sabena vs william henrey

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Aug 18, 2004
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hey i was wondering if any of the william henry carbon fiber knives can compare to a sabenza
 
Welcome to Bladeforums!

NOTHING can compare to a Sebenza. :D But William Henry makes some very nice gentleman's knives.
 
Two different kinds of cat. The standard Sebbie is an excellent EDC for jeans and a Tee shirt. The William Henry is an excellent EDC for shirt and tie.
 
Don't know about the carbon handled ones but I picked up my first WH the other day. It has a black pearl inlay and is a warncliff(sp?) blade. I forgot the exact model num. What I noticed about this one:
1)sharp corners, mainly the inside of the liners
2) this one is a lockback and the lockup wasn't done very well, you can run your finger across the back when it's closed and you can't feel the lock bar but when it's opened and locked into position it rides just a bit higher than the scales which is irritating in a new knife.

If this is any indication about the rest of the WHs I would buy a sebbie every time. What I would actually compare the WHs to though would be the CRK Mnandi and the Mnandi still beats the WHs in fit and finish IMHO. Maybe I just got a dud though too so YMMV.

OilMan
 
I did'nt know WH made any lock back folders.I had one of their earlier models,I beleive it was the T-12 model?It had wood scales.I would'nt compare it with CRK at all.I also checked out some of WH's other models at some shows.They were all well made but they are so light it gave me a feeling of cheapness.Maybe its a bias on my part but they felt like if I gave them any hard work they would bend or break.I just did'nt have confidence in them.I could be wrong but thats the impression I got.On the other hand CRK folders say to me give me anything you got and they will handle it. :D
 
ROBB said:
I did'nt know WH made any lock back folders.I had one of their earlier models,I beleive it was the T-12 model?It had wood scales.I would'nt compare it with CRK at all.I also checked out some of WH's other models at some shows.They were all well made but they are so light it gave me a feeling of cheapness.Maybe its a bias on my part but they felt like if I gave them any hard work they would bend or break.I just did'nt have confidence in them.I could be wrong but thats the impression I got.On the other hand CRK folders say to me give me anything you got and they will handle it. :D
Click to expand...

I didn't want to say it felt cheap for the same reason but since you said it I will second it. I actually bought the one I have cause I couldn't find the right T-12. Don't know if I'd buy a T-12 now though.

OilMan
 
The lockback WHs are not made by Matt Conable and his crew. They are imported from Seki City in Japan. I'm surprised that the lockback is not tight. You send it back to WH, I'm sure they will fix it or replace it.
 
OilMan, I wouldn't base all your perceptions of WH Knives on this particular knife (the black pearl/lockback). It's not made in the USA as most of their higher end ones are. This one is sold by A.G. Russell, IIRC, and may not be the top quality that can be expected from their Made-in-USA hand finished ones. (nothing against A.G. Russell implied)

The good ones are slim, and compact, as well as light, but don't let that fool you. They are tough. They wouldn't win Blade awards for manufacturing quality, if they weren't. It seems like WH, and CRK keep trading off the Blade award, with CRK having won a few times more for their Sebenzas.

Yes, it's apples to oranges, but if you like fruit salad, get them both. I believe they are the top of thier fields, and you can't go wrong with them, just be sure to get the in-country WH's.

DD

(looks like Anthony was posting simultaneously with me, beat me to the punch) :)
 
I thought CRK won the manufacturing quality award for the last 5 straight years. Did WH ever win?
 
Outline,
I don't own any WH's, but I've bought a few for gifts and have handled them quite a bit. They are very well made, elegent gents knives. I do own and regularly use CRK Sebenzas. They feel sturdier and tougher to me. The WH would be better compared to the Mnandi from CRK IMHO. All wonderfull knives that will give you years of use and enjoyment. If you don't like what you end up with, sell it, trade it, or best of all, give it to a friend or loved one. That's one of the true joys of knife collecting for me.

Have fun,
John...
 
I thought they did, at one time, or another. I do know they have won "Best Investment Knife"

I don't keep too close tabs on it, but I'm pretty sure they have won it in the past. If I'm wrong, you can keep that $15 I just paypal'd to ya'!;)

DD
 
outline said:
thanx, cause of this thread im leaning towards the sabenza now
Click to expand...


Well, first step would be to spell the name properly. Sebenza! Say it loud, and say it proud! SEBENZA! :)
 
As others have said a Sebbie vs. WH debate truly falls into the "Apples and Oranges" category when it comes to comparisons. Again, "as others have said", Mnandi vs. WH is much more appropriate but, IMNSHO, just as one sided. I got a WH T10-BT not too long after getting my first Mnandi and I was shocked, not to mention disappointed, by how much less substantial and trustworthy the WH felt in comparison to the Mnandi. If I were you I'd get an Mnandi or a small Sebbie. Those two knives make up 95% of my EDC rotation and I never feel like I am lacking anything when it comes to having an excellent and dependable matter separator on hand. :D ;)
 
In the last 5 years, William Henry did win a mfg quality award in between the 3(?) that CRK won, even Ti Knives won once. Im not going to comment on the sturdiness issue, but as for quality I do own a William Henry and I find their quality excellent. As mentioned earlier, keep in mind that quality does vary with WH's because some are made in Japan.
 
I think you should call up and see if you can get a limited edition sebenza with full (big) mammoth inlays. It would be pretty rare and you could show us the pix and we could drool over it. :p
 
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