Chris Reeve and William Henry

Q

Quy4n8

Joined
Nov 27, 2002
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I have asked about classy pocket knives before, but I believe I have narrowed it down to either a CKR Mnandi or one of the larger WH’s (T-10 or T-12 series). What are your thoughts about the quality of either. Since there aren’t any local stores that carry them, I am going blind into this and I usually like to see what I am getting. If for no other reason than how they feel in my hand. What are you opinions as to comfort and more importantly, fit, finish, overall quality, etc. I know from doing a number of searches that CRK seems to be as good as it gets for a production knife, what about William Henry, are they the equal or close to CRK? Any and all thoughts are most appreciated.

Richard
 
Richard,

First off - two fine choices. Both knives are light weight and great looking. Both can be opened with one hand. What made me choose the Mnandi over Wm Henry was:

1. The Mnandi is a more attractive knife.
2. Mnandi seemed sturdier, with wood inlays over frame lock construction. The WH felt more flimsy and the lock too delicate.
3. Mnandi clip is more low profile - looks like a pen clip. Mnandi sits lower in the pocket than the WH.
4. I prefer S30-V blade steel. IIRC, WH is 154CM.
 
Both are outstanding. I have an Mnandi. A T-10 is next on my list. The Mnandi has a more solid lock, this may, or may not play a big role in your decision. It all depends on your intended use for this knife.

CRK and WH are, IMHO, the two finest production outfits in the world.

Paul
 
The Mnandi is far more robust than any of the WH liner lock designs. Not just the lock design, but also the pivot area.

The WH's are certainly faster to open via a thumb stud - the Mnandi is able to be one hand opened, but it takes more mental attention.

There is no issue on the clip, the WH's clips are marginal at best if you are looking at the carbon fiber models. The nicer bone or pearl ones don't have a clip and then you will need to use a clip case. I never found either the T-10 or T-12 to ride comfortably in my pocket unclipped.

The Mnandi on the other hand has one of if not the very best clip designs on the planet. I think it is perfect in every way - appearance, placement, tension, overall function.

The Mnandi is going to be more expensive than the T-10 or T-12 designs (street price).

Is there any reason you have ruled out the WH Monarch or Westcliff series? They are a real advance over the T-10 and T-12 designs.
 
Attractive is in the eye of the beholder, I like the WH's looks better than I do a Mnandi, With the Mnandi you have a nail nick instead of a easy opening thumb stud. The Mnandi has a integral frame lock that is great but there is nothing "weak" about a W&H liner lock or the scales, You have a Ti frame with carbon fiber scales both extremely strong, light weight materials so I don't think you going to have a problem there, especially with a gents knife, neither the Mnandi or the WH's are tactical pry bars.

If you like the look of carbon fiber but don't like a liner lock WH does have the new button locks (not Mattlock) in CF, Ti and pearl so you now have multiple choices from WH.

As for the clip both have nice sturdy clips, both are Titanium.

I own a WH T-12BT and have never had a problem with lock or clip strength. The anodized clip on the T-12 is very nice looking against the CF also.

I think both your choices here are good ones, what it boils down to is which one do you like the look of best? and maybe even price of them. What decided it for me last year when I was looking was simple the thumb stud vs. the nail nick, I preferred the thumb stud. Although I did buy a CRK Small Sebbie and love it enough it's become a regular EDC for me.
 
I've had both, sold the WH. Kept the Mnandi. Both are great knives, but as others have the said the Mnandi is the better overall knife. I think the T-12 (3")is more knife than the Mnandi (2.75"), but you won't miss it.
 
I too have owned both a WH T-10 and an Mnandi. I still have the Mnandi. I'll make my case but I fear I will simply repeat what has already been said.

First off I like the clip on the Mnandi much better. It is tip up allowing for more discreet carry which I prefer, it's retention is much better and it is more substantial.

Secondly, I prefer the S30V blade over the WH blade. The Mnandi's blade geometry makes it much more durable and tougher, IMHO.

Thirdly, I prefer the ergonomics of the Mnandi handle to that of the WH in question. The shape seems to conform to the contours of my hand more readily. In my opinion, if a knife doesn't feel good in your hand it isn't going to be effective.

Either way I'm sure you'll be pleased but I personally think you should go with the Mnandi.
 
I loved my Mnandi, but it was just too small for me! Have you considered the W/H Quest knife? I got a damascus model at this years IWA show in Germany and it is very nice. No pocket clip though, you need a cliped pocket sheath.
 
The General said:
I loved my Mnandi, but it was just too small for me!
Click to expand...

IMO, the Mnandi is the better knife for the reasons given above.

I just received my Left Handed Mnandi and I must say it's small and very thin.

I like it and will keep it, but I have large hands and without the thumb stud it's very difficult to open one handed for me.

I would definetly handle one before buying.
 
Mnandi is 6" overall for a folding blade I would say that is not small at all. :eek:
 
Two more pluses for the mnandi, it is far more durable than the WH T-10. I have carried one as an EDC, and I mean just about every day, and it is very difficult to tell it from a new one. The other plus is the CRK service department, which will nearly refinish it for $50 or so. That price may be a little high, because I had a damascus mnandi that I bought used, and had it re-etched.

That being said, I have to re-iterate (since someone already mentioned it)that I would seriously consider the new button-lock B5 or B7 series. If you want the clip, you can go with either Ti or carbon fiber. If you want fancy, you can get damascus or pearl, or wood. There are a SLEW of options with the button-locks, and I would seriosly consider them since I've been carrying BOTH now for a few months (the B5 is a "hot-rodded" auto conversion). My B5 is Ti with a damascus blade and can be had for about the same price as a mnandi. For a "true user" I would forgo the damascus, the standard is ATS-34, which IMHO is very comparable to S30V. The biggest advantage of s30v over ats-34 is corrosion resistence. There might be slight bit of edge retention advantage as well, but ats-34, in my experience is a bit easier to sharpen. Either way, they are all excellent knives.
 
I have two WH knives that are my workday EDC's. I needed something lightweight that won't weigh down business attire. I looked at CRK and the only negative I found was the nail nick as opposed to WH's thumbstud. As other's have mentioned, you won't be disappointed with either.

I liked the look of the WH cf & titanium line. They are beauties and in carbon fiber are truly featherweights, barely noticeable in the pocket. I own a Kestrel, 1.9" blade, liner lock, anodized blue clip & liner. This one is the smaller of the two. It's robust enough for an office environment. My other WH is the Monarch B5, ~2.5" blade, very cool button lock and also weighs in under 1 oz. This one has a black clip.

If you are interested, click the link in my sig for additional WH pics. The link takes you to my knife collection gallery, just click on the william henry gallery and then each photo can be viewed in full size. Lastly, I'd highly recommend Spoon River Knives for your WH needs.

http://spoonrivercutlery.com/

Monarch B5-CF

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Kestrel T09-CF

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