othomas@athena.mit.edu (Oliver J. Thomas) (06/18/91)
For sale: Cold Steel Master Tanto and accessories The blade is made of San-Mai III steel. It is made up of three layers, with a hard core and somewhat softer outer layers. According to Clod Steel, this results in a blade 25% tougher than normal steel. The point is of the armor-piercing shape typical of Tanto. As a side note, this is the blade Cold Steel advertised by punching it through a car door and retrieving it unscathed. The handle is made of non-slip Kraton. It absorbs shoch quite well and is water resistant. The handguard and pommel are made of brass. These two parts will need occasional polishing to keep the knife looking its best. The sheath is designed by Blackie Collins and of black Cordura. It is quite rugged and resists the element amazingly well. A quick release strap holds the knife securely in any position. It has a loop attached at the bottom for tie-down straps or to attach to the shoulder harness (see below). This sheath is a Cuttlery Shoppe exclusive and is (to my knowledge) not sold in retail stores. Finally, there's the shoulder harness. It is made of lightweight black nylon webbing and holds the knife securely in a slightly frontal under arm position for quick access. If you would like this, I'll throw it in at no charge. All the equipment is in excellent shape and well taken care of. The blade has been resharpened a few times, but there are now scratches or marks to tell the tale. A few last points on the knife. The steel is NOT stainless, so it will need to be kept dry and cleaned frequently after use. In return, you get a thougher, more flexible blade. The brass handguard is flush with the back of the blade at the top, allowing for easy thumb indexing. The blade balances very well, and holds an edge for a long time. Price: Retail Mail Mine Knife $200 $140 Sheath $ 20 $ 20 Harness ----------------------------------------------------- $220 $160 $ 85 (I pay shipping) Contact: Oliver Thomas othomas@athena.mit.edu (617)225-9432
Robert.Allen@Eng.Sun.COM (Email Mujahideen) (06/18/91)
+For sale: Cold Steel Master Tanto and accessories
+
+The blade is made of San-Mai III steel. It is made up of three layers, with a
+hard core and somewhat softer outer layers. According to Clod Steel, this
+results in a blade 25% tougher than normal steel. The point is of the
More correctly, 25% stronger than "the already incredibly tough
regular CS tanto" according to their adverts.
The inner layer is a harder, more brittle, stainless steel, and the two
outer layers are more springy, less brittle, to give you more strength
against lateral stress.
+armor-piercing shape typical of Tanto. As a side note, this is the blade Cold
+Steel advertised by punching it through a car door and retrieving it
+unscathed.
+
+The handle is made of non-slip Kraton. It absorbs shoch quite well and is
+water resistant. The handguard and pommel are made of brass. These two parts
+will need occasional polishing to keep the knife looking its best.
The entire knife is actually water proof. The pommel is advertised
as "skull crushing", and is normally pointed. This knife is a decent
martial arts knife.
+
+The sheath is designed by Blackie Collins and of black Cordura. It is quite
+rugged and resists the element amazingly well. A quick release strap holds the
+knife securely in any position. It has a loop attached at the bottom for
+tie-down straps or to attach to the shoulder harness (see below). This sheath
+is a Cuttlery Shoppe exclusive and is (to my knowledge) not sold in retail
+stores.
+
+Finally, there's the shoulder harness. It is made of lightweight black nylon
+webbing and holds the knife securely in a slightly frontal under arm position
+for quick access. If you would like this, I'll throw it in at no charge.
This sounds real nice!
+
+A few last points on the knife. The steel is NOT stainless, so it will need to
+be kept dry and cleaned frequently after use. In return, you get a thougher,
+more flexible blade. The brass handguard is flush with the back of the blade
+at the top, allowing for easy thumb indexing. The blade balances very well,
+and holds an edge for a long time.
I know that the Cutlery Shoppe commissions many special order through
Cold Steel, but I've never heard of Cold Steel making carbon steel (i.e.
rustable) San Mai III (trademark) steel. I don't they could still
call it San Mai III if they did. In my experience all Cold Steel Tantos
are 400 series stainless, including the Master Tanto (one of which I also
have), which has a harder piece of steel sandwiched between two springier
layers. All 3 layers are normally stainless steel.
+
+Price:
+ Retail Mail Mine
+Knife $200 $140
+Sheath $ 20 $ 20
+Harness
+-----------------------------------------------------
+ $220 $160 $ 85
+ (I pay shipping)
If this is really a San Mai III CS tanto then this is a very good price.
I payed $140.00 many years ago for the knife with just the basic leather
sheath (which sucks).othomas@athena.mit.edu (Oliver J. Thomas) (06/19/91)
#I know that the Cutlery Shoppe commissions many special order through #Cold Steel, but I've never heard of Cold Steel making carbon steel (i.e. #rustable) San Mai III (trademark) steel. I don't they could still #call it San Mai III if they did. In my experience all Cold Steel Tantos #are 400 series stainless, including the Master Tanto (one of which I also #have), which has a harder piece of steel sandwiched between two springier #layers. All 3 layers are normally stainless steel. My impression was that only the center layer was Stainless Steel, but then I never bothered to check up on it... Thanks for the correction! You heard it here first, folks! A great knife and practically carefree,too! #If this is really a San Mai III CS tanto then this is a very good price. #I payed $140.00 many years ago for the knife with just the basic leather #sheath (which sucks). Sure is. I found that compared to my other "cuttlery tools" I don't use the Tanto that much. It looks pretty menacing and gets a lot of strange comments in a "civil" environment. As for the price, I'm really more concerned that it doesn't end up in someone's back yard helping to dig up flowerbeds, but if you would LIKE to pay more, no objections! Thanks for the info and words of support, Robert. Oliver
othomas@athena.mit.edu (Oliver J. Thomas) (06/19/91)
It's sold! I got a lot of requests for it, and, in the spirit of fairness, I'll start the bidding at $100! Just kidding. Earliest date/time stamp got it. (Yep, I did convert all times to EDT...) Congratulations, Edward. Everyone else, I'm sorry, but I only had one! Do, if you don't already have one, get the catalog from The Cuttlery Shoppe. They have a pretty good selection, and the Master Tanto is a very good knife, so you might consider buying it from them anyway... Once again, thanks to everyone who responded, Oliver