What, No (Love For) William Henrys at BF? (With Pics)

RamZar said:
To this day, one of my favorite EDC folders is my WH B12 Atlas. 3" super-sharp blade of ZDP-189 laminate and weighs just over 2 ounces. Titanium handles and button lock. Very high-quality knives.

william-henry-b12-atlas-spearpoint-folding-knife-8.jpg
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I was looking at one of those as weekend carry. Very pretty Ram!!
 
I am not a fan of William Henry's, not completely sure why. It probably has to do with how overly done their designs are. I just don't like them. And the ones with the jewels on the thumbstuds? What? No. Just no.
 
Unfortunately I just cannot stand carrying knives tip-up.

I know, I miss a lot :(
 
RamZar said:
To this day, one of my favorite EDC folders is my WH B12 Atlas. 3" super-sharp blade of ZDP-189 laminate and weighs just over 2 ounces. Titanium handles and button lock. Very high-quality knives.

william-henry-b12-atlas-spearpoint-folding-knife-8.jpg
Click to expand...

Very cool. Thought it was a CRK for a second. It is more "gentlemanly" - handle at least.

Beautiful!

Eric
 
Not all WH are fancy. I think BF likes to think it represents the whole world of knives, but not really. WH just doesn't appeal to the vocal subgroups on this forum, such as ABS customs, Tactical customs, slipjoint customs, super folders, high overbuilt midtechs, etc.. People who frequent this forum have them, they just don't make noise about them, since its not their style.

WH's marketing is different, but successful and does not appeal to BF members. WH knives don't get "discontinued." Unlike other companies, WH makes only a set number of knives and when they sell, they are gone. They keep some basic frames around for a long time, but not any one particular knife design. They have yet to resurrect any specific knife and when the frame is gone, it's doesn't come back either. So WH doesn't build hype for a particular knife that then lasts for 25 years...think sebenza. That does not mean they do not innovate, but with existing technologies. They have put more button lock and ZDP knives on the market than most companies. Their innovation is in the excellent overall design and almost perfect craftsmanship, but not in a single maker "custom".
 
ATwistedStaple said:
Having a look at their website, the E series also seems to be discontinued. They seem to be shifting focus more toward their jewelry line.
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You're right, I just looked up their website, and it does appear that the selection of knives is both smaller, and "more fancy" than they were when I remember looking at them before.

It is somewhat sad, the E series does seem to be gone, which was what appealed to me most. While I like nicely constructed and good looking knives, I am also not into the "Jeweled thumbstuds" stuff either :/.
 
I like William Henry knives.. they are very well made and offer great customer service. The overbuilt tactical knives are just really popular right now and most of the market is directed towards that.
 
ATwistedStaple said:
Having a look at their website, the E series also seems to be discontinued. They seem to be shifting focus more toward their jewelry line.
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I just contacted them and they are not being discontinued. Here's what they said:

Hi brancron,

They have not been discontinued; we are waiting for our blade grinder to get blades to us. We hope to have them back online in July.

Please let me know if you have additional questions.

Thank you,

Bill
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The WH E6 & E10 EDC series are the closest knives they have to a production series and they sell a lot more of them. I have an E10-3 Carbon Fiber Inlay with a 3.25" D2 coated blade and aluminum handles. Very light. The E6 series have 2.75" blades.

Wish they made an in-between EDC series model with a 3" blade.

Edited to Add: Contacted WH about a 3" blade EDC model and they responded: "There are no plans at this time for a new model that fits your desired blade length.".

william-henry-edc-e10-3-carbon-fiber-inlay-folding-knife-12.jpg
 
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Jewelry and knives don't mix for me, so I do not prefer WH. And their knives look overly done for a gentleman as well, but that's just me. I prefer GEC and Northwoods instead for that "gentlemanly" appearance. :D
 
My guess is price mixed with more focus on looks than usability, not saying they aren't usable but I know most people on the forums seem to go for use first, looks come later until you get into the custom market. WH is kinda in the middle, great-looking production knives are cool but don't appeal to as many people as solid and usable knives for cheaper.
 
Don't let the looks of the WH knives fool you. They're highly functional and practical knives. My B12 Atlas is the best slicer I have approaching a surgical blade! :)
 
Simply put, William Henry makes some of the finest production knives on this or any other planet. In the case of William Henry knives, all that glitters IS gold!
 
WH is very good. If you haven't tried it, definitely get one in hand.

Plaza Cutlery in SoCal has a bunch of these in stock
 
Arggghhh!!!!!! I think I just found my grail knife! Must.... resist....

b30-longhorn-2_zpsctloz6f9.jpg
 
I have owned two of the E-Series and they were both very well made and beautiful knives. I just had trouble carrying such a nice knife, but that is my problem, not the knife. I am sure it would have handled my relatively light duty tasks. Since then I have overcome those concerns and may try another at some point.

Ramzar, that Atlas is stunning!
 
I don't like the sizes they use. They make beautiful knives, but nothing with a blade longer than 3 inches. They strike me as discrete, stylish knives that are perfect for anyone who wears a suit and tie to work. Most of their high end blades seem too delicate -- whether they are or not -- for EDC. Accidentally dropping change into my knife pocket would feel like a catastrophe. I really like their blade steels, though; they use a lot of beautiful copper San Mai Damascus with a ZDP-189 or VG-5 core. They also use really nice Mokume on their high-end, 1000$ knives. You've gotta love Mokume. Fancy.

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Sikael said:
I don't like the sizes they use. They make beautiful knives, but nothing with a blade longer than 3 inches. They strike me as discrete, stylish knives that are perfect for anyone who wears a suit and tie to work. Most of their high end blades seem too delicate -- whether they are or not -- for EDC. Accidentally dropping change into my knife pocket would feel like a catastrophe. I really like their blade steels, though; they use a lot of beautiful copper San Mai Damascus with a ZDP-189 or VG-5 core. They also use really nice Mokume on their high-end, 1000$ knives. You've gotta love Mokume. Fancy.

resizer.aspx
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Fml...so nice. I can definitely appreciate the work that went into this
 
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