add a false edge for better penetration? I understand the problem it will cause with chewing up your baton though. Thanks again for the video. Ed

[@michelexe65]

I don't hunt bears because there are not where I hunt but a doctor told me that for avoiding parasite of wild animals is better to keep the meat at -20 Celsius degree for at least 48 hour and then cooking very well until is very brown even in the deep and avoid to cook only on surface keeping the meat red at the center ( as I like)

[@fljwb]

I just got to very coarse stones a Nubatama Ume XXC 24 grit & a Nubatama Ume 60 grit since I have no where for a belt grinder they don't dish much either I am not sure if You can get them in Japan they may be made only for export . If you can get them you may like them for this sort of work.

[@jeremiahshine]

I was thinking of one of these for Yamadori collection and chicory root. They should market it as a Tactical Hori Hori! 🤣

[@717UT]

Love what you did with the profile of this knife. It's exactly what I'm doing to mine. And I like your accent!

[@00YahSun]

He sure put a whole lot of work into a $30 knife lol

[@deankirby5966]

Surprised that you weren't wearing your gloves while grinding the knife. I suspect that you wanted to feel if it was becoming overheated. Glad that you didn't have a mishap.

[@scrateshooter]

Cold Steel actually makes that profile, its called the Recon Scout.

[@ay735]

The general guideline is to not wear gloves while using machinery. If a drill press catches part of your glove, the rest of your hand will be pulled into the sharp Bit!

[@virtuovice]

This same belt sander was discontinued by RYOBI. But some Chinese company seems like producing a similar model at a low price. My one doesn't have a speed controller. I don't know about its RPM. Thanks.

[@RustyGunn7]

I enjoyed this video. Seen it a few times now. I favor the drop point knife, and this mod is indeed one I may use. Thanks for sharing.

[@virtuovice]

You are very correct. I am just thinking about it, how I can make a better traction on its handle. The first to try should be lanyard wrap. Second to do will be total replacement of the scales. Anyway I have a much better handle on my Ontario MK3 and I will carry it this season until all bears go to winter sleep. Thanks.

[@johns311]

Great video. Love your sense of humor.

[@fljwb]

Thank you I think were I to get one I would use it much as you use yours since I prefer to sharpen on the bench stones . I hope you have a successful hunting season . Your videos are most enlightening1

[@RoyFernbach]

Bear meat has more cysts per pound than most other wild animals. Cysts in the muscle will cause a person to get tapeworm, many times even if the meat is cooked properly. I have talked to many hunters who would rather starve than to eat bear meat. Of course your mileage may vary, but you might want to look into it.

[@virtuovice]

You are very correct. I feel easy when my fingers don't feel the heat. Thanks.

[@namepassword2106]

Tanto points are for snap cuts in Martial Arts type knife use in combat.

[@RustyGunn7]

Name Password Any knife can do snap cuts. It isn't exclusive to the tango design.

[@anotherknifelover]

True - but only the American Tanto and a real Bowie knife will do the trick!

[@patrickhasley8568]

Nice shirt Golf co 2/4 Marine vet here

[@virtuovice]

I cannot open about my gun and ammo any more. It is a custom deer gun allowed only on Hokkaido island. It is a bit more accurate and 1.5 times more reaches than 12GA Sabot. Half accuracy and half reaches than a real rifle.

[@virtuovice]

I felt like you do before. But it was because of edge dulling plastic sheaths. But what you say can be real because the razor sharpness done by the white compound is in a molecular level. Thanks.

[@briargoatkilla]

I knew you were going to reprofile that knife. It looks like a very good hunting blade now.

[@mikerobbins5049]

I like what you did.....

[@toddjensen1244]

Very nice !!..I will have to grind mine down also as it is way too sharp and thin on top for batoning..thanks for the video

[@virtuovice]

We have ridiculous limitation of the blade length up to 6 inches by law. GI Tanto has a large choil and its blade length measures 6 inches. But its real penetration is expected to be 7.5 inches to the guard. That is the reason why I got this knife to fight a bear with in emergency. I don't need to learn how to skin a deer. I just cut out what I need. The remain is for crows and foxes. It is our regular way no problem. Thanks.

[@speakeasydoorman4966]

Great Video

[@virtuovice]

Yes. I don't patch my bleeding finger while I sharpen a knife because the bandaid can draw my finger to the edge. Thanks.

[@eddiecarlcalhoun]

I don't like Tanto blades either, never have. I prefer a good drop point or Bowie knife....

[@ramiabiakar2391]

Good job.

[@tanglef712us]

Very nice conversion. And I think you are very funny, very animated and I enjoy watching your video.

[@brunomleao]

Hallo Knife Sensei! Questions: What do you think about leather sheaths? Do you always convex your blades? Do you recommed CS GI Tanto at all? Keep on doing an excellent job...

[@VireDragon]

Beautiful job.

[@kanukkarhu]

That Cold Steel knife looks like a few of your other bigger bushcraft blades now. Cool mod. We have a LOT of bears here in Canada, and they are good eating as long as they are wild and not what we call "dump bears." Personally, I've never heard of anyone having to defend themselves against a bear with a knife, so I believe you'll be OK provided you make your first shot count, and use the right caliber. We don't carry handguns here either. Good luck!

[@virtuovice]

Yes. Eventually I reached the same conclusion. Its handle is slick. A single stab is expected to let the bear away in reality. We have lots of bear survival evidences here. Many of the survivors say a single bash with a hatchet let it away. The bash doesn't need to be lethal. While I was bit by it on my left arm in the fight, I definitely need to keep my right arm move to survive. Stabbing will be easier. then. The MK3 has a very nice grip for the purpose. 6 inch is nimble to fight with. Thanks.

[@luisytacc]

Not really. There are many things that play into why a knife would be issued or not, and the blade's own quality isn't even the most important factor, when compared to things like cost and the already existing relationships between manufacturers and issuers. However that may be, the "G.I:" in this knife seems to be stylistic, as if to categorize the knife as a soldier/ fighting blade, therefore designed for human fighting, and people have a lot softer hides than bears.

[@Wildwestwrangler]

the tanto is good for piercing armor and metal

[@markj7579]

look up GI tanto destruction test and you'll see why this knife is such a great value. you could buy a case for under 300 dollars and have fun creating multiple custom knives. I was wondering if you were going to just dip your knife in water to keep it cool while sanding. good job

[@cityinthesky1341]

Good work. I like your videos. Thank you!

[@Milo30066]

Very good

[@vinniepeters1936]

You should ceramic coat that blade so it doesn’t rust

[@virtuovice]

Double edged knife is illegal here. Drop point makes the belly shallow and makes the tip pointy. And when the point is near the center of the blade, the thrusting power will be efficiently transferred to the point. And the knife which can take batoning is better for survival. Besides, I will be able to make a lethal shot when I shoot a bear because I choose a good chance carefully. Bear is dangerous even to a hunter. The knife should be prepared for emergency. I won't use it to a bear actually.

[@fljwb]

What make of belt sander is that & what RPM does it run at or can you change the speed ? I cannot have one at the moment too dusty for apartment but trying to find a good one for the future .

[@mikedifeo8344]

Great vid. Would like to hear and see in a vid your perspective of the differences between the Japanese tanto blade and the American tanto blade. Hope you get a bear this season.

[@badas45]

Very cool

[@ThiLI0n]

brilliant regrinding of a 'cool' knife. I can't see the benefit of those tanto points either - why ot a simple spear point? It's point-optimized and robust... Why don't you try out some daggers?

[@believeit3203]

+ThiLI0n The entire purpose of a tanto tipped knife is penetration. They are far superior than any other shape for penetrating things such as armor and this was the whole intent of the design. Years ago, I experimented with several styles penetrating a steel drum and the tanto greatly outperformed all other styles. I have carried a tanto style knife as my defensive blade ever since. The blade style you choose should always match your intended use or, as the maker of this video, you can modify it for such. I see many disrespecting the design, simply because they do not know of it's intended purpose. Hope this sheds some light on it.

[@CSGraves]

@@believeit3203 To be specific, the American tanto tip is designed for durability. I recall some years back there was a video comparing the Kabar & Fairbairn Sykes against ballisitic armour & other materials. While the FS is less robust than the Kabar or a tanto, it consistently outperformed the former in penetration depth. Also consider the medieval rondel dagger, designed specifically for use against armoured opponents. Very different beast. I mean, it's _possible_ that a hunter might just encounter a brown bear wearing an old steel drum as armour, but... highly unlikely.

[@DeanO]

great reprofile job

[@Thierryoutdoors]

Hi. Another nice vid. Thx.

[@Colombiano671]

Why not buy a condor 14 inch barong. It comes with a convex edge, sharp tip, and leather sheath. it is a machete it is around 1 pound

[@LordThree]

I’ve never really understood tanto points either. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@o0FranklySpeaking0o]

should you of created a false edge with the swedge that was there allready to facilitate penetration ?

[@mrkoren]

Have you considered a bayonet style blade on the end of your shotgun? Being as far as possible from the bear would seem preferable.

[@TomStedham]

Excellent video!

[@adamsifford6228]

I want to do this to mine and make point thicker.

[@steeltrident]

Looks good. I like what you did with it.

[@michelexe65]

beautiful work " virtuovice" very beautiful. I told Cold Steel to make a G.I with a bowie point or clip point

[@MrKratti]

Tanto knives are slashing knives made for fighting. You should end your slash with whiplash motion or that's what I heard.

[@believeit3203]

Try punching various designed tips into 55 gallon steel drums and then you will see the merits of this design vs others.

[@RustyGunn7]

believe it He's not worried about being attacked by a wounded drum.

[@jeremiahshine]

If you ever come to a BR Grind In do an announcement video so I can sign up, too! 😀

[@torpilo]

Tanto point is for slashing , give it a try ..

[@lobo9er]

rifled barrel? what is the bullet diameter do you use, do you have to load your own?

[@tokr72]

I was not aware that Japan had Brown Bear populations, until I saw your video and then looked it up. Very interesting. Sparked a lively discussion with a friend of mine who's a bit of a bear scholar. At one time the Brown bear, or as Americans call them ,"Grizzly" bears, ranged all the way into the Great Plains of the US. They must have been following the Buffalo herds, and thus never went further East. They and the Buffalo were hunted to near extinction by the early 1900s... Very Good choice of knife for your purposes, I think. You need something with a little weight to it, sturdy design, and excellent piercing capabilities,, for that size of bear. The famous KaBar draws its name for having enabled a hunter to kill an attacking bear, but I bet that was a Black Bear.;)

[@ramiabiakar2391]

The Grizzly is a subspecies of brown bear. the Eurasian Brown Bear is technically known as Ursus arctos arctos, while the larger Grizzly is known as Ursus arctos horribilis.

[@virtuovice]

My gun takes just a single ammo only in its chamber. Its magazine doesn't take my .410 ammo. I need to hunt bear under a shotgun license due to Japanese ratehr complicated gun law. That is the main reason why I need to think of the bear fighter knife this seriously. Thanks.

[@michiganedge4770]

Great job! Looks really good! I just ordered one. Going to personalize it too! Think I would use this for a back up blade on a bear hunt! I would defiantly want more reach! Lol great video tho my friend!

[@stevemartin4696]

You should sell that to Cold Steel !

[@SchoolofSurvival2B]

Hello Wako, do you really think you can mesure to a wounded bear in close combat with a GI Tanto....? You must be kidding !! I love your channel and your advices on sharpening are priceless ;)

[@zeroa6]

Awesome!! I love it.

[@luisytacc]

I would disagree with the idea that a tanto blade is useless or even a fad. If you look at the name of your knife, it is called GI which stands for "Government Issue" and is also one of the names given to soldiers. That knife was designed to be given to people who would be going into war and fighting and killing other people, it wasn't designed to fight bears. That's why it has that abrupt change in edge angle, to create a secondary tip that will easily pierce skin when slashing, not thrusting.

[@stealthyspider]

Much better.

[@LaForja25]

I hope that you dont mind, but I do belive that i will use your idea with mine. Thanks for the video!

[@ScottsUtubeWorld]

Wow. BIG improvement! Wako, do you find that your unused knives get a little dull in time? Mine seem to require a little stropping every few months. Is this my imagination, or does something cause this? Corrosion?

[@speakeasydoorman4966]

"YOU ARE BRAYD RUNNER"?

[@lobo9er]

you should do a video on your rifle it sounds very interesting. A 40 caliber rifle I am guessing is what it turns out to be. very cool.

[@tokr72]

I like what you did to it, and I also like the original design too. I think you're modification is more elegant, natural, classical and organic. The original design is what I would term "industrial". It's Brutish, somewhat ugly, mean looking, and raw. The top swedge is obviously designed to be sharpened for CQB purposes, and the secondary point on the Cold Steel version of "Americanized" Tanto has it's benefits,,, But you're mods to the platform were really cool.

[@sifusasdo2314]

I Love Ur Videos 👍 The knife Looks cool a must have👍 Where can I buy your sheat looks awesome? But please let the Bear live aslong he dont attack you or U are starving to death and U have too... Its one of Gods Creation and lifes shouldnt bei taken just for fun. Only If U have to in a Survival Situation....

[@pappywith4]

Like it much better

[@sebenzalover]

Dont be bear food. be safe.

[@northcacalacka545]

Mr. Wako, have you ever deer hunted with a Bow and Arrow?

[@ShawBen]

Are you going to finally be able to get your rifle this season?

[@user-dn8kg1yk6x]

American tanto is more beneficial for knife fighting. Try slashing a hanging sheet of paper with a tanto vs regular blade with belly. The tanto will have a much better "bite". As for the handles, you could try adding patterned grooves in the scales or take them off completely for a paracord wrap.

[@BrujoHN]

Haha! You do not have a belly, Dr. Wako! If I had your belly I would be the happiest guy around! I don't go to the beach for fear that someone would mistake me for a whale Haha!

[@honestdave]

please take what I'm about to say out of the upmost respect. But if you were looking for a knife to pierce a bear's thick hide and you hate tanto knives why didn't you just buy you a cold steel OSS? its got a drop point blade, is double edged, good textured grip, and has a sub hilt finger guard to keep it from falling out of your hand. And it's been proven to be able to pierce thick hide when a hunter used it to kill an attacking cape buffalo. I'm much more superior defensive knife against an animal attack.

[@honestdave]

of course it's much more expensive then the GI tanto so maybe that's why

[@00YahSun]

Double edged blades are illegal in Sapporo City Japan

[@SeVeN-A7]

Sweet scandi grind mod!!! Hope you get that prize bear lol

[@CNYKnifeNerd]

Wat? Scandi is strength through simplicity. Hamaguri is strength through complexity. All scandi and most hamaguri are Sabre grinds, but not all Sabre grinds are scandi.

[@Mateyhv1]

I like the Jägermeister logo a lot ;)

[@zeroa6]

You still having this knife for Bear fighting?.

[@awglock]

So you are about to hunt bear with .410 shootgun?