In simple terms, the tang of the knife is the unsharpened, usually unexposed part of the blade that extends down the handle.

When a knife is said to have a full tang, this indicates that the solid piece of metal that constitutes the blade runs down the handle as well. A full tang knife relies in its structure and strength on a solid, continuous piece of metal.

The opposite of this is partial tang, where the blade only extends partially (usually very thinly) through the handle. As you can see in the images below, a full tang knife could just as well be used without a handle, and has a much more substantial profile than a partial-tang blade.

What are the advantages of having a full tang?

l A full tang allows for great balance and leverage capabilities, so if you use your knife a lot, then you want full tang.

l A full tang distributes weight more evenly along the knife, contributing to better balance, which can increase your level of confidence because it’s easier to manipulate. You’re not compensating for the imbalance.

l Full tang construction allows more force to be applied to the blade without a risk of the knife snapping at the bolster, which is the area of the knife where the blade transitions to the handle.

l Full tang knives also often have a bolster because it contributes to the blades counterbalance and tends to be close to the knife’s overall balance point. The thickness of the bolster often represents the thickness of the original piece of steel from which the blade was created.

You can clearly see why a full tang is necessary in any good survival or outdoors knife. There is just no way to bypass that. A full tang knife will always be a better option than a partial tang.