William Henry ???

P

PWork

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Apr 24, 2002
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For those of you who have first hand experience with the William Henry line...
Which model do you like the best?
How's the fit and finish?
Blade play?
Lock security, both liner and button?
How do they stack up against the Chris Reeve Mnandi?

I'm seriously leaning towards a T-10 Lancet in ironwood as my first purchase of 2004.

Paul
 
I had a carbon fiber T-12BT spear point with the DLC coating and it was top notch. Fit and finish are first rate and there was no blade play what so ever. The knife has a liner lock which I am not too fond of but it works very well on these knives. Right out of the box the knife I had was as sharp as any that I have ever bought. Depending on what you are going to use it for, I am not sure that the Kestral, Lancet, or Spear Point would make a very good EDC, they just don't feel that substantial in your hand. These knives would be more suited as a dressy style carry knife and would more suited to small cutting tasks.

All in all they are very nice knives and well worth the price tag, just my $0.02
 
I have the WH T12-BPM and have just acquired the WH T12-A. They are the Spearpoint models and at 7.125" OAL they fit my hand rather well...would not want anything smaller. After that bit of info, I'd agree with everything said by boobar.
 
The first time that I got to play with any of William Henry knives was at this years Blade Show. Each one that I handled was exceptionally made !

The design/style of the Lancet, Kestrel and Monarch are right up my alley. . .but the only draw back is their size. :( Definitely a "gent" type carry.

Yet, not all of their knives fall into the "small" catagory. The Icon and Westcliff are more substantial knives (when compared to their other line of knives). The Westcliff is an absolute knock-out !

I'm trying to juggle my "want list" around so that I can sneak either an Icon or Westcliff into my gathering. But, WH is bumping into some stiff competition. :)
 
I've only ever had the one WH-07 Evolution. But I must say I was very impressed. Finest fit and finish of any knife I had ever owned and I must say I have quite a few. Solid lockup with the liner, razor sharp out of the box (I'm sure the choice of VG-10 as the blade material helped), no blade play whatsoever.

The only thing I wasn't happy with was that the wood accents they used were raw and I was looking for something a little more sealed and shiny. But I did the superglue and polish routine and got it to shine.

As the others have mentioned, WH knives seem to be geared exclusively to the gent's folder. The WH-07 came with a beautiful leather pouch with polished clip. Very elegant looking in dress slacks and the entire package is so slim and light, you can wear it on the inside pocket of a suit jacket.
 
If I get the Lancet, it will be solely for dress occasions. I will never trust any liner lock for heavier use again. I've been bitten.:eek: A liner lock is adequate for the light use I will use this for and the T-10 sure is a classy looking little blade.

What's the take on the new button locks? Has anyone had a chance to use one enough to form an opinion?

Paul
 
I had a ti Westcliff and now I have a Pearl Westcliff.

The button lock is rock solid. No blade play, period. I cannot even make the blade jiggle by holding it in my left and and pushing and pulling the blade up/down - back/forth with my right. I think of it as my "jiggle" test. I have had many liner locks release this way.

The lock is milled "eccentrically" into the blade tang on the WH, so as the lock wears, it compensates.

I have never given a thought to having the button retract when in use. I cut through a triple-thick cardboard box yesterday against the grain with my Westcliff. It took a lot of muscle, but the Westcliff blade made it through.

Frankly, my one down comment on WH knives in general is that they often lack a truly sharp edge. You typically will need to do additional sharpening on these blades to get them to a Spyderco-level sharpness.

The Westcliff is ultra-thin. You will have to adapt your grip to use this knife safely.

One last note - although it is not well advertised, the bolsters/liners on the overlay versions are integral, just like a Scott Sawby knife. Very, very sweet.
 
WH makes excellent quality knives. Fit and finish are comparable to customs. But Mnandi seems to be more suitable for tougher work.
 
The William Henry Line is a fine series of knives that have pretty much defined the "gentleman's knife" category. While the Mnandi is, indeed, a tougher and more hardy knife and in the same category, the WH line is more refined and classier, overall.

The Mnandis and the WH sell at about the same rate, that is neither line outsells the other. In the WH line the T12 Spearpoint, in any of the handle choices, is the most popular. The T10 Lancet runs a close second. If you're looking for a gent's knife I don't think you could do any better than any of their models.
 
I have owned 4 WH's and they have all been perfect. I currently have the M/A Spryte and the fit and finish is wonderful, although I was not impressed with how it fit in it's sheath that it came with.
 
I agree with Westflorida. - The sheath (clipcase) that comes with the clipless folders are clunky at best.

The leather has been somewhat improved by using the pebble-grain stamping over the orginal hard black leather, but overall, the cheapness of the leatherwork is not consistent with the knife manufacture.

Perhaps WH could buy a few Chris Reeve Knives sheaths as an example of a flawless made product. The soft leather is of the highest quality, and although it surely wears more quickly than the leather used in the WH sheaths - performance, not longevity, should be the concern in this case.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies. Since I can't get a WH in hand your opinions and observations are most helpful. I just picked up a Mnandi/bocote inlay. Fantastic little knife. I don't really "need" another gent's knife, but the T-10 has had my eye ever since it first came out. As soon as I recover from the holidays I'll be adding a T-10/ironwood to my line up.
Thanks again for all the help and everyone have a great holiday.

Paul
 
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