The S&W TANTO KNIFE by Tyr Neilsen

As I sit high up in the forest and hills beside the Drammen fjord and talk about knives with Norwegian knife expert Bjørn Ingebrigtsen, the conversation veers seamlessly from modern to ancient knives, from the classics to the innovative, and from expensive custom made to inexpensive but functional knives.

“The best knife is the one that you have when you need one,” Bjørn says over a coffee, “so its good to know what you might need a knife for.” Bjørn should know, he owns and runs Gammelt og Nytt (Old and New), Norway’s foremost knife specialist store. “All types of knives are sold in the store,” he continues, “in order to cater to the wide variety of needs and wants of all customers.

Knowing that there are many general and specific knives on the market and that there is no easy answer to the question, I asked Bjørn if he could recommend a good sturdy knife for a reasonable price. “I get asked this question a lot,” Bjørn says thoughtfully, “and I always have to ask, what do you need the knife for?” After a moment of consideration, Bjørn said “Try this,” and handed me a knife from the selection he had with him.

The knife was a Smith & Wesson SW7S Tactical Tanto knife. This tough and cool knife is based on the Japanese Tantō, which was originally a short sword that could be used as a knife by the samurai class of feudal Japan.

The tantō was created partway into the Heian period (794 to 1185), when it was mainly used as a stabbing weapon. At the beginning of the Kamakura period (1185 to 1333) tantō were forged to be more aesthetically pleasing and over the centuries this knife has evolved in design to become more ornate.

I have been fascinated by Japanese knives since I was a teenager, and have been continually fascinated by the way this type of knife has developed. The tanto is often called a tactical knife, meaning it is a knife with one or more military (martial) features.

Although tactical knives were principally designed as utility tools, such knives are often used in extreme situations as a weapon. The tanto is renowned for its sharply angled blade tip that resembles a chisel point. This point is famous for its strength and how much power it has behind it.

The Smith & Wesson SW7S Tactical Tanto knife is 10.6 inches (26.9 cm) in overall length. The partially serrated fixed blade is 5.2 inches (13.2 cm) and made of titanium coated solid 9Cr17 steel. The knife weighs only 8.5 ounces (241g) and has a very nice ergonomic rubber handle with finger grooves and blade guards.

For the last 170 years, the Smith & Wesson company has been known for the quality of its products and for being an innovative leader of the industry. The company started when two friends, Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson, became business partners in the early 1850’s, and had a massive success with the Model 3 American, the world’s first caliber cartridge revolver.

In 1974, Smith & Wesson started manufacturing knives, a natural progression for a company in the safety and security business. A lot of the Smith & Wesson knives cater to the police and military for rescue and tactical purposes. These knives can also double as good EDC options (Every-Day-Carry). Today, Smith & Wesson knives have a very loyal following due to their good quality and general low-cost.

I really like the sleek design and feel of the Smith & Wesson SW7S Tactical Tanto knife. It is sharp out of the box, durable, nicely balanced and I have to agree with Bjørn, it’s a damn good knife for the price.

The Viking seax, also called the “Viking hunting knife” and “Viking fighting knife”, had a variety of blade styles, and there are many different types of tanto blades that are similiar to seax blades. This S&W tanto is ‘similiar’ to the Wheeler type IV/II seax, which has a short clipped tip and a ‘broken back’ top edge that angles down to the tip.

It is possible to buy a Viking seax from a professional knife specialist or at a Viking market, but these can be difficult to obtain or expensive. Until there is large scale production of ‘Viking’ seaxes, the S&W tanto will do just fine.

Bjørn Ingebrigtsen is the owner of Gammelt og Nytt (Old and New), Norway’s foremost knife specialist store. For many years Bjørn had his own weekly article called Ukens Knivskarpe (Sharp Knives of the Weeek) in the extremely popular Norwegian magazine Vi Menn (We Men).

Link to Gammelt og Nytt’s website S&W page: https://gn.no/sok?search=s%26w