William Henry Knives (High End): Worth It?

Bob DoBel said:
Regarding William Henry knifes, they are beautiful. Regarding the service of a William Henry knife, my experience has been anything but pleasant. When you return a very expensive knife for service or sharpening, one would hope the manufacturer would acknowledge receipt in a timely manner via phone or email. Not WH. You’ll wait months for a response and months for the simplest service. Avoid WH knifes with the leather tassel, as if it is to be used as a daily driver, it will be in the shop on a regular basis getting the tassel replaced (on your dime). A poor, useless design at best. In hindsight, I should have purchased two knifes- one to carry, and one that will always be in the repair department! Silly me. William Henry- Never Again!
Bob
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I have sent a knife into W&H and gotten great service. Got it back quickly. I don’t remember if i was contacted or not, but it was warranty repair and they fixed it for free and as requested did not touch up the edge.

Landyards and tassels are things that can wear out and you should pay to replace them or buy a knife with a paracord or leather lace pull that lasts longer. If you can afford a W&H with a fancy tassel you can afford to replace it…kind of like a watch band. New landyards for sebenzas aren’t listed on their site, but dealers charge $25. What did W&H charge?

Lots of firms don’t tell you when they receive a repair item. Maybe you remember sending in things and hearing back only when you received the repaired item. I agree though a boutique firm like W&H should contact you if you provided an email and requested a reply. You should use package tracking though if you need to know your package’s exact location.
 
Damn. Thirteen years ago, when this thread was started, a $1k production knife was an anomaly.

Heck, now, just about any $200 production knife with a damasteel or damascus blade upgrade clears the $1k mark.
 
Arathol said:
?
Kingman has a website and there are plenty of other independent websites that seem to indicate otherwise....
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Evidently KIngman is now finding it profitable to mine trash.

Fine grade turquoise is a valuable gemstone and can be as hard as glass. People who buy turquoise to make high-quality jewelry tell me that gem-quality turquoise is no longer available from US mines. They mostly order it from China, but several other countries also produce gem-quality turquoise.

Turquoise chalk used to be worthless, but modern technology seems to be coming up with ever better ways to process it into pretty material.

Arathol said:
I believe what you are referring to is a stabilization process used by Kingman which takes stone that is otherwise unsuitable for use and combines it with other materials such as zinc to make a useable product.
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"Stabilization" used to mean applying clear epoxy or some similar substance to fragile stones to prevent them from breaking. Now the word has become a euphemism for mixing chalk and epoxy together--in other words, gluing together trash. The result is correctly called "reconstituted turquoise". It can be very pretty but has little value.

What are the different types of altered turquoise?​

  • Stabilized or Enhanced: An epoxy or a plastic filler is added via pressure to the stone. If the stone naturally formed with holes or pits, they can be filled with epoxy for a smoother surface area. Some stabilized turquoise is color enhanced.
  • Reconstituted or Chalk: Fragments of turquoise are crushed into a powder form, which is then mixed with epoxy to make harder blocks that can then be cut into slabs or stone shapes. We do not sell, nor do we recommend buying, reconstituted or chalk turquoise.
  • Block or Imitation: Synthetic material (dyed plastic) or the manipulation of another stone (such as the Howlite) made to look like turquoise, but with no actual turquoise stone in it at all. We do not sell, nor do we recommend buying, block or imitation turquoise.
 
I was looking through some older knife pics and happened on these. We were in Santa Fe, NM a few years ago visiting my oldest daughter. We wandered into a high-end jewelry store on the Plaza. They had some William Henry knives and I had to take a pic of this one. I wasn't tempted in the least to buy it!
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Peregrin said:
I was looking through some older knife pics and happened on these. We were in Santa Fe, NM a few years ago visiting my oldest daughter. We wandered into a high-end jewelry store on the Plaza. They had some William Henry knives and I had to take a pic of this one. I wasn't tempted in the least to buy it!
XD1XdZl.jpeg

AvBv4vJ.jpeg
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That's cool, but it sure ain't $50k cool!
 
Peregrin said:
I was looking through some older knife pics and happened on these. We were in Santa Fe, NM a few years ago visiting my oldest daughter. We wandered into a high-end jewelry store on the Plaza. They had some William Henry knives and I had to take a pic of this one. I wasn't tempted in the least to buy it!
XD1XdZl.jpeg

AvBv4vJ.jpeg
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$50,000 for that?? 🤣
 
I was not aware of the WHK brand or their knives before reading the OP in this thread.

So I found their website and scrolled down a bit. Didn't really explore the site, just looked at the knives. My first uninformed impression is that each knife I saw screamed "LOOK AT ME!". For however much these knives are made from quality materials and crafted with meticulous care . . . ae not for me.

I have a gold cased Swiss watch from a high end maker. It is a mechanical watch that keeps time as well as the finest mechanical Rolexes. It is a pocket watch. Only I know what it is and folks are only aware of it when I briefly check it to see the time, not whenever I fix my collar or pick up a fork.

I look on pocketknives in much the same way. If WHK made a drop point folder that deployed with a flipper tab in a a Titanium frame locking handle in some exotic high alloy steel (not multicolored Damascus) I would consider the near Grand price point. But it would have to be much plainer in appearance than what I have seen.

In my view, I like having a relly nice high quality, high performing piece of personal kit. I just don't need everyone to know all about it.
 
Thalestin said:
Ive handled a few at my local knife shop. They are very well built but I found them to be almost a bit tacky. A lot like the stuff in mall jewelry stores you see in the mall. A little too shiny and gemy for my taste for sure. So if your into that kind of knife, by all means I think they may be worth it. As far as flipping is concerned, I think you will lose a pretty penny if you decide to flip them. From my observations over the years is that they arent all that easy to sell here on bladeforums, and this is likely to be the case elsewhere. I think they are a real specialty market that is not that into buying used. I could be wrong, as these are just my subjective observations.

Good luck
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I agree with your market analysis. Randall knives are viewed as desirable by many and can be pricy, but there is a four year (of more) wait for one. They can be had on e-Bay for somewhat more than tyhe MSRP, but hhat is due to the immediate availability, and the demand. Chris Reeve knives are also on a long wait from the shop, but available on e-Bay at near the Mfr's price point from dealers.

To the OP I say, buy what you like and appreciate them for what they are. Maybe one day, your children's grand kids will take one to Antiques Roadshow on Mars.
 
norcalAF said:
That's cool, but it sure ain't $50k cool!
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jeepin said:
$50,000 for that?? 🤣
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Wolverine666 said:
🤣🤣🤣
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Yeah, it's a bit much! ;) Now, I might consider it if I won one of those mega lotteries.
Here's a screenshot of one offered on their website right now. Not quite as pricey! Oh, no I don't work for William Henry!
They definitely aren't for everyone! Works of art for sure.
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Here's mine! I've carried it on and off for a dozen years and it was used when I got it. It's been a great carry.
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Peregrin said:
I was looking through some older knife pics and happened on these. We were in Santa Fe, NM a few years ago visiting my oldest daughter. We wandered into a high-end jewelry store on the Plaza. They had some William Henry knives and I had to take a pic of this one. I wasn't tempted in the least to buy it!
XD1XdZl.jpeg

AvBv4vJ.jpeg
Click to expand...


There is some sort of horseshoe curve effect with gas station knives and really expensive knives
 
My attitude: I have a fine gold cased watch from a prestige Swiss maker. It is a pocket watch. It keeps time as accurately as the best Rolex does today. Unlike a Rolex , no one sees my watch if I fix my collar or pick up a fork. . .. only briefly when I check the time.

In another thread, I have written about buying our son a Chris Reeve Sebenza 31 for his 45th birthday. The blade is stone washed Magnicut. The Titanium handle is an unembellished flat green. It is what it is. He has several brothers-in-law who have made much of (and thnk much of) their Kershaw switchblades. This Christmas, our son casually brought out his CRK to open a box, then without thinking set it down on a coffee table. Both brothers-in-law made appreciative exclamations of admiration and envy. From my place on the outside fringe of that family dynamic, I considered the money to have been well spent.

Similarly, when buying a "combat" kn fe for him twenty years earlier, he got a Randall #16-1. Seven inches of stinless with a black micarta handle. No antler grips. No brass plate with initials. It could have been a custom clone of a Loveless sub hilt Big Bear in Damascus with fossil mastodon scales. But I got him just what I thought at that time was the best available tool for a warfighter's plate carrier.

It is what it is and not more than that.
 
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Affordability is subjective and relative to one’s income. Something that I can’t afford may be nothing for the next guy. As long as something is actually worth something and you can responsibly afford it then go for it. The market will decide whether it’s overpriced or not. As far as the motivation for purchasing a highly adorned one being the “look at me” mindset that may be the case sometimes but I would bet that more often than not it’s nothing other than the fact that someone appreciates the craftsmanship involved. I’d be curious to know the man hours that go into making and engraving their more costly offerings.

I may not be able to afford a double rifle from Holland & Holland, Purdey or Westley Richards but I can appreciate the effort that goes into making one and enjoy looking at the final product. I’m glad there are folks around who can afford them so I can enjoy them in my own way.
 
Peregrin said:
I was looking through some older knife pics and happened on these. We were in Santa Fe, NM a few years ago visiting my oldest daughter. We wandered into a high-end jewelry store on the Plaza. They had some William Henry knives and I had to take a pic of this one. I wasn't tempted in the least to buy it!
XD1XdZl.jpeg

AvBv4vJ.jpeg
Click to expand...

I was looking at the top pic and thought, 2,300 is a bit pricey for that.

Now I see that is just the tag on the leather thong under the knife!? Is there something connected to that? WTH? 😮
 
TC said:
I was looking at the top pic and thought, 2,300 is a bit pricey for that.

Now I see that is just the tag on the leather thong under the knife!? Is there something connected to that? WTH? 😮
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There were several William Henry knives in that display case. That was the lanyard attached to a different knife. I don't have a pic of the rest of them.
 
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