SHARP in Reverse
In general terms, a knife profile isn’t something that seems like it should be reversed. The American tanto* blade pattern, commonly seen on modern tactical and combat knives, is a modified version of the somewhat longer and more flowing traditional Japanese tanto. While there are variations, the American tanto blade features a hard angle in the belly curve up to the shallow, chisel-ground tip.
A reverse tanto profile keeps the hard angle of the tanto profile but moves it to the spine, thus "reversing" the conventional tanto style. This edge profile doesn’t usually have as harsh of an angle on the spine; on a tanto the tip usually curves up, akin to the larger katana profile. By flipping the edge over, the tip is brought into a straighter line with the hand and offers a
