Dojo Pro 1060 Steel Tanto #1

My favorite of the Ronin Tanto. Clean lines, smooth flats, always razor sharp, decent fittings, tsuka ito is more tight than on the tantos with black lacquered samegaway. The only downside I have noticed is the fit of blade to saya can have some rattle, but I notice this with all the models of tanto sold by ronin, about half will fit perfectly and about half will either be too tight or a bit too loose. In the case of too tight, it often loosens up with use, in the case of too loose, it can be easily fixed with glue and a (extremely thin) shim. In either case I is well worth the current $65 price tag.

I have purchased over a dozen of these tantos as military achievement and retirement gifts. The quality is top notch. The one exception was this recent order when one of the blades was a full inch shorter than the identical model and fit loosely in the scabbard. I was disappointed and reluctant to give it as a gift and hope this is an anomaly as the other thirteen I purchased were great.

Great tanto for fraction of its value cant go wrong, and Ronin has been extremely helpful and communicative, real mvps.

Great quality tanto, mine was quite sharp and was furnished beautifully, I'm very happy and for the price it's hard to beat

Some imperfections or mars in the fuller, but the blade is sharp, fittings are tight. If it weren’t for the visible flaws on the steel it would be a five-star product for display as well as use.

It’s a great Tanto for the price. Nice and sharp. The wrap is tight. A little lose in the Saya but for the price I can’t complain.

This tanto has a great size and shape with well-put together fittings, excluding the saya, which has a lot of rattle that I am not pleased with, and it could have come a little sharper than it did. However, at a quarter of the price of a Dojo Pro wakizashi, the money saved justifies the few flaws worth pointing out. Fantastic, Ronin.

This is an extremely well made knife. All the furnishings are very solidly put together and the blade fits in the saya quite securely. I could even hold it upside down and shake it a bit and it would not fall out. the blade is much sharper than many others I have received in the past straight out of the box, but I'd still recommend sharpening it up a tad bit more. Overall, this is an incredible piece with quality several times its price point. I have a friend's birthday coming up soon, so I will definitely be purchasing more of these blades quite soon!

The most important thing to stress is that, at $65, the Tanto #1 is a steal. Getting something that isn't a toy for $65 is surprising, and getting something decently made and usable for that price is fantastic. I own a Dojo Pro Musashi katana that I absolutely love, so I know what Ronin is capable of producing, and I have to say that if I had paid the $125 MSRP, I'd be a bit disappointed. BIG PROS: --Like the katana, the ito is tightly wrapped and symmetrical, no play whatsoever. --There's no rattling or play anywhere when the tanto is out of the saya. --The blade arrives sharp but definitely benefited from stropping. --The balance and weight are excellent. --The bo-hi is a bit odd but not a problem. I think I'd rather have it than not. --The saya is basic but decently made --The habaki fits tightly into the koiguchi. --Shipping was fast, packaging was excellent, and communication from Ronin was first-rate. MINOR CONS (sorry, the site won't let me post pix): --The samegawa is badly fitted against the fuchi, humping up like a carpet cut too long, and I'm pretty sure it's plastic and not ray skin. --Both shitodome at the kashira weren't fully fitted in and had to be worked in carefully with pliers & a rubber mallet. --Though the habaki fits snugly into the koiguchi, the blade is very loose in the saya, and it's easy to make it bang from side to side by moving the tsuka. --The sageo is a complete afterthought, but I didn't expect anything else. --Like the Dojo Pro katana, wax from inside the saya rubs against the blade when sheathing. This went away after a few weeks with the katana, and I expect it will here, too. --Paint overspray just inside the koiguchi rubs off onto the habaki, so I keep cleaning it. I don't want to sand it off the wood because I want the fit to stay tight. I imagine this will diminish over time as well. I haven't cut anything with it & I'm not sure I will, so I can't comment on it in that regard. I'm pretty sure it would ruin someone's day if you needed it to. Given the above criticisms, I think it's important to reiterate that this is an absolutely fantastic tanto for $65 direct from roninkatana.com, but not for twice that. You're definitely buying this for the blade and not the fittings. I'm very happy I bought mine.