Knife shopping for my wife...

[Swamp ash]

I have the coolest bride!

Not only is she a wonderful and brilliant person, and my best friend and hiking partner, but she keeps moving up the ladder with promotions/raises and accolades (just got a great pay raise).

She also loves knives (and has more guns than I do!) and I hope to give her a very special present to commemorate her successes!

I know these are very high-end, but I am looking at some of these (their more "affordable" items - lol)

https://www.williamhenry.com/knives.html

I have a particular fondness for Damascus and some of these seem very well oriented for my sweetie. 

Does anyone have experience or impression of Wm Henry?

Edited April 28, 2021 by Swamp ash

[MacGyver]

Those are definitely niche knives.  It looks like most of his Damascus is a VG-10 core - which is a good, serviceable steel.  It's going to be harder to sharpen than most knives you're used to.

For me, function defines form on a knife. If I'm being frank, I just don't see one of these as an EDC type knife. If I'm going to spend more than $1000 on a knife - and truthfully I can't even think of a scenario where that would be the case - I'd go with a maker I know personally and commission something that's one of a kind.

If I wanted to spend several hundred on knives right now - Rick Hinderer would need to do a run of XM-24 Skinners. Or, I'd go with a custom kitchen set from someone like https://www.leucadiaknives.com.

[Swamp ash]

31 minutes ago, MacGyver said:

Those are definitely niche knives.  It looks like most of his Damascus is a VG-10 core - which is a good, serviceable steel.  It's going to be harder to sharpen than most knives you're used to.

For me, function defines form on a knife. If I'm being frank, I just don't see one of these as an EDC type knife. If I'm going to spend more than $1000 on a knife - and truthfully I can't even think of a scenario where that would be the case - I'd go with a maker I know personally and commission something that's one of a kind.

If I wanted to spend several hundred on knives right now - Rick Hinderer would need to do a run of XM-24 Skinners. Or, I'd go with a custom kitchen set from someone like https://www.leucadiaknives.com.

You are correct; this wouldn't be for me. I like something cheap and disposable, although I've never lost one,  so I end up with bunch of cheap knives - lol!

She often uses a knife at work for light-duty things. She has an automatic that she likes and carries all the time but is reticent in pulling out in professional situations. I was viewing this as celebratory bling for someone who has done great and deserves a treat. Heck, I get her jewelry, why not some fancy knife?

I was following the trail of neat Damascus and that is where it took me. Never heard of William Henry before.

I'll look at you other website, too. Thanks

Edited April 28, 2021 by Swamp ash

[MacGyver]

I’ve got exactly zero issue sticking a $250 knife in my pocket.  For me, it may be the fact that a $200 sprint run Spyderco PM2 is about as perfect as a knife gets.

If I was going to spend that much on a knife for my wife - I’d probably let her pick. 

[peejman]

47 minutes ago, MacGyver said:

I'd go with a maker I know personally and commission something that's one of a kind.

This.  

Though I'd presume those William Henry knives are effectively one of a kind. 

[E4 No More]

I'd get with GT and commission a custom knife from him. If my wife were into knives, I'd ask her what she likes and relay it to GT to be incorporated. You know it's one of a kind, it's what she likes, and she'll appreciate the thought that went into the effort.

[Swamp ash]

1 hour ago, peejman said:

This.  

Though I'd presume those William Henry knives are effectively one of a kind. 

They are fancy that's for sure. But, some of the inlays look neat and is material she likes. (And we're talking the bottom rung here, some of those knives are off the charts)

 

32 minutes ago, E4 No More said:

I'd get with GT and commission a custom knife from him. If my wife were into knives, I'd ask her what she likes and relay it to GT to be incorporated. You know it's one of a kind, it's what she likes, and she'll appreciate the thought that went into the effort.

 Yes, I teased her with the website to see a reaction. Both shock (price) and awe (wow factor) for her. Of course, I have to be crafty and feign an interest in many things to keep her off guard. I know she wants a folder with 2.5" or so blade. But I may stay completely practical and get her a multi-tool, instead, which would be useful, but not nearly as cool. 

[Swamp ash]

 

1 hour ago, MacGyver said:

If I was going to spend that much on a knife for my wife - I’d probably let her pick. 

That's true, but then it won't be a surprise. Also I wonder if she is too midwestern to spend that much on a knife, too! 

[CJDore]

Protech Magic has some beautiful knifes these days. Check them out on BladeHQ

[nod]

Have you ever checked out Olamic.com? I had them build a knife for me. They have lots of styles to choose from on the web page.

 

Edited July 5, 2021 by nod

[CJDore]

Out of stock on these now but WOW....

https://www.bladehq.com/item--Protech-Ultimate-Custom-BR-1-Steel--71639

[Guest]

Smart, cool, wonderful, good hiking partner, best friend, upwardly mobile in her profession, has MORE guns then you do.... Heck, why isn't SHE registered on this forum???

Seriously, I have a wife a lot like yours, except she was upwardly mobile enough to retire! (Which, now that we're retired, is why we're trying like heck to get our game together enough to retire to your great state from our once pretty darn good state (VA, gone to hell in a hand basket, but that's a story for another day...)

My gal is a gun person and can out shoot me often enough to be mildly embarrassing (well, with a crowd around, I have to feign being embarrassed, but you know damn good and well inside, I'm near 'bout to blow up with pride for her!)

As to knives, she has them, and likes them, but they are not as much a thing for her as, say, a nice Colt SAA or a Winchester 62 or the little old .410s she loves to collect.

Last year, she finally decided she needed a pair of tall boots for the colder months (yay! girls look so hot in those!!!!)  So I know she likes the older, simpler back lock style folders, like a Buck, so I ended up getting her a lightweight Buck 110, which is also much slimmer then a 110, found a nice looking all black pocket clip with a fairly long clip and attached it in place of the stock one and gave that to her. It's now her BOOT knife! She loves it, first time afterwards when she wore those, I asked her if she had "it", she said "of course I do, can't you see it?" She likes that one, and has a thing for miniature knives also, and keeps a Kershaw Agent in the console of her van.

So lets get back to YOUR gal. She likes her auto, but is hesitant to pop it out in certain atmospheres within her profession. Okay, got it. How about one of those double action automatics? The ones where they have a hidden button or scale release and you can use it as a conventional folder, or an automatic by using the hidden release? That could literally solve that problem for her and give her the best of both worlds.

Another suggestion; your profile says you live in East Tennessee, why not plan a trip to Smokey Mountain Knife Works for you, of course, but see if you can "drag her along" for the ride. As she's cruising through that huge KNIFE store with you, I bet she'll "oh & ah" over a few and give you a hint or two as to what trips her trigger.

Good luck, find your "nice one", a nice one!

Mine, a few (okay, more than a few) years ago at a local police pistol match. She always shot her Colt 1911, and by the time she got to the 25yd stage, she always seemed to have two or three RSOs behind her firing point, watching her build that cave in the 10/X ring...

[aknifemaker]

Happy wife, Happy life. I made my wife one of these for her birthday a few years back. 

 

 

[BillOReitz_II]

On 4/28/2021 at 3:04 PM, MacGyver said:

I’ve got exactly zero issue sticking a $250 knife in my pocket.  For me, it may be the fact that a $200 sprint run Spyderco PM2 is about as perfect as a knife gets.

If I was going to spend that much on a knife for my wife - I’d probably let her pick. 

You misspelled "Manix 2"

[1fast4by]

As someone who routinely sticks a $2-300 knife in his pocket every day... Yeesh I dont think I could ever stomach paying for one of those

 

Im not someone who fancy's the super ornate though.

[Sleep profit]

Great looking knives 

Edited March 9, 2022 by Sleep profit

[TGO David]

12 hours ago, BillOReitz_II said:

You misspelled "Manix 2"

I've got a few Manix 2's and have to agree with you on this.  I prefer the ambidextrous locking mechanism on the Manix.

I bought my wife and oldest daughter each a Manix 2 in CruWear and purple Micarta a year or two ago when DLT Trading had them in as a sprint run.

[BillOReitz_II]

11 hours ago, TGO David said:

I've got a few Manix 2's and have to agree with you on this.  I prefer the ambidextrous locking mechanism on the Manix.

I bought my wife and oldest daughter each a Manix 2 in CruWear and purple Micarta a year or two ago when DLT Trading had them in as a sprint run.

I missed out on that one. My favorite is my FDE M390. 

[TGO David]

9 hours ago, BillOReitz_II said:

I missed out on that one. My favorite is my FDE M390. 

Got one of those too!