There isn't 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 1980's. They have spent well over a million dollars persuading the public, both through advertising and live or videotaped demonstrations, of the Tanto's many advantages. Cold Steel has been producing Tanto's for more than 25 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 their 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 their state of the art grinding methods and emphasizes the Cold Steel Tanto's unique appearance. In addition, the Tantos come with the famous flattened oval Kray-Ex 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 Kray-Ex in knife handles is another Cold Steel innovation. Kray-Ex is an unparalleled space-age material that won’t 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.

Each Master Tanto is supplied with a Secure-Ex sheath.