Custom Tacticals » William Henry Knives

William Henry S07 Evolution G-10 Knife

corwin99 — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 02:36:23 +0000

The Evolution series of knives from William Henry are entry level luxury utility folders with a bit of tactical flair, with the shadow-boxed handles and G-10 handle material. The frames are stainless steel, and the William Henry logo is set in a globe, indicating it’s overseas origin. In the case of these Evolution folders, production took place in Japan. Not too shabby.

Though these folders are not up to the fit and finish as the USA-made, hand-finished peices that I have owned (see other reviews in the William Henry section), they are still very good knives for the money. Since these are discontinued, they are usually found on the secondary market for around the $100 mark, which is less than half the price of a similarly sized William Henry from their main series.

These Japanese made William Henry knives are made with quality VG-10 steel, and come exceptionally sharp out of the box. I have owned several different incarnations of the Evolution knives, and they are all very sharp and consistent in quality.

The shadow boxed handles on these models gives the knife a bit more design appeal, but in my opinion makes the knife feel less solid in the hand and a little less comfortable to hold. It actually makes it feel a bit cheaper when you are holding it to use. When you torque the knife a bit it does slip a bit on the lock, so the knife isn’t really designed for hard use.

These models come with a clip sheath which is really handy for EDC. These might be appropriate for EDC with a more dessed-up look, or casual khakis, but wouldn’t be out of place with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt either.

Overall, the S07 Evolution in G-10 is a great casual EDC for lighter work, just don’t put too much stress on it. Nice design and very classy grinds make a great choice for an entry level luxury utility folder.

Specs:
Blade Length: 3″
Overall Length: 7″
Blade Steel: VG-10
Handle Material: G-10
Liners: Stainless Steel

William Henry Westcliff Titanium Knife

corwin99 — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 23:48:57 +0000

This Westcliff model from William Henry Knives was the first of the newer button lock knives that I had ever owned from the Company. They were introduced around five years ago and replaced the Spearpoint/Lancet/Kestrel series of knives. This Westcliff has a wharncliffe shaped knife blade of S30V and a titanium handle.

The blade is a fairly generous sized at 2 7/8″ long, and though is a wharncliffe, it has a slightly upswept tip. The titanium handles are beautiful machined and the overall feel of the knife and the action are top notch. The button lock operates very similarly to an automatic in that you push the button to release the lock, and then close the blade. The button only unlocks the knife, so the blade is opened with the thumbstud like a regular folder.

The finish on the blade is very smooth, with a polished stonewash look to it on the grinds, and fully polished flats. Lockup is solid, and though the knife is very thin, it is very sturdy and seems like it would take quite a beating. The pivot is oversized and very nicely designed, and the annodized purple titanium pocket clip is also very tastfully mounted, making this first rate gent’s folder a beautiful as well as functional.

Overall, this is probably one of my favourite gents folders, exceeding the CRK Mnandi in many respects. I prefer the larger size of the blade and the ease of opening the folder, whereas the Mnandi is more difficult for my relatively small hands. The button lock is quite strong and easy to use as well, which makes this a very functional gent’s knife.

Blade Steel: S30V Stainless
Blade Length: 2 7/8″
Overall Length: 6 7/8″
Handle Material: Titanium

William Henry Pearl Damascus Lancet Knife

corwin99 — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 05:33:22 +0000

This is one of a couple of William Henry knives that I have owned with a Mike Norris Raindrop Damascus blade. The pattern is simply beautiful, as is the knife. Entirely hand-finished in California, with the primary manufacturing also done by machine in California, these knives are the pinnacle of the production gentleman’s knife.

There aren’t many gent’s knives out there, custom or otherwise, that are more well made than a William Henry. Very light and quite small in size, the little details do not go unnoticed. Hidden pivots, curved bolsters and the hand selected presentation mother of pearl handles are just some of the features.

The Devin Thomas blade is perfectly ground and etched to bring out the grain, and has a decent edge on it. The pearl is among the finest I’ve seen and the fit and finish is fantastic. Bolsters are nicely polished nickel silver and liners are annodized a nice blue. Thumbstud is inlaid with Mother of Pearl and there is a small annodized titanium backspacer with room for a lanyard.

The T-10 Lancet from William Henry is a very small knife, with only 2 1/2″ of edge, and about 6″ overall. But the knife wasn’t meant to be used, more of a collectable. However, if you plan to use it, the knives comes with a leather slip case, and William Henry sells clip cases which are great for clipping to the inside of your pocket. My father carries a T-12 Spearpoint in Mother of Pearl and ATS-34 steel as his EDC.

Overall this is a wonderful knife that does well in a display case because of the blade. If you wanted to carry one, I’d recommend the knife with a stainless steel blade rather than damascus.

Blade Steel: Mike Norris Raindrop Damascus
Bolsters: Nickel Silver
Handle: Mother of Pearl
Blade Length: 2 1/2″
Overall Length: 6″

Video

William Henry Mokume T-12 Spearpoint

corwin99 — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 18:26:13 +0000

This was my first decorated William Henry knife that wasn’t just a typical base model. I had owned one of the T-10′s prior to this, and also a T-12 in Mother of Pearl. This model has the Snakewood scales, Mokume bolsters and 154CM blade. Titanium liners are annodized blue.

One of the cooler things about the William Henry knives is the small touches such as the curved bolsters, hidden pivots and thin pivot washers, all of which contribute to the refined look of the T-12 Spearpoint. Of this range, the Spearpoint was the largest, and I’ve owned several spearpoints, this being one of my favourites. The action on this knife is nothing short of buttery smooth.

Consistency is another trait common to William Henry knives. The snakewood scales are beautifully patterned, and from what I’ve seen, they do a fanastic job of hand picking every peice and selecting them for quality. The Mokume bolsters are not my favourite type of Mokume pattern, as I’ve seen others I like better, but it goes well. Since Mokume is made with Copper, it oxidies easily and gets a patina after a short time especially when touching it. One gripe I have with the aesthetics on the design: When closed the tang of the blade sticks out kind of funny above the handles, and I like it when a knife looks pretty closed as well as open.

Having said all that, this isn’t really a tactical knife, but I’ve done a review on it anyway! The knife does not feel like it could stand up to a lot of abuse, so I would not recommend it to be used that way.

Blade Length: 3″
Overall Length: 7 1/8″
Handle Material: Snakewood
Blade Steel: 154CM
Bolsters: Mokume