There are moments in life that stand out more than others. There are big moments like wedding days and holding your child for the first time that marks a man and set him on a new course. There are moments like learning to cast a fly rod or learning to drive on your grandfather’s farm that is still tangible many years later. There are late nights with good friends during your college years and there are family dinners once you’re grown that remind you how far you’ve come and all that you have to be thankful for in life. The thread among all these moments is that they hinge around the memories, not the things.
At William’s Knife Company, we make knives. Inherently, a knife is just an object, a tool meant for a task. Knives come in all shapes and sizes; some meant for the field, some for the kitchen. Our aim with every knife we make is to take an ordinary thing and create a tool that will enhance the moments surrounding its use.
There is a lot to be said for craftsmanship that lends itself to both form and function. Our knives are meant to be used, they are a tool, after all, we build them to be useful in the hand. Our knives are also made to be beautiful to the eye. We believe the aesthetic of a knife is an accessory to the experience of using it. It is in this manner of design that we take an object and attempt to add to the memory being made while the knife is in hand.
The knife that you use while you’re teaching your son to skin his first deer won’t be the thing that you remember about that day, but perhaps in some small way, it will add to the memory. The knife you use to carve the turkey at the Thanksgiving table the first time that becomes your duty won’t be what you remember about that day. Perhaps though, it makes the memory just a touch sweeter in its own way. That line of thinking is why we make our knives the way that we do. Hours on the grinder and polishing wheels are spent creating a tool with the potential to live up to this purpose. We hope you enjoy using them as much as we enjoy making them.