U.S.A. — Once in a while, I run upon a knife with a design that does not fit into my world. This sentence applies to the knife that I’m writing about today. Usually, that doesn’t mean that it is a right or a wrong, it just means that it doesn’t fit into my world. But I can’t just write about the knife designs that I prefer, or I’d only be able to write 5-10 Knife Product Reviews per year, and I’ve got to write 52 Knife Reviews for Ammoland alone. Last week at the Professional Outdoor Media Assn. Convention I think I picked up 4-5 more Knife related articles as well.
Smith & Wesson Big Benji Tanto Blade
Plus, a knife is a tool. You don’t just own one screwdriver, do you? No! I bet I have at least 50. Every job requires a different screwdriver to accomplish the job adequately. Such logic also applies in our knife world so, if the job task you’re doing requires a Tanto design, read on.
The SMITH & WESSON BIG BENJI STAINLESS STEEL TANTO BLADE has a Tanto blade design which means the main cutting edge extends out straight, and then the tip slants up at a 45-degree angle. The spine at the tip end is ground down to, I’m going to say, a 15-degree angle which puts a tip on the blade, which suffices for some of your stabbing jobs.
The cutting edge is three ½-inches long. Even though the knife is named a Cleaver, I’d have to say that the SMITH & WESSON BIG BENJI STAINLESS STEEL TANTO BLADE has a Tanto blade. To my understanding, the Japanese long ago came up with the Tanto blade design, which they used in their martial arts and self-defense.
It is rumored that the Japanese favored this design because it had good penetrating and piercing abilities, as in their enemy’s armor.
To further justify my stance of classifying the blade as a “Tanto” shaped blade it has a thick spine for rigidity. But a definite deep hollow grind.
My SMITH & WESSON BIG BENJI STAINLESS STEEL TANTO BLADE came from the factory relatively sharp, but the last 1 1/8 inches of the slanted-up edge was definitely not as sharp. Speaking of sharpness, if you’ve never sharpened a Tanto blade before, you might find it slightly awkward the first time, but after you learn how, it will be easy.
Just lay the edge on the stone at the proper angle and sharpen as you would any knife except, since there is no curvature in the blade, you will not lift up the knife as you get near the tip since there is no curvature. Just run it out straight. Stroke it three times on each side just like you would normally sharpen your knives.
A few features on the SMITH & WESSON BIG BENJI STAINLESS STEEL TANTO BLADE help you to obtain a firm grip. For instance, I like the finger slot in the front handles for your pointer finger.
The flipper stud further stabilizes your hand s it won’t slip down onto the blade. Plus, the flipper stud is grooved, which not only aids in obtaining a stable grip, but it also aids in deploying the blade. But I do wish that it had 1-inch thumb grooves on the spine.
It has a pocket clip, and you can open it quickly due to the flipper stud. It is advertised as being an Assisted Opener, but it sure doesn’t seem like to me that it is. Or maybe the heavy blade slows it down so it doesn’t feel like it is an AO. And lastly, the blade is held open using a liner lock system,
The MSRP on the SMITH & WESSON BIG BENJI STAINLESS STEEL TANTO BLADE is $34.99, and as is usual, we will close with the specs.
This folding cleaver is perfect for those who want a versatile cutting tool that they can use in a variety of ways. The knife features a chisel blade with a flat grind that is ideal for cutting through tough materials, a spring assist design that makes it easy to open and close one-handed, and a liner lock that keeps it safe and secure; this cleaver is a must-have for anyone who wants to take EDC to the next level.
FEATURES
- CHISEL BLADE FOR VERSATILE USE
- ASSISTED OPENING FOR QUICK AND EASY ACCESS
- LINER LOCK FOR EASY ONE-HANDED CLOSE
About Tom Claycomb
Tom Claycomb has been an avid hunter/fisherman throughout his life as well as an outdoor writer with outdoor columns in the magazine Hunt Alaska, Bass Pro Shops, Bowhunter.net, and numerous magazines and newspapers. “To properly skin your animal, you will need a sharp knife. I have an e-article on Amazon Kindle titled Knife Sharpening #ad for $.99 if you’re having trouble.”
