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Lone Wolf Knives
“William W. (Bill) Harsey - Designer Profile”.
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| “ Perhaps the best
known Harsey project to date is the Army Special Forces (Green
Beret) Yarborough knife, designed by Bill and issued upon
graduation to each individual who passes the "Q" (Qualification)
Course to become a Special Forces soldier.” |
Bill Harsey, Jr., was born in 1955 and grew up in a western Oregon
logging family, working, hunting and fishing in the high Cascade
Mountains where he learned the value of hard work and good, sharp
steel. Bill worked logging big timber to pay for his college education
and to build his own shop after he had finished college. Bill's
degree was in fine arts (BFA University of Oregon 1979) and the
shop is dedicated to making mans oldest known tool, the knife.
An award winning custom knife-maker
even before he met the legendary Col. Rex Applegate, Bills' work
for him improving the Applegate Fairbairn line of knives resulted
in the industries "Best American Made Knife Award."
This is how Bill got started in the world of Tactical knives.
In this field Bill has done work for individuals in all branches
of the United States Military including Army Special Forces, Marine
Fighter Pilots, Air Force and those guys in the Navy known as
SEAL's. His work has gone to members of Britain's famous counterterrorist
group, the SAS and Germany's GSG-9.
Perhaps the best known Harsey project
to date is the Army Special Forces (Green Beret) Yarborough knife,
designed by Bill and issued upon graduation to each individual
who passes the "Q" (Qualification) Course to become
a Special Forces soldier.
Harsey knives are recognized for
highly refined no-nonsense function. Bill says "Good knife
design is like good airplane design, if it doesn't need to be
there, it isn't"! "Knives have to be able to function
in any environment on or near the earth, this includes total darkness
and numbing cold above or below water." This last quote by
Bill makes sense when you speak with him and learn that his knives
are designed to orient quickly in the hand without having to look
at them. When the knife is gripped, the handle shape gives the
user both control and precise reference to the edge. One of Bill's
great interests is metallurgy and heat treat of the exotic tool
steels. The result of this is the owner of his knives getting
the highest quality steel possible in a Harsey knife.
When Bill gets a bit of time to
himself he can be found tying flies for fishing, then taking them
out and using them. The famous Oregon McKenzie River is his preferred
trout stream which he knows how to fish. Bill lives with his wife
and three children on the "wet side" of the Cascade
Mountains in Oregon.
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