The pocket knife is a tool most of us have gone our entire lives enamored with. The first folding-blades were made by craftsmen in pre-Roman era Spain and since then this ingenious invention has been pocketed by countless knife enthusiasts. I remember my first pocket blade, a Swiss Army knife my dad gave me on an Indian Guides camping trip. There isn’t much use for a pocket knife in an 8-year-old's life, but whittling away at sticks and turning them into spears never got old.
For a tradesman, a pocket knife is an invaluable tool to have by your side. You never know when you may find yourself in a situation where you need to pull out your blade. You may, for instance, stumble upon an 18 foot, 128-pound Burmese python like 23-year-old Jason Leon did in Florida City. If it wasn’t for the knife Jason used to slice off the python’s head as it wrapped its way up his waist, this record setting python may still be on the loose, digesting Jason’s body.
Klein Tools offers a wide variety of knives and cutting tools but only one, the Tanto Lockback Knife, was derived from an ancient samurai sword. Tanto means “short sword” in Japanese and the original tanto swords were used as a last line of defense by samurais in feudal Japan. The tanto was developed for piercing armor and the swords were designed for close-quarter combat. Tanto blades are traditionally forged with a high point and flat grind as the front edge of the blade meets the unsharpened edge at an angle, not a curve, which strengthens the tip of the blade. The end result is a weapon that is excellent for piercing hard materials. Here at Klein Tools we admire excellence and wanted to create our own version of this historic sword.
The Klein Tools Tanto Lockback Knife features a black chrome blade and black anodized-aluminum handle. The tanto knife acts as two separate blades: the resilient tip is perfect to use in tight situations and also doubles as a utility knife, while the blade offers superior edge holding. The blade is forged from premium quality AUS 8 stainless steel which has been hardened to 58-59 Rockwell. The reversible thumb stud on the blade also provides an easy, one-handed opening with a quick flip of the wrist. Try it out in front of someone and watch as they jump back in startled awe. Whether you’re using it as a box cutter, or to defend yourself against wild animals, the Tanto Lockback Knife is a versatile tool ready to tackle life’s surprises.