The Gentac ‘Koa' features a light and resilient frame in brushed finish titanium, inlaid with curly koa wood. The blade is 'Wave' damascus with a core of VG-10 steel; the one-hand button lock and the thumb stud are set with spinel gemstones. An exceptional design that offers rigorous performance in a sleek, comfortable knife, the Gentac is also the perfect canvas to showcase William Henry’s range of exotic materials and techniques. The 'Koa’ features some of the hi-tech materials and hand-forged metals that are the hallmark of William Henry's collections; a modern design for a timeless heirloom to be proudly worn and used for a lifetime before being handed-down to another generation.
Blade 3.25" (82.5mm)
Handle 3.80" (96.5mm)
Overall open 7.00" (177.8mm)
Titanium is a low density, strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant (including sea water, aqua regia and chlorine) metal with a silver color.
It was discovered in Great Britain by William Gregor in 1791, and named by Martin Heinrich Klaproth for the Titans of Greek mythology
William Henry uses only aerospace-grade titanium alloy for our frames, clips, and micro-fasteners. Called 6Al/4V, it is titanium with a little aluminum and vanadium added in for additional toughness and tensile strength.
Koa is a fabled tree, and wood, sourced responsibly from the Hawaiian islands. It is reddish brown in color, takes a beautiful polish, and can occasionally offer very fine figuring/curl and chattoyance. William Henry uses only the highest grade of figured Koa (as available) for our work, resin-stabilized for durability.
Natural spinel is a gemstone that has become a great favorite with gem dealers and gem collectors; one might even say that spinel is for gemstone connoisseurs only.
It is a hard glassy mineral occurring as octahedral crystals of variable color and consisting chiefly of magnesium and aluminum oxides.
Some spinels are among the most famous gemstones in the world: among them are the Black Prince's Ruby and the "Timur Ruby" in the British Crown Jewels, and the "Côte de Bretagne", formerly from the French Crown jewels.
William Henry’s VG-10 damascus is created from billets with 67 layers of three different alloys. The center, or core, features premium VG-10 stainless steel tempered to an optimal hardness of HRC 60-61 for exceptional sharpness and wear resistance. The core is sandwiched between 33 layers of alternating nickel and steel which we use for tensile strength thru the blade, and to reveal the remarkable forged patterns within the composite alloys in the finished piece of steel. Our final acid etch and hand-polish reveals the tapestry within, as each alloy reacts to the acid and emerges in contrasting tones of black, grey, and silver. Each unique pattern is created by different forging dies used on each sandwiched billet of steel.
