When shopping for knives or talking to a knife enthusiast, you may have come head the phrase full tang knife. And, it’s likely that you may not know what it means, especially if you’re new to knives. Below we’ll explore what knife tang is and clarify what a full tang knife is.
Knife tang refers to the extension of the blade into a knife handle.
A full tang knife has a tang which extends all the way to the end of the knife’s handle or grip. It may or may not cover the entire area of the handle, but a full tang knife will always have a tang which runs the entire length of the knife.
There are several other types of knife tangs and many different approaches to how the handle and knife blade are assembled. For clarity, let’s start by identifying the main parts of a knife.
Gerber’s StrongArm fixed blade knife is a good example of a full tang knife. Combat knives and survival knives like this one are often full tang as they are both strong and able to be used even if the handle was extremely damaged or missing altogether.
First, what are the parts of a knife?
A typical knife has several parts. The blade is composed of the point, the tip, the edge, spine, and heel. Between the handle and the blade, you will find the heel and the bolster. And for the handle, you will have the pins, handle scales and the tang.
How knife blades are attached to the handle
Each knife has a unique and special tang. And, the tang can be attached to the handle by several means including:
- Embedding
- With glue
- By injected material
- Using a screw or screws
- Rivets
It’s also common for more than one of these methods to be used.
Knife tang types
There are different types of knives, depending on the position of the tang in it. We’ve already defined what full tang is: The extended part of the blade – the tang – is entirely in the handle. A tang that reaches half of the handle (or a quarter, or less) is called a partial tang.
The name given to the tang for any knife will allow us to identify the shape and the length of it in the handle. Below are some of these names:
- Encapsulated tang
- Extended tang
- Full tang
- Hidden tang
- Push tang
- Rat-tailed tang
- Skeletonized tang
- Tapered tang
- 3/4 tang
Source: theknifehub.comTo simplify things, these have been grouped into two large families:
- The full tang knife
- The partial tang knife
Identifying what a full tang is
The full tang knife simply means that the blade will completely fill the surface of the handle. This type of tang is also called integral type tang. We could also call the full tang a monobloc knife. This is because even without a handle, you will be able to handle it like any other knife (even though the handle still provides better grip and more comfort and safety).
In this specific case, the handle is fixed either by injection (the technique of injected material that is very expensive in small series), rivets, screws and sometimes, in the old days, using a simple wire.
The half/partial tang knife
The partial tang knife means that the tang of the blade will partially fill the surface of the handle. It can fill a small part of the handle, like half, a thin part of the handle, the ¾ of the handle (3/4 tang knife) but still not fill it at all. A good example of this type of knife is a folding knife.
Rambo knives (also called commando knives) sometimes have a compartment in the handle. In some, you can store some materials in the small compartment. But those kinds of knives are less robust than their full tang knife counterpart. The blade, and therefore the knife being compromised to give a storage compartment, will affect the robustness of the knife without possible regard since the blade is fixed only to the upper part of the handle.
The fact remains that there is always a greater risk of wear with half tang than with a full tang. You won’t be able to use these knives for the same job. Or at least not as frequently as a full tang.
Of course, these knives will also be very useful for you. But to be certain of having a reliable tool that is easily usable even if the handle breaks, full tang remains the best option.
The handle of a full tang knife
For full tang knives, several options are possible to add to it. It can be simply glued, hot inserted, or mounted on a rivet – all this with more or less noble materials. It can also be molded directly. If the technique is well done, it is a perfect knife for those who cook or use it for food in general. They guarantee ease of washing and perfect hygiene.
Be careful, however. Opt for solid materials, a well-integrated handle, in order to have a reliable tool.
Materials used to make the blades of full-tang knives
Two types of steel are generally used by full tang knife manufacturers to make the blades:
- Stainless steel
- Carbon steel
There has always been a debate over which of the two types of steel is the better. We will list the differences between these popular steels.
Stainless steel types
Unfortunately, stainless steel often misleads us. From its name, we are led to believe that this steel does not rust. It just isn’t so. A knife type made of stainless steel will rust like any normal steel, but the difference is that it will rust much less easily. Therefore, full tang knives with stainless steel blades are most often appreciated for their rust-free longevity.
Carbon steel types
From another point of view, the knives in carbon steel type have much longer blades than their counterpart with a stainless blade. They are much easier to sharpen, but rust much faster.
And that’s what you need to know about the types of steel. You can, of course, make research on steels a little further, but the differences will be in terms of the hardness of the steel and its ability to resist rust.
The handle of a full tang knife and its comfort
The quality of a full tang or survival knife handle is very important and should not be underestimated. When choosing this type of knife, you need to make sure that the handle is comfortable. In a way, the handle of your knife should allow a perfect grip. It must also be of an appropriate size and above all be shaped for an easy and comfortable grip.
Nowadays, manufacturers produce knives with several types of materials. It includes various plastics, wood (generally of quality), but also composite materials such as carbon fiber, kevlar, aramid fibers, fiberglass, and many others.
The pommel, the end of the handle, is also very important. It can be used as a ‘hammer’. For example, the Ka-Bar Becker BK2 Companion Knife is known to have a powerful knob, allowing it to be used as a hammer. You can help yourself with the knob to pitch your tent, soften meat, or break a few pieces of glass.
Several knives are manufactured with a hole on the pommel. This hole allows you to attach your full tang knife to your belt using a very resistant rope, such as a mountaineer’s rope. In this case, your military knife will not risk falling or being lost. Some knife models are sold with three holes in the handle. These holes were for a very special reason. They are used to attach the blade to a solid stick. This will allow you to use them as a spear to catch fish.
Advantages and disadvantages of full tang
The greatest asset of a full tang knife is its solidity. In one piece, it is more robust and will allow you to use it in all circumstances.
Compared to folding knives, you will not have safety concerns in the event of work that would need an application of force with the knife. There is no risk of it bending. The blade is well fixed and has stability compared to a partial tang.
The handle of the partial tang can also break. It is then very complicated to repair it, especially in the wilderness, and even more to use it. A full tang will be less likely to see its handle break. And, if it was, you will have the whole handle, which you can tinker for better grip. Very practical, you can put a rope around the handle to act as a handle.
However, these are its only drawbacks. It can be heavier and bulkier than its partial full tang and folding knife counterparts.
The general uses of full-tang knives
We saw that the manufacturing in full tang was more solid. This quality makes it a multifunctional tool. This will allow you to carry out more work without fear of breakage.
As a survival tool in hostile environments, you can use them to make a fire, eat and make some tools and utensils. With a full tang knife, they will be more comfortable for heavy-duty tasks such as cutting wood, cutting all kinds of things (ropes, leaves), hunting, or even skinning. There is no risk of the handle coming off the blade. They are more stable, which is much more practical when using them for tinkering. Thus, cutting wood chips, foliage, or even cutting branches for shelter will be simpler and safer.
The other full tang weapons
The knife is not the only tool to be made of a single block. Many tools, including weapons useful for survival, are also made this way. Among them are:
- The hatchet: Very useful, a full tang hatchet guarantees that the handle will not stay in your hands, and the blade in the wood. The handle is often covered with a cord for a better grip.
- The ax: This is the same as for the hatchet.
- The machete: This is another very practical tool, with handles also designed for your comfort.
- The daggers: These have the same elements as the knife.
- The katana
Advice for choosing between a full tang or partial tang knife
All knives have their place in the industry. The difference to take into account before buying a knife is its future use. So where and how are you going to use your knife?
If you are going to use your knife as survival equipment, then choose a full tang knife. You can count on this knife to deal with rather difficult and unusual situations.
It will also allow you to provide optimal resistance to unexpected shocks such as digging, cutting wood, butchering an animal and others. Partial tangs are known to be much weaker and in many cases can break under sustained pressure.
Fixed blade or full-tang knives are more robust than those with a partial blade. The reason is simple. Our advice is, therefore, to select a full tang if you really need a knife for heavy uses or want to survive in hostile environments. Full tangs are manufactured specifically for use in difficult and often perilous conditions.
Even if we look much more towards a fixed blade, let’s not forget the partial tang knives. They will be very useful and can be a good compromise if you use it only occasionally and in lower intensity conditions. It will surely do the trick. Either way, it’s better to have a knife than to have none!
Conclusion
The choice of full tang is not aesthetic, and its advantages are not imaginary. Compared to other manufacturing methods, a full tang is distinguished by a reasonable price for a quality tool.
As you can see, the concept has been extended to many weapons and many tools. They will have the same qualities, the same solidity as the knife. These qualities are essential in the world of survival. You need hard-wearing equipment you can count on that can be versatile and perform jobs that require more power.
