Bill Harsey Jr. Explained

William W. Harsey
Birth Place:Oregon, United States
Occupation:Knife designer, custom knife maker

William Harsey Jr. (born 1955)[1] is an American knifemaker and designer who works with several knife companies, including Gerber Legendary Blades, Lone Wolf Knives, Spartan Blades, Ruger/CRKT, Fantoni, and Chris Reeve Knives.

Personal history

Harsey was born into a logging family in Oregon in 1955. He received a BFA from the University of Oregon.[1]

Work in the knife industry

Harsey is a custom knife maker, designing and crafting one-of-a-kind folding and fixed blade knives, often to order. In Battle Blades, author Greg Walker identifies Harsey as producing superb edges and blade finishes on his knives, as well as making knives specifically for Al Mar and Colonel Rex Applegate.[2] Even so, he is best known for his collaboration projects, in which he serves as knife designer for various knife companies.[3]

Harsey collaborated with Colonel Rex Applegate to design Gerber's Applegate-Fairbairn line. He worked with Chief James Watson to design Gerber's Watson/Harvey Silver Trident and worked with Chris Reeve and Matt Larsen to design the LHR Combat Knife. Harsey designed the Neil Roberts Warrior Knife, which is dedicated to the memory of Petty Officer First Class Neil Roberts, who was killed in action Afghanistan in 2002[4] and the Pacific / First Group Knife, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Army Special Forces in Asia.[5]

One of Harsey's most significant designs was that of the Yarborough Knife, which is named after Lt. Gen. William P. Yarborough, known as the "father of modern Special Forces.".[6] The Yarborough Knife is presented at the beginning in August 2002 to each graduate of the United States Army Special Forces Qualification Course, with each of these knives possessing its own serial number, and logged in an official record book maintained by the United States Army Special Operations Command.[6] The honor of the Yarborough Knife has become nearly equivalent to that of the Green Beret.[7] To quote the USASOC News Service, "As each Green Beret crosses the stage upon graduation of the SFQC, he receives a legacy of the Brotherhood of Special Forces, signing in the pages of an illustrious history, shared by a select few. Only a few short years after its conception, the honor of the Yarborough Knife has now become almost as large of a part of the heritage and tradition of Special Forces as the Green Beret, and has been shared with a small number of dignitaries such as President George W. Bush.".[7]

Industry awards

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: William W. (Bill) Harsey - Designer Profile. https://web.archive.org/web/20030724132049/http://www.lonewolfknives.com/store/pages/designers-harsey.shtml. dead. 2003-07-24. 2010.
  2. Book: Walker, Greg. 1993. Battle Blades: A Professional's Guide to Combat and Fighting Knives. 17. Paladin Press. 978-0-87364-732-8.
  3. Usual, and Not So Usual, Suspects. Blade Magazine. F+W, A Content + eCommerce Company. XLIII. 12.
  4. Web site: Chris Reeve Knives - Optimum Quality, Optimum Performance. 2004. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070401113648/http://www.chrisreeve.com/neilroberts.htm. 2007-04-01.
  5. Shackleford . Steve. 2007 Blade Magazine Knife of the Year Awards . . . . 2007 .
  6. Karwan . Chuck . Special Forces Combat Knife! . Tactical Knives . 10 . 3 . 60–63 . Harris. San Diego . 2003 .
  7. Web site: The Yarborough Knife: Symbol of a legacy. 2010. USASOC.
  8. Shackleford, Steve, Blade Magazine, "1996 Blade Magazine Knives of the Year", October 1996, p. 16-20
  9. Shackleford, Steve, Blade Magazine, They Don't Get Much Sharper Than These, November 2003, p. 12-18
  10. Bourjaily . Phillip. Field & Stream 2004 Best of the Best Awards . . CIX . 8 . 124 . Time4 Media . . 2004-12-01 .
  11. Shackleford . Steve. 2007 Blade Magazine Knife of the Year Awards . . . . 2007 .
  12. Petzal, David E., Field and Stream, "11th Annual Best of the Best Awards", September 2008, pages 84–102.
  13. Web site: 2010 Blade Show Largest Ever . Krause Publications . 2010-06-14 . 2010-07-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100711170838/http://www.blademag.com/article/2010-blade-show-largest-ever . 11 July 2010 . dead .
  14. Shackleford . Steve. Usual, and Not So Usual, Suspects . . . . 2016.

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