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Blog Archives > December 2010
Blog Archives
December 2010
Too pretty to use (?!?)
I just received a great review – from a customer – of the performance of a William Henry knife under pretty harsh use. I’ve attached the entire review (below) for anyone who is interested – suffice to say that this guy uses knives and knows what works and what does not. It reminded me that at William Henry, we know what works and what does not as well. And we are constantly pushing the boundaries of what is good, what is great, what approaches magic, and what level we are capable of reaching. We never settle for a benchmark and go with it – what makes this fun and challenging is to keep examining our own definitions and expectations, learning as we go and raising the bar internally on an almost daily basis.
Given that deliberate intention, it always fascinates me that people often look at our work at say it is “too pretty to use”. A Bentley (or Ferrari, or?) is not too pretty to drive, a Patek Philippe is not too pretty to wear, etc. But for some reason the workmanship and materials in our pieces, especially in pocket knives, seem to distract or even diminish the true purpose of our work as makers of fine tools. That’s what we do – that what William Henry was when it was just me in a room making a handful of pocket knives, that’s what we do today – we make damn fine tools and make no compromises when it comes to performance.
I design stuff to be used – and at WH we build it from the best materials we can find anywhere, to the highest standards we understand. And from there we make them pretty, too. The pretty part is easy to see and admire – but the true test, and I believe the true credibility of our work at WH, is the performance of the tool we build and how it can serve your life. Will it look a little different after months or years of hard use? You bet it will – the natural wear will be a window into the history of this tool, your tool, doing what it was meant to do (and we can always recondition it down the road if needed).
Check out the attached review if you’re curious – and send us your own review of our work if you want, or post your comments on our Facebook page. I believe in tools that enable your life and can be passed on to your children someday, and I know for a fact that what we make at WH is expressly built to be used…
Thanks for checking in!
Matt Conable, Founder
“We have just completed our first hunts. I worked three elk with the knife and I suppose the best description of the results is spectacular. The knife began with a polished edge that would not only shave hair, but split it lengthwise. After two elk, I could not detect any deterioration in sharpness. [This includes field dressing and completely skinning the animals. At the end of the third, the blade would still "shave" but was no longer capable of splitting the hairs. Six strokes on a pigskin strop returned the edge virtually to its original condition.
After 14 elk the two knives have proven more than hoped. Beyond the extraordinary edge-holding ability, when they needed a touch-up we found a fine diamond, followed by leather with Semichrome (thanks for the knowledge!) was able to renew the factory-like sharpness.
Ultimately these are the finest cutting tools my son and I have ever used and we have used a variety of the best money could buy, for a long time, including Loveless and beyond.”
Ross Seyfried – author, guide
Elk Song Ranch
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