William Henry Knives---worth it?

T

tique

Joined
Oct 28, 2000
Messages
970
I have been looking for something a bit more dressy than my current array of EDCs for the rare occasion when I have to dress up a bit.

I like the looks of the new Icon by William Henry, especially the Snakewood inlay, but I was wondering if anyone has experience with their company and can justify the $425 price tag for a production knife.

It seems to me like for about the same dollar amount, I can go to one of the wonderful custom makers on here and have something classy made exactly to my specs, and probably with a bit nicer blade than 154-CM.

I am only begining to get into the custom market as well, so if you could suggest one of the makers on here that can do what I'm looking for it would be much appreciated. I was thinking about getting another TNT on order, in a smaller size, to cover this purpose, but I think I would like something with an inlay or wood scales as opposed to bare Ti.

Sorry if this has been covered before, but I ran a search here and didn't come up with a single post. Surprised me to tell the truth.
 
William Henry Knives are worth the money. I have not seen or held the Icon; it is at a bit higher price point than their regular series.

For a good bang for your buck, the International Series by William Henry can't be beat. Also, the Carbon Fiber series is a good buy.

I have several William Henry knives; they are all of high quality. This is not to say that you couldn't find custom knives of comparable quality for the price of William Henry's higher priced models.

Here's some posts that talk about William Henry Knives:

http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000532.html

http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/001164.html

http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/001265.html

http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/002040.html

And the post where I asked my first question about William Henry Knives:

http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/002120.html

Edited to add this informative post:

http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/002438.html

Let us know what you decide.
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Dean

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Non-controversial signature line follows: I like William Henry fine knives.

[This message has been edited by RDaneel (edited 04-19-2001).]
 
I also strongly recommend the Carbon Fiber series that William Henry makes. These are extremely lightweightwith beautiful anodized titanium clips and single liners. The knives are ultra light but sturdy and they look just as good and are just as smooth as customs costing aroun $300-350. I am interested my self in the carbon fiber Mattlock William Hemrys when they come out.
I believe that they list for $325. If you look around, once they are in the hands of dealers, you will probably be able to find one for for $275-230.
 
I have the Wharncliffe blade with g-10 scales of the Evolution or Global series. I picked it up for just over 100 bucks at knifecenter.com. In my opinion, it is simple, yet elegant, and fit and finish is flawless and the best part is that is the blade steel is VG-10. Absolutely the sharpest knife out of the box that I have ever owned, including the MT LCC. I can't comment on the regular line made in Calif. but the Evolution series is definitely worth the money. All WH's come with the neat leather pouch which just screams "gents folder."
 
Certainly, the quality that CRK or William Henry can turn out is easily competitive with custom makers. However, whether or not a $425 production knife is "worth it" is up to you. For some people, the reason to spend that much for a knife is because of the work that the individual maker put into it (leaving out the fact that makers might be using CNC machinery, have assistants doing some of the steps, etc.) For others, the fact that the William Henry is at least as high quality as a similar-priced custom knife is enough.

For myself, once a production knife hits a price range where many custom makers are competitive, I start looking hard at the custom makers. Actually, I start looking hard at custom makers well before that, even. When it comes to folders, unfortunately, most custom makers offer liner locks, which I don't buy anymore.

Joe
 
I've never owned a William Henry, and yet I have formed a strong opinion on the subject--and that is, yes, they're worth it. I say that based on the fact that I've never heard of a single disappointed owner of these classy knives. Only thing that's kept me from springing for one of their great-looking Santa Cruz-built knives is that I'm a lefty, and as far as I know all their traditional models featured right-sided-only thumbstuds. That's not the case for the Global series, though, and lately I've been hearing one of their wood-handled Global models calling out to me.
 
These knives are semi-custom or semi-production. They might be produced in a factory, but they are finished by hand. In my book, that's as good as any custom. In fact, I've often thought it might be better because of the consistancy and experience these makers put into their knives. You might also want to check into Whitewing and House Hara knives for other very high quality classy folders.
 
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Sorry, forgot this forum was archived not too long ago, should have looked there first. Guess that will teach me to post at 3 in the morning agian. Can't believe I didn't think to look there first :bangs head into wall: (funny we don't have a smiley for that yet)

Anyways...

Thanks for the info. I have never had a chance to hold one of these, and would like to find a shop that has one. It seems like Whittler's Bench in Indy had some, but I only go there once or twice a year as I'm passing through on my way up north of there.

I forgot about the Mnandi, I will have to give that some consideration as well. I'm quickly becoming a big fan of Chris Reeve, especially the OPR knives, but I like my Sebbie as well.

Looks like I have some reading to do, thanks for posting those links.
 
I, and most people, I think, will tell you comparing a Sebbie and WH is like apples and oranges. While WHs are excellent cutters, they do have thinner blades that excludes them as a work horse, but it will make better cuts because of it's thinness (all IMO). They are awesome office knives, and much better looking than strait titanium. In case you want to see how "usable" a WH is in the office, you might want to try out an evolution series WH, which is not hand-finished, and much less expensive. Although I have to say that the regular WH have a more comfortable grip.

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"Never let your morals get in the way of doing what's right" -Hari Seldon, Foundation, -Aasimov
 
Wasn't really comparing a Sebbie to a William Henry.

Was discussing the possibility of a Mnandi being a similar knife, and basing my preference towards it on my previous experience with CRK.
 
I have a Persian (fishtail oak), and an Evolution (Bocote) and consider them to be worth every cent paid, if you want a 'gent's knife'. Please note that anything over $150 or so is big bucks for a poor public servant, so this is a BIG endorsement. Try to find some to look at and hold, and see if you agree!I have a few handmades, and love them all, but I can't say that they are any "better" than my WH's.

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AKTI Member #A000934
"Always just one knife short of perfection!"
 
I think purchasing a knife with a price tag over $400 would be the final point to our marriage.

In fact, to my wife's mind purchasing a knife with a price tag $40 doesn't make any sense.

So, all I can say about WH knives is that I've got wharncliff-blade Evolution - and it is my EDC.

LM Wave is on my left and WH on my right.

Solid, light - and damn sharp - blade.
One of those purchases I haven't felt bad about.
 
Hey Tique....M-Nandi's will not even hit until probably September, so you got lots of time to save, in the mean-time, you would be pleased with a William Henry. I like the Evolution Series in G-10 or cocobolo wood. That Carbon fiber Kestral is awesome also. Makes for a great "dress" knife and gentlemen's folder.......of course, since I fall short of being a gentleman, I can't really give a good opinion of performance
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Seriously, they feel great in the hand and are razor sharp usually out of the box.

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Knives & Things
Mike Payne
 
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