William Henry Quality without the Price???

B

Bolt

Joined
Aug 28, 2007
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449
Hello to all, I am new to the forums and have a pressing question on my mind.
I am a father of three little ones and a very tight budget as some of you can relate. I am a carpenter and love tools. I have a modest collection of knives, but find myself dreaming of owning a William Henry someday. I just can not get over the price tags. Are there other knives out there that will provide the same wow factor with out the price tag wow factor??? And if the owners of William Henry read this, I would love to be a WH working man spokes person and show off your knives to all I come in contact with. Just a shot in the dark on my part. Thanks for any imput.
 
Let me ask this question, what do you mean when you say quality?

Do you mean pretty wood and ZDP-189 steel with damasus? Do you mean a knife that is well engineered and put together carefully and well?
 
By quality I would have to say attractive construction but extremely durable and functional as an everyday knife.
 
A Mnandi is a great intermediate step in that direction.
 
I would say save and buy one, just get one. I know you would like a cheaper "alternative" but it will never be a WH when you want something....get it. Save, save for months put 25 or 50 or whatever you can afford to put away for a few months or many months and get the exact model that you want. I have tried buying "alternatives" before and it never works for me. I always end up working my way to my goal instead of just saving to it. If you want a Rio or Titan in ZDP or whatever just save and get it. Sure there are alot of knives out there that are good and/or great at or below that range, but if thats what you like......get it. Just my opinion:D
 
What Barrabas said. Save up and get one. That's what I did. And I liked it so well that I ordered a second one!

The Legacy:
Picture031.jpg


One good alternative that I know of is the Fallkniven mod. P with cocobolo scales and 3G steel.

Picture035.jpg


William Henry used to have a model similar to this one.

As earlier suggested, the Mcusta knives are also very nice:
Basic Quince Damascus:

Picture047.jpg
 
I like William Henry's, carry one as my EDC, a B-09 not made anymore, but I love it. I have quite a few others as well, including one just like the one in the previous post. I collected them wildly for a while till I found Todd Davison on the custom knife forum. Now I am getting some of his. He is making me a slippie that looks like and I hope, feels like my EDC.

Get what you want. Regrets are just that. Save up and wait it out. You will be glad you did.:D
 
barrabas74 said:
I would say save and buy one, just get one. I know you would like a cheaper "alternative" but it will never be a WH when you want something....get it. Save, save for months put 25 or 50 or whatever you can afford to put away for a few months or many months and get the exact model that you want. I have tried buying "alternatives" before and it never works for me. I always end up working my way to my goal instead of just saving to it. If you want a Rio or Titan in ZDP or whatever just save and get it. Sure there are alot of knives out there that are good and/or great at or below that range, but if thats what you like......get it. Just my opinion:D
Click to expand...

This is excellent advice!
No matter how good the alternative, you'll still be hungry for what you really wanted, so get it first and save yourself the trouble. :thumbup:
 
I tend to agree with the "accept no substitutes" school of thought, if what you're looking for is something similar to a WH.

That said, I think Klotzli makes a wonderful gents knife with comparable quality for a fraction of the price. I have no experience with McCusta, Moki, etc. but I do have a Klotzli and its a very precisely made knife that reeks quality.
 
Check out Benchmade Model 940 and 943 - the Osborne Axis models. they cost about $125 over the internet and are impressive looking knives that can also be used everyday. No damascus or wood inlays, however.

Benchmade used to carry some smaller folders, the 770 and 773 series, patterned after the William Henry style, but they are discontinued and only available in the forums. They also sell for about $125.00.

George
 
Al Mar, Benchmade, Spyderco, Kershaw, all offer some high quality knives that would fit under $150. For sturdiness, and reliability, you can't go wrong. You may have to shop around to find the right one that tickles your fancy as much as a WH, but the looking is half the fun. Mcusta and Moki, as well as Seki-Cut are some other great sources for gentlemanly quality. If you are looking for high quality with a little more tradition, look into A. G. Russell's stuff. You can find damascus, wood, pearl, and high quality steels for great prices, and outstanding service.

Good luck! Enjoy the quest.

Daniel
 
As one who has bought lesser substitutes - I got what I paid for. I got less in the looks and style, less in material specifications, less edge holding from the lesser steel, less erogonomics, less fit and finish, less precision in manufacture.

Even when it's an authorized copy by a reputable major company, you get less - not the same. It's even more apparent when you compare them side by side, use them side by side, and own them. The lesser knife becomes a collection of regrets - I wish they had done this better, I wish that had been the feature item carried over, I wish I had bought an original.

Over $200, you're buying more than a collection of working parts, you're buying the authenticity of the maker's concept as he intended it to be executed, without the intrusion of some beancounter's value-subtracted engineering.

Of course, you could do it yourself - a carbon fiber scaled knife kit can look a lot nicer than the sum of it's parts, especially with a simple 600 finish - for under $125.
 
I agree with Barrabas74! If I had gone ahead and bought what I really wanted to start with I would have saved $$$$$$$$$. Once your heart is set on something there are only poor substitutes. If you are like me, you'll buy those poor substitutes hoping they will satisfy you...they will not. In the end you will still end up with your hearts desire and will have spent a lot of money on other knives that didn't satisfy you. Save and get the WHK you want.

Best of luck.
:)
 
Save for the real thing! Some of the best IMHO wh folders are not as crazy as some of the others. My fav is the legacy, zdp-189 damascus, carbon fiber, and a friction lock at $300, that is good when many of the button lock folders are $500+
 
barrabas74 said:
That can indeed happen, but I would rather have buyers remorse than "what if.." or "if only"
Click to expand...

Agreed..... if it ends up not being what you want... sell it. I do it all the time. Of course I'm infected with this "must find the one" disease. Not sure I ever will:confused:;):D
 
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