The first new Benchmade of the 2010 season, was in many ways, the most anticipated knife of the year for me. The Benchmade 741 Onslaught. The weather is not the greatest at the moment, so I will have to rely on others to throw up pictures, but the knife should be pretty familiar to most at this point.

The specs for the knife are on the Benchmade webpage, the following are my initial impressions of the knife after a few days of carry.

The Onslaught is a production version of Bob Lum’s Forrester model. I have never handled a custom version, but from the pictures it looks to be a spot on reproduction of the knife (excluding the Axis lock). It is a large knife. Not so much large in length or width… It is most notable feature is how “tall” the blade is. Now it is still a large knife overall, with a blade over 4 inches in length. So if you don’t care for larger blades, this might not be for you. This being said, it has carried well in the pocket and I don’t notice it anymore than I would any other large to medium/large sized folder. Given the size, the height of the blade, and curve of the handle, it does make getting around the knife in the pocket a challenge.

If you are a fan of 740, the handle will look similar and feel somewhat the same. It is a bit thicker and larger, and bent at the end. It has the familiar “dimple” that you see on other Lum handles. It does lock in the hand well, and feels good. It has a finger cut out that is in the correct place for most hands. The lock employs the familiar Axis lock, and it functions as any Axis lock should, flawlessly. The G-10 is smooth, but the handle provides adequate grip. The G-10 is black and has a nice figure and grain to it. There is no jimping on the blade or handle. In reality jimping is a catch-22. It feels great and gives you a sense of security when you pick up the knife. However extended use with a knife that has a jimped handle or blade will reveal the darker side of jimping, as it will become quite uncomfortable in time. The best option is to design a knife handle with a secure grip. The 741 does this.

The blade is fun part of this knife. It makes you giggle when you look at it. Honestly if you look at too long you will be inspired to board a ship and pillage… It is big and wide, big and wide. It has this funky sort of swedge thing going on, that I really like. Now, with my love of the 420, you should expect me to dig funky swedges. Two notable features of the 741. It has a tall full flat grind, and the blade is thin. This might well prove to be the best “slicer” Benchmade has made to date. Thin full flat grinds are “in” (as noted by how many production knives get sent off to be re-ground) and the Benchmade 741 should make the” in crowd” happy. The blade is made of 154CM steel which should provide good service. The knife opens with the ‘Spyderco type” round hole opener, which is a design feature of the original Lum.

The thinness of the blade has been one notable issue for some. Many expect a knife this size to sport a thicker harder used blade. I can understand this concern, however it is what it is, and accept it for what it offers. This is going to be a slicer on steroids. I don’t recommend prying or using it as a baton. I believe it should be strong enough for most heavy tasks. If you treat it like a knife it should have no issues. We tend to like to believe that our knives will handle anything we can throw at them. If you want that, get a Strider SmF (and that said I have seen people break them too). It is a knife, and this knife will excel at cutting stuff. Nuff said.
The clip has raised a few eyebrows. It will remind most Benchmade fans of the clip on the 630. However the base of the clip, where it attaches to the knife, is more of a “plate” that covers the whole of the butt of the knife. Let’s say, this clip is not going to fall off. Now, keep in mind, this is a faithful reproduction of the original Lum clip. It works, it might not be a pretty as we like, but I really like the clip. It is “silver” however it is not a high polish, and it has a darker appearance. I like that Benchmade choose to honor Bob Lum with creating a faithful reproduction. This is great, unless you are a left hander. There is no provision to swap the clip over to the left side. To have done this, would have made the knife rather unsightly. The clip works well, and grows on you… As long as you are right handed.

I would expect this knife to be made into a smaller, “mini” version at some point. And like the Rukus before it, I expect the mini will be more popular as it will be smaller slicing machine.

I love the knife, it is just an interesting functional knife that pays tribute to one of the true gentlemen of the knife making world. Benchamde’s execution of the design should be commended. If you ever wanted a custom Lum Forrester, but could not swing it… Here is your chance. It should prove to be a good larger slicer for those looking for such a knife. It is also the Lum design with an Axis lock many were looking for, when Benchmade collaborated with Bob Lum in the first place. Plus it just makes you giggle to look at, who can resist that?

Great report, Mark! I'm expecting mine to arrive today. Can't wait!

-fj

Great review Mark.

Thanks for the review Mark!
Can't wait to get mine

Nice review Mark, thanks.

quote:

The blade is fun part of this knife. It makes you giggle when you look at it. Honestly if you look at too long you will be inspired to board a ship and pillage…

Surprise, surprise. One peek at my avatar will lay bare one reason I really dig the look of this knife. You really hit the nail on the head with that description!

Thanks for the great review, Mark

I got it! I am actually pleased that the blade is a thinner tall flat grind. It saves me having to have it re-ground. Mark called it a slicer on steroids...I agree.

It's plenty smooth too.

I put it on the scale and it weighs 1 oz. less than my re-ground ZT-301. This weight won't bother me at all. Plus, the curve of the handle helps keep it out of your way when you need something else out of your pocket.

-fj

Mark you are not a man of your word! Where are the pictures of girls in bikinis?! WHERE?!

Otherwise a great review.

Nice Review Mark thanks for taking the time to review the 741 I will def be picking one of these up in the near future so I can pilage and plunder with it! ARRRRRRGGGHHH!

Amen brother.