So, you're considering a William Henry...

[Padron26]

I'd venture to say that of all the lock types available on folding knives, the button lock is probably near the bottom in terms of strength. Given that William Henry uses button locks on the vast majority of their models (if not all of their current models), it doesn't surprise me that a daily user would develop blade play over time. None of my William Henry knives has ever developed blade play, but then I rotate them frequently with my other EDCs and I don't use them for anything that would begin to approach the category of what most would consider "hard use". They are, after all, "gentlemen's" knives to be used for gentlemanly kinds of tasks such as opening letters, cutting up fruit, slicing cheese and the like. Perhaps that's why a "heavy" William Henry knife such as the OP's B12 weighs around 2 ounces. Having said that, have you ever returned any of your William Henrys to the factory for repair? They do carry a limited lifetime warranty, you know. Here's a link to their repair form if you want to send yours in:

No i havent sent any of them in for service, the last one that i carried everyday will get sent to them. And im sure itll get alot of pocket time when i get it back.
Im sure if i held the op's new knife it would be difficult not to buy it. Looks good

 

[chiral.grolim]

I'd venture to say that of all the lock types available on folding knives, the button lock is probably near the bottom in terms of strength.

What do you base that assertion on???

Button-lock strength tests:

[video=youtube;VcQN-oIZseM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcQN-oIZseM[/video]

[video=youtube;yJ1moCHqa6E]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ1moCHqa6E[/video]

[video=youtube;sSB9fFz6TN8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSB9fFz6TN8[/video]

I wouldn't go trying those tests on a William-Henry as the knife was not designed for it, but I have a de-assisted Gerber Propel that can take a beating similar to those Hogues. The button-lock is NOT weak. Keep it real

 

[brownshoe]

Button locks are very strong and reliable. Just hard to deal with if you take apart your knife Benchmade's USG switchblades use button locks and they are for military use.

I have an older model, William Henry Tracker. It's a great tough knife. I use it in the kitchen, wash it with soap and water and dry with a towel. I like the fact it has a sheath rather than a clip, makes it easier on the hands when using it. It also keeps the knife closed. The only "flaw" with the WH button lock, is it is designed to be defeated with the thumb for opening, just like a liner lock's ball detent. I use the sheath, so it will never open accidentally, but if I was to put it loose in the pocket, I'd not put anything else in the pocket.

Mine has at least as good fit and finish as CRK. I like the actual "finish" because their Ti finish is very durable and does not show scratches like CRK. One thing WH does with their all-Ti handles is scallop out the back side to make them even lighter. This is a touch that very few other makers employ to lighten the load.

 

[bld522]

I wouldn't go trying those tests on a William-Henry as the knife was not designed for it, but I have a de-assisted Gerber Propel that can take a beating similar to those Hogues. The button-lock is NOT weak. Keep it real

Fair enough. I stand (happily) corrected.

 

[James Longstreet]

Hello everbody,

thanks for sharing the pics, your experience and your opinons on WH. I am absolutely in line with all bld552 is saying. I have 3 WH. One old T12, those days equiped with liner lock instead of nowadays button lock and with ATS 34 blade steel. The other 2 WH are newer ones and some of you would regard them as the "jewelery type of knife".

The point I find difficult when it comes to WH knives is that whenever one of the well known knifemakers is using exclusive materials like damascus, mokume, fossil material, you name it, everybody uses wordings like "amazing", "fantastic", "wonderful" and nobody is declining its functionality as a knife. If WH is using exclusive materials people tend to put in a kind of "polite negative" description like "juwelery". The statement behind this word is "you know. Not really a knife. Just decoration"......

I think this is not only not fair, but also completely wrong. Since anchient times people made and carried great handcraftet masterpieces, for instance think about fantastic japanese katana. Besides being pretty and showing the status of the owner, they still could do the job in terms of cutting. Definitely! Same with WH. Their owners are sharing a high respect for such perfect handcraft and a sense for elegant design. I think that is the main reason for most of the WH owners/collectors. But also WH knives will do every job a gentleman folder is supposed to do. I believe I am able to judge, owing 12 large Sebenza and 3 WH. But the Sebenza, even the small Sebenza, is a knife designed for hard use, without having to accept any compromise. I would even use the word "tool". Chris Reeve developed the Sebenza to be the perfect and most reliable folder. The "fancy stuff" like wood, mammoth and so on has been added later, not "disturbing" the functionality. I think the policy of WH is a different one, trying to combine superb knife functionality with an exclusive selection of materials and maximum elegance.

So quality of both knives, WH and CR, is excellent and in terms of fit and finish on par, maybe even with advantages for WH.

Stefan

 

[timberweasel]

I find that the button lock on mine is more than adequate for the knife. No play in any direction. Zero. :thumbup:

But as I mentioned, the action on my B12 felt... crunchy. There was a small hitch when thumbing open the blade which quickly developed into a full-blown snag. The button lock inner mechanism would catch on the tang and the blade wouldn't open without actually depressing the button. I poured the graphite to it and fixed the problem but, honestly, if I knew less about knives, mine would have been sent back as a lemon. As I only own one WH, it is impossible for me to say if this is typical of the brand or their lock, but it was there on mine and I have to be honest.

-Brett

 

[timberweasel]

(...)So quality of both knives, WH and CR, is excellent and in terms of fit and finish on par, maybe even with advantages for WH.

Thanks for the input, Stefan! I don't think that I'm really qualified to comment, given my limited experience with William Henry. I would agree that both companies make excellent knives.

-Brett

 

[Jasonsdman]

I had blade play on my "new" B15 when I bought it from an unauthorized dealer. I emailed WH customer service, and they said to just send it in. Within a week I got the knife back with no blade play whatsoever. It was still smooth enough to fall freely when I press the button. Amazing customer service IMO.

 

[rodblder]

I currently have over 150 william henrys in my collection, started collecting them in 1999. Have carried one for over 10 yrs, a damascus all titanium b5 that looks similar to the atlas, use it daily, and never have had a problem with it or had to disassemble it like so many CRK owners seem to have to do. Use it in salt water all summer, no problem, zdp 189 blade still holds an edge nicely. Have carried others, with no problems. I believe the fit and finish is second to none in production knives.
I also have 21 mnandi and 1 small seb, don't care for the seb, prefer the gentlemans knife hence the mnandis. The mnandi is similar in size to the current WH b10 or older liner lock t10 of which I have many. The mnandi which is nice(or I wouldn't have 21 of them, does not compare imo, to the fit and finish of the william henrys. Can't understand why crk doesn't go to teflon washers like WH uses and are so smooth and trouble free-i've never oiled mine. here are some of my safe queens.... View attachment 522699 Different strokes for different folks...............

 

[Padron26]

I didn't mean to have this thread overtaken cause i said my WH had blade play.
I should have also mentioned that mine had alot of use. And when they were new they were perfect. I didnt get any play in them until at least a year and a half maybe 2 years of daily use.

And when i say blade play it is only back and forth. Not side to side play. If that makes any difference and to clarify.
Mine were always cleaned and debri free.

 

[rodblder]

couple more for the bling crowd...........

 

[timberweasel]

I didn't mean to have this thread overtaken cause i said my WH had blade play (...)

I'm glad you mentioned it. We're having a pretty civil discussion here and I think it's important to mention the good with the not-so-good. Might help someone else make an informed purchasing decision. :thumbup:

-Brett

 

[timberweasel]

couple more for the bling crowd...........

View attachment 522706View attachment 522706

You got some mighty purdy knives, mister! A fine collection! :thumbup:

-Brett

 

[Padron26]

If i could find another local WH dealer im sure id have one within a few days.
I was rather disappointed when the local dealer stopped carrying them. I asked them why they said '' we had them for a few years and only sold maybe 4 of them'' i respônded,well three were from me. They couldnt believe it.

The shop is aimed more towards hunting long guns hand guns and and bows. So i could see there reasoning.

 

[bld522]

If i could find another local WH dealer im sure id have one within a few days.
I was rather disappointed when the local dealer stopped carrying them. I asked them why they said '' we had them for a few years and only sold maybe 4 of them'' i respônded,well three were from me. They couldnt believe it.

The shop is aimed more towards hunting long guns hand guns and and bows. So i could see there reasoning.

I think it takes a special kind of dealer to carry WHs successfully. I'm lucky in that I have both a local dealer and a nationally-recognized dealer (Plaza Cutlery) close to me that carry them. Nice thing is that William Henry's QC is generally spot on and their warranty covers anything you might find in the way of a defect in materials or workmanship. So if you find a WH that appeals to you and you purchase it from an authorized dealer, you should be good to go.

 

[Padron26]

Ive looked online and seen a few that i liked, its hard to make a decision on one without actually holding it.
With all the knives ive bought there has only been a couple that ive bought without seeing in person.
You can only get so much from a picture.

 

[brownshoe]

With William Henry, Matt Conable is the primary designer of the brand. He paid his dues for many years working with David Boye and came up with a new business model for high end knives. David Boye is one of the pioneers of custom knife making and one of the first to turn it into a production business. The William Henry business model is different from all previous knife making business and highly successful which engenders some jealousy. AFAIK, William Henry is the only fully US company to use ZDP steel. AGRussell uses it, but the knives are made by a Japanese owned company in their US plant. That's quite a business coup.

William Henry does not depend upon the "knife collecting crowd" for sales. They do not keep models open for years, runs are in the 100s or less. They keep a basic blade and handle design alive, but the rest changes. From what I've read, he has employees at a shop plus contracts specific artisans for some of more dramatic work. There has been very little press about how the business is actually run. Some "rumors" state that some of the artisans are also custom makers on their own.

To standard collectors, the knives are great, but don't have a "name" of a famous maker attached to them. There is not any "personal" contact involved in the sales, and you cannot order exactly what you want. The knives hold value, but cannot be flipped for extra profit. So for the denizens of the Custom subforum, the personal attention, the money making opportunity and the customized design is not available, thus William Henry is not their "cup of tea."

They are great knives. I can't speak of their customer service, because the two I have don't need it

 

[uofaengr]

With William Henry, Matt Conable is the primary designer of the brand. He paid his dues for many years working with David Boye and came up with a new business model for high end knives. David Boye is one of the pioneers of custom knife making and one of the first to turn it into a production business. The William Henry business model is different from all previous knife making business and highly successful which engenders some jealousy. AFAIK, William Henry is the only fully US company to use ZDP steel. AGRussell uses it, but the knives are made by a Japanese owned company in their US plant. That's quite a business coup.

William Henry does not depend upon the "knife collecting crowd" for sales. They do not keep models open for years, runs are in the 100s or less. They keep a basic blade and handle design alive, but the rest changes. From what I've read, he has employees at a shop plus contracts specific artisans for some of more dramatic work. There has been very little press about how the business is actually run. Some "rumors" state that some of the artisans are also custom makers on their own.

To standard collectors, the knives are great, but don't have a "name" of a famous maker attached to them. There is not any "personal" contact involved in the sales, and you cannot order exactly what you want. The knives hold value, but cannot be flipped for extra profit. So for the denizens of the Custom subforum, the personal attention, the money making opportunity and the customized design is not available, thus William Henry is not their "cup of tea."

They are great knives. I can't speak of their customer service, because the two I have don't need it

This is a good post.

I have one, an E6, and it was a special gift so I won't ever be getting rid of it. I was surprised at how small and light it was. I appreciate the quality, but I'd carry it maybe once a year to the most special of occasion, but that may be in part to not wanting to lose it due to the sentimental value. And I'll admit, day to day, I prefer something a tad more robust such as a small Sebenza. It probably won't be my last WH though.

 

[Franz_N]

William Henry knives are beautiful and very functional, they don't forget they are a high performance cutting tool, it has a premium steel and blade geometry for cutting.
I love mine, it's one of my top knives.

[/IMG]

They are just as amazing in their own right as CRK. Just a little more of a gentlemans knife, moreso than the CRK.

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

 

[Sonnydaze]

I think that the brand is fine...it's meant to be high-dollar. I've had two; sold one and gave one to one of my sons. Very excellent "packaging" in nice wooden box...and velvet. Yes, doesn't mean much once you put the knife into your pocket.
Nice ZDP-189 that is exceptionally sharp. It's very nice, but you need a small hand to hold onto it well, IMO.