William Henry Knives (High End): Worth It?

Peregrin said:
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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2.3k and not even worth presenting in plain view to the potential customer. OK. Not my shop then. 🙂
 
I have these two from the Attache series. Both have ZDP189 blades and Carbon fiber handles. I used to have a really fancy one, but sold it, because I never used it. If I am wearing a suit these are regular carry. Pretty rare but it happens. II think they are a bit pricey but there aren't really any other similar makers and these are very high quality well made knives. They are not something I would take camping or hunting but at a wedding or graduation they fit in. You can usually find them second hand at a good discount.

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There are some nice looking examples in the last post that seem plane enough for my taste. Thanks for showing them..

I have just come to know that this thread was started in 2011. While the comments made are still relevant to the question in the OP, I would ask if any of the posts made in 2025 are any helpto the original poster preteen years later today?
 
Here's a little peanut-sized WH B004 Ares Pikatti. I don't carry it often, but before I retired, it was a handy little knife for me when I wore a suit every day.
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In my experience, William Henry Studios is one of the nicest places you could go for high end cutlery. They are super nice and very accommodating to any questions or suggestions. I currently have twelve of their knives, a few that have never been used or carried and one that was purchased in a pawnshop for $24 when it originally sold for $1800. Matt Conable has always been gracious and very knowledgeable. He produces knives under his own name as well, though they're very hard to find. Last year I thought I saw one in a film (The Matador w/ Pierce Brosnan) and that led to a lively email exchange with someone at WH. He was very cool about the whole thing. The one time I actually talked to Matt he was kind, engaging and very knowledgeable. I have to say that my experience with Chris Reeve was exactly the opposite, though his wife Ann was very nice.

It's not just the knife that you hold in your hand that constitutes its worth, or lack of. It's the total experience that you'll find the true value. If you enjoy holding and using it, it's worth it. And you might have that knife for many years. Remember, life is short.
 
Just to Chime in , I know nothing about WH knives other than to me I have seen some that are truly stunning. I almost bought one, it was really a true beauty, I guess the cost had stopped me but if I had lots to burn as they say I would have pulled the trigger on that one, if nothing else but for just want reasons . I did how ever complete / buy the full set of Schrade/D'Holder knives SDH 01-04 and the whitetail being the hardest to find ,but had my wants were temporally fulfilled. And as Less Than Sharpest said and I second that, Life is short
 
William Henry ZDP189 is truly an excellent blade. Thin edge, no chipping with long term edge retention. I have a Tom Brown Tracker model as well.

Matt Conable started with David Boye, a legendary maker, this article gets Boye’s name wrong, but gives some background on Conable and his business:

www.elevatedmagazines.com

Matt Conable: Masterpieces for the Masses

Master Artisan and Entrepreneur, Matt Conable, Tells of his Unrelenting Mission to Create Functional Knives, Jewelry and Accessories from Ancient Artifacts att Conable, an artist, designer, entrepreneur, and businessman has been forging unique handcrafted tools, jewelry and accessories for men...
www.elevatedmagazines.com www.elevatedmagazines.com
 
Matt worked mostly hafting the handles for David Boye and he actually married David’s daughter I don’t know if they are still together.
I met Matt at Bladeshow many years ago and I remember telling him that I appreciated that he put thin edge grinds on his blades and he said that he knew that the blade cuts better and that he learned that from David Boye.
G2
 
The only time I've ever handled one was when the Victorinox store at my local mall was going out of business. Loved the way they looked and felt, but it wasn't meant to be. The WH knives were 50% off, but it was still beyond my meager first job salary since most were still $250+.

I forgot all about the brand until this thread popped up.
 
I always thought the William Henry's were great looking knives but I just couldn't justify the cost for one. I think they are absolutely worth the price but it was just too rich for my blood.
 
Tiguy7, you have quite a collection of B-15s'! Some are even anodized, very nice. I EDCd my quest for several years but it now retired. One thing is that I had a Kershaw with a ZDP-189 blade but it wasn't heat treated as well as the WH, wouldn't get quite as sharp. All of my WHs' are perfectly heat treated, perfectly sharp, including an E10 with a D2 blade. It's great seeing all the photos.
 
This is my one and only WH. There’s a story behind it. My wife and I were married in 1997. Starting out we didn’t have a pot to piss in, and things were financially hard. We used to do some “window shopping” back then. I’ve always been a knife nut, and WH always caught my eye. I couldn’t imagine being able to afford a WH - ever. Well fast forward 25 years, and for our “silver” anniversary my wife picked this one up for me as a gift. She wrote me a note that I value even more than the knife:

I remember in our early years of marriage looking at WH knives in little shops. They were so beautiful we couldn’t imagine ever being able to afford one. When I found out that WH also started their journey in 1997, I knew I needed to get you one. It’s #10 out of “25” made. I chose #10 because we got engaged in October, the 10th month. It has a blue topaz which is supposed to symbolize strength, love affection, truth and forgiveness - all thins a good marriage has. The handle has sapphires which symbolize love, sincerity, faithfulness and commitment - also things a good marriage has.

She’s got my number ;). Anyway, if you’ve read all this, thanks for indulging me.

IMG_6949.jpeg

It’s an older picture from the holidays. It gets carried on special occasions - last one being Christmas Eve.
 
JOELSM said:
This is my one and only WH. There’s a story behind it. My wife and I were married in 1997. Starting out we didn’t have a pot to piss in, and things were financially hard. We used to do some “window shopping” back then. I’ve always been a knife nut, and WH always caught my eye. I couldn’t imagine being able to afford a WH - ever. Well fast forward 25 years, and for our “silver” anniversary my wife picked this one up for me as a gift. She wrote me a note that I value even more than the knife:

I remember in our early years of marriage looking at WH knives in little shops. They were so beautiful we couldn’t imagine ever being able to afford one. When I found out that WH also started their journey in 1997, I knew I needed to get you one. It’s #10 out of “25” made. I chose #10 because we got engaged in October, the 10th month. It has a blue topaz which is supposed to symbolize strength, love affection, truth and forgiveness - all thins a good marriage has. The handle has sapphires which symbolize love, sincerity, faithfulness and commitment - also things a good marriage has.

She’s got my number ;). Anyway, if you’ve read all this, thanks for indulging me.

View attachment 2767250

It’s an older picture from the holidays. It gets carried on special occasions - last one being Christmas Eve.
Click to expand...
Outstanding! Excellent post. That's a great knife, a better note and an even better wife.

Thanks for sharing.
 
JOELSM said:
This is my one and only WH. There’s a story behind it. My wife and I were married in 1997. Starting out we didn’t have a pot to piss in, and things were financially hard. We used to do some “window shopping” back then. I’ve always been a knife nut, and WH always caught my eye. I couldn’t imagine being able to afford a WH - ever. Well fast forward 25 years, and for our “silver” anniversary my wife picked this one up for me as a gift. She wrote me a note that I value even more than the knife:

I remember in our early years of marriage looking at WH knives in little shops. They were so beautiful we couldn’t imagine ever being able to afford one. When I found out that WH also started their journey in 1997, I knew I needed to get you one. It’s #10 out of “25” made. I chose #10 because we got engaged in October, the 10th month. It has a blue topaz which is supposed to symbolize strength, love affection, truth and forgiveness - all thins a good marriage has. The handle has sapphires which symbolize love, sincerity, faithfulness and commitment - also things a good marriage has.

She’s got my number ;). Anyway, if you’ve read all this, thanks for indulging me.

View attachment 2767250

It’s an older picture from the holidays. It gets carried on special occasions - last one being Christmas Eve.
Click to expand...

Your wife is a keeper.
 
Eating some personal crow now . . .I found a nice looking, pre-owned WHK on E-Bay. It is one of their plain handled models with a mess dramatic Damascus blade, and the asking price was "reasonable" compard with the CRK Sebenza 31 I bought last year.

The "new" knife comes in a week or so. wife doesn't know yet. Got her a nice bracelet for Valentine's day, so . . .

So ther it is. . . having posted severl less than enthusiastic responses on tis thread . . ..now I am a William Henry knife owner.
 
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VorpelSword said:
Eating some personal crow now . . .I found a nice looking, pre-owned WHK on E-Bay. It is one of their plain handled models with a mess dramatic Damascus blade, and the asking price was "reasonable" compard with the CRK Sebenza 31 I bought last year.

The "new" knife comes in a week or so. wife doesn't know yet. Got her a nice bracelet for Valentine's day, so . . .

So ther it is. . . having posted severl less than enthusiastic responses on tis thread . . ..now I am a William Henry knife owner.
Click to expand...
BladeForums has a funny way of doing that! Look forward to seeing it!
 
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