I just got one of the new William Henry Attache collection knives in the mail from Nordic Knives.
If you haven't been following their evolution, WH is moving more and more towards a sort of "ultra-premium" concept, in all phases of their design, execution and packaging. I have bought several WH knives over the past 5 years and they are really ratcheting quality up even further (and their knives are going up in price to match).
The Attache collection has their standard fine-blasted titanium frame with polished stainless buttonlock. The bolsters are integral and the scales are flush-laid carbon fiber. Unlike previous models, where the carbon-fiber was "matte" finished, the newer carbon fiber is hard-polished so that it has a nice, bright sheen. I happen to like the polished version quite a bit.The grip on the knife is well designed, including a finger-choil, so I don't have any worries about reduced slip-resistance on the carbon fiber grippiness. They have miniaturized the pivot, so it is about half the size of the previous design. I am not certain it is an improvement per se, but it is polished stainless and has a fine appearance.
The blade is ZDP-189 with true DLC (diamond-like coating) from Bodycote. Unlike their recent matte-finish texture coatings, WH has gone back a bit closer to what they were doing when DLC was first introduced. The blade is what I would call "semi-polished" so it has some reflectivity and the coating is nice and smooth, with no "tooth". It has a dark platinum gray color, so it avoids the true black look - it is more elegant. The matte finish DLC had a tendency to mar pretty easily (albeit superficially). I had one of the original WH Tom Brown "Quest" models, which are the same design (now designated the B15). I can assure you that the ZDP carries and edge far longer than any of my S30V blades. I have cut up literally hunderds of thick cardboard boxes since moving into our new house and procuring building materials for improvements. I have also whittled dozens of hardwood stakes for plantings around the property with both my Benchmade 940-Ti and my WH Quest and the ZDP blade (which also has a thinner blade stock and steeper geometry) clearly outperforms the S30V. The thiness of the WH models means they are less comfortable in extended use, however. (If you wear glove while you are doing the work, it pretty much eliminate the discomfort factor).
A few of the more expensive new touches include true diamond engraving of their logo, blade material and serial number around the thumbstud (instead of laser engraving, which looks cheap IMO). They have added a sterling silver bale for attaching their leather lanyards, with a "WH" stamped into the sides of the bale. This is much improved from the last version of these buttonlocks, IMO. Matt Conable had always wanted to put a bale on the end fo the buttonlock series, but never found one he liked or could make. I guess they finally found a good supplier, these are very nice. The thumbstud is not "knurled" like the old ones, it is stepped to a point, which works just fine. It is not dual, like the Quest's, but it is reversable. It comes with their standard clipcase, which I never use, but it is made well.
I know it costs $500 and is in competition with handmade knives from very competent makers. However, in my experience, the design, fit and finish of these knives is really just about perfect, knife after knife. If you haven't delved into the William Henry line, now is a good time. The buttonlocks are great, the designs are even better and the B15 design cements a great clip point blade design into their line.
If you haven't been following their evolution, WH is moving more and more towards a sort of "ultra-premium" concept, in all phases of their design, execution and packaging. I have bought several WH knives over the past 5 years and they are really ratcheting quality up even further (and their knives are going up in price to match).
The Attache collection has their standard fine-blasted titanium frame with polished stainless buttonlock. The bolsters are integral and the scales are flush-laid carbon fiber. Unlike previous models, where the carbon-fiber was "matte" finished, the newer carbon fiber is hard-polished so that it has a nice, bright sheen. I happen to like the polished version quite a bit.The grip on the knife is well designed, including a finger-choil, so I don't have any worries about reduced slip-resistance on the carbon fiber grippiness. They have miniaturized the pivot, so it is about half the size of the previous design. I am not certain it is an improvement per se, but it is polished stainless and has a fine appearance.
The blade is ZDP-189 with true DLC (diamond-like coating) from Bodycote. Unlike their recent matte-finish texture coatings, WH has gone back a bit closer to what they were doing when DLC was first introduced. The blade is what I would call "semi-polished" so it has some reflectivity and the coating is nice and smooth, with no "tooth". It has a dark platinum gray color, so it avoids the true black look - it is more elegant. The matte finish DLC had a tendency to mar pretty easily (albeit superficially). I had one of the original WH Tom Brown "Quest" models, which are the same design (now designated the B15). I can assure you that the ZDP carries and edge far longer than any of my S30V blades. I have cut up literally hunderds of thick cardboard boxes since moving into our new house and procuring building materials for improvements. I have also whittled dozens of hardwood stakes for plantings around the property with both my Benchmade 940-Ti and my WH Quest and the ZDP blade (which also has a thinner blade stock and steeper geometry) clearly outperforms the S30V. The thiness of the WH models means they are less comfortable in extended use, however. (If you wear glove while you are doing the work, it pretty much eliminate the discomfort factor).
A few of the more expensive new touches include true diamond engraving of their logo, blade material and serial number around the thumbstud (instead of laser engraving, which looks cheap IMO). They have added a sterling silver bale for attaching their leather lanyards, with a "WH" stamped into the sides of the bale. This is much improved from the last version of these buttonlocks, IMO. Matt Conable had always wanted to put a bale on the end fo the buttonlock series, but never found one he liked or could make. I guess they finally found a good supplier, these are very nice. The thumbstud is not "knurled" like the old ones, it is stepped to a point, which works just fine. It is not dual, like the Quest's, but it is reversable. It comes with their standard clipcase, which I never use, but it is made well.
I know it costs $500 and is in competition with handmade knives from very competent makers. However, in my experience, the design, fit and finish of these knives is really just about perfect, knife after knife. If you haven't delved into the William Henry line, now is a good time. The buttonlocks are great, the designs are even better and the B15 design cements a great clip point blade design into their line.
I managed to snag a B-5 Laguna (1 of 50) for a customer here, I can't wait to see it.