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Benchmade 698 Foray Folder Knife, CPM-20CV Satin Blade

MSRP: $230.00
$195.50
$169.99
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SKU:
BEN698
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Description

The new Benchmade Foray folder knife offers classic styling of a gentlemen's folder coupled with the premium materials and industry-leading craftsmanship as one would only expect from Benchmade. This Blue Class folder utilizes the AXIS locking mechanism and operates extremely smooth thanks to the dual thumb stud design. This knife is ready to handle any job you can throw at it thanks to its recently introduced edge holding juggernaut CPM-20CV stainless steel. This blade material also rates very high in corrosion resistance which is uncommon considering the high degree of edge retention it possesses. This model, the 698, features a satin finish blade and the pocket clip is designed for tip up carry only but is eligible for left or right hand carry options. Made in the USA.

SPECIFICATIONS:

  • Blade Length: 3.24"
  • Overall Length: 7.32"
  • Blade Material: CPM-20CV
  • Blade Finish: Satin
  • Handle Length: 4.08"
  • Handle Material: G-10
  • Weight: 3.6 oz.

At the heart of Benchmade's roster of product lines, the company’s Blue Class offers enduring functionality and stylish design to users who rely on a knife every day to perform routine chores and deal with unexpected challenges. Whether it's your workplace problem solver, your carving knife, your bushcrafting tool, or you use it to perform any of the other cutting chores that pop up in the real world, a Benchmade Blue Class knife makes a reliable companion. These Benchmade knives also offer high-tech materials, thoughtful engineering, and the kinds of styling touches that combine good looks with a comfortable grip on a hard work. Along with these hallmarks of outstanding service, the Benchmade Blue Class also provides all the benefits of the company's relentless focus on first-class materials and manufacturing quality.

 

Benchmade's collaborative partnerships with leading custom knife designers augment the company's product offerings with cleverly innovative products that reflect new visions of what a knife can be and do. In the first decade of the 21st century, renowned knife designer Allen Elishewitz had just such a relationship with the company. Among the products that resulted from that partnership, the Benchmade 690 represented a cut above what many people expected that a production knife manufacturer could create.

 

Texas native Allen Elishewitz also has lived in Asia, with stops in Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. His interest in knives dates back to his youth, as does his more than 30 years' experience in numerous martial arts and his training as a painter, among other artistic media. As an adult, Mr. Elishewitz spent time in the Marines as the Team Leader of a Deep Recon Platoon. Appropriately enough for a man who designs beautiful knives that work in both defensive and utility settings, he holds degrees in Criminal Justice and Fine Arts. His knife making career dates back to part-time work in 1988, during his years in college. When he joined the American Knifemakers' Guild in 1994, he became its youngest member, rising over the years to join its board of directors. The Benchmade 690 has become an enduring exemplar of the ways in which his work can reach a mass audience without losing sight of the focus on quality that serves as a hallmark of his custom work.

 

At approximately 7.5 inches in overall length, with a 3.25 inch blade length and a 4.12-inch long handle, the Benchmade 690 weighed in at about 3 ounces. The knife included a rosewood handle with carbon fiber bolsters and stainless steel liners, along with purchasers' choice of satin finish or black coating on a 154 CM stainless steel blade with a plain or partially serrated combination blade edge. Prototyped in 2000 and first issued in 2001, the Benchmade 690 became Shooting Industry magazine's 2001 Knife of the Year. The liner lock design offered a smooth deployment action in a knife with light weight and classic good looks.

 

For 2016, Benchmade introduces the 698 Foray, a worthy successor to the high quality and practical beauty of the 690. Designed in house at Benchmade, the knife features a drop-point CPM 20CV premium stainless steel blade, AXIS Lock mechanism, and black contoured G10 handle with stainless steel liners. This gentrified gentleman's knife offers every day utility, and carries forward the tradition of the styling popularized by the Benchmade 690.

 

Blade Profile

The profile of a drop-point blade drops, or curves, slightly downward toward a point that offers more thickness than the similar clip-point shape. That thicker tip of the drop-point offers less-effective performance as a piercing tool at the same time that the thickness strengthens the cutting performance. Along the spine of the blade, a swage forms a false edge. The cutting edge features a small curve, or belly. The knife includes a thumb stud that deploys the manually opened blade.

 

Benchmade offers the 698 Foray with your choice of two blade styles. Model 698 includes a plain blade edge. Model 698S features a combo blade with serrations, or rip teeth, along almost half the cutting edge. Located on the left side of the blade, these serrations excel at chores that require cutting or sawing through fibrous materials such as rope, paracord, string, or wood.

 

Blade Finish

Unlike its predecessor the 690, the Benchmade 698 Foray comes only with a satin finished blade. The same laser engraving that applies the Benchmade butterfly logo and other identifying marks to the blade of every Benchmade knife can add your unique markings to your knife as well. You can choose Benchmade's optional lasermarking service when you purchase your knife, or add text, graphics, or both later on. Additional charges apply for this service, with the amount dependent on the nature of the engraving.

 

Blade Steel

The original Benchmade 690 used 154 CM for its blade steel, with 1.05% carbon, 14.0% chromium, 0.50% manganese, 4.0% molybdenum, and 0.30% silicon, and a hardness that measures 58 to 61 HRC on the Rockwell Hardness Scale. By contrast, CPM 20CV is a high-carbon (1.90%) premium stainless steel. Its alloy chemistry also typically contains 20.0% chromium, 4.0% vanadium, 1.0% molybdenum, 0.7% silicon, 0.6% tungsten, and 0.3% manganese, with a hardness that measures 59 to 61. The high percentage of chromium yields excellent corrosion resistance and also contributes to hardness. CPM 20CV's vanadium content yields a tough, wear resistant blade that holds an edge well. Along with vanadium, molybdenum also contributes to this steel's excellent edge retention. Tungsten boosts wear resistance, as does manganese, which also increases hardness and tensile strength. Finally, silicon promotes hardness and helps the steel resist pitting.

 

To characterize knife steels, designers and manufacturers refer to five parameters that distinguish the practical behavior of a metal and point to its strengths and weaknesses. First, hardness, typically measured on the Rockwell C scale, abbreviated HRC, assesses the ability of a material to resist the impact of a test implement driven into a sample under heavy pressure. Second, toughness points to damage resistance, especially to the types of breakage, chipping, and cracking that cause irreparable harm. Because toughness requires that metal bend rather than break, it describes an attribute that lies on the opposite end of a continuum from hardness. Third, along with these two parameters, knife steels also demonstrate wear resistance, both to the abrasive forces that rub away or erode material, and to the adhesive forces that transfer another substance onto the steel. Fourth, corrosion resistance refers to the ability to encounter environmental moisture, salt, and other contaminants without substantial oxidation. Despite the label “stainless steel,” of course, no steel alloy fully resists rust. Fifth, edge retention provides an unstandardized assessment of a knife's ability to stay sharp in use.

 

The presence of "CPM" in the name of a steel alloy marks it as a product of New York State's Crucible Industries. CPM abbreviates Crucible Particle Metallurgy, Crucible's exclusive patented production process, which represents a substantial refinement on the traditional method of making steel.

 

The tried-and-true procedure involves melting the ingredients of an alloy in an electric arc furnace, applying secondary decarburization to the molten result, then transferring it first to a ladle and on into molds, in which it cools into ingots. The problem with this method lies in the elemental segregation that occurs as the steel cools in the molds, turning what had been a homogeneous mixture of elements into a coarse granular structure in which the formula separates. Especially in a complex, high-carbon alloy such as CPM 20CV, the results of this form of segregation can take a toll on the performance of the blades made from steel that demonstrates this production byproduct. Traditional steel manufacturing attempts to overcome these ill effects with additional processing steps, which may eliminate some but can't cure all of the microstructural segregation.

 

Crucible Industries addresses these problems through an innovative solution that postpones and redefines the act of forming the final steel product. Instead of pouring molten metal into molds, the CPM process sprays the steel alloy through a small nozzle as highly pressurized gas transforms the liquid stream. The metal breaks up into miniature particles that solidify into tiny spheres. Instead of one big ingot, the CPM process produces a fine powder in which every particle is its own minuscule ingot. Under pressure and heat in sealed containers, the powdered steel bonds together without allowing its composite elements to segregate. The molded results retain the uniform elemental mixture of the original molten source, producing steels that are easier to sharpen, better at resisting wear and chipping, and that behave consistently when they receive their final heat treatments.

 

CPM production may make CPM 20CV easier to sharpen than if it were a traditional steel, but the edge retention for which this alloy is known also means that it can be a challenge. Benchmade's lifetime LifeSharp warranty includes the option to return your knife to the Benchmade headquarters for resharpening and, if the company's expert technicians spot a worn part, for like-new refurbishment as well. Some conditions apply, including the requirement that you include your original bill of sale and prepay the shipping costs.

 

Handle Materials

The Benchmade 698 Foray includes handle scales fabricated from contoured black G10 fiberglass composite. To produce G10, layers of continuously woven glass fabric soak in epoxy resin. A high-pressure molding process, followed by a baking into final shape, produces a hard, strong, lightweight product that's virtually impervious to liquids, chemicals, humidity, torsion, and flexing. Not only does this sturdy composite retain its shape when it's exposed to the elements, but it's also incapable of conducting electricity. This constellation of traits explains G10’s popularity as a foundation for crafting printed circuit boards.

 

Benchmade fabricates the handle liners for the 698 Foray from 410SS stainless steel, a low-carbon alloy with high corrosion resistance. This highly wearable alloy can bend without deforming, an excellent attribute for the liner of a knife with an AXIS Lock mechanism.

 

Handle Design

The handle of the Benchmade 698 Foray maintains an almost straight line across its spine, curving downward at the butt of the handle. A chamfered forefinger groove helps keep the hand in place and prevent the fingers from sliding onto the cutting surface. The remaining fingers fit neatly into the belly of the handle. The textured surface of the G10 handle scales helps promote the friction that aids in maintaining a secure grip on the knife. Along with the pivot, three Torx screws secure the handle, liners, and blade. An off-centered lanyard hole positioned near the spine of the handle secures the knife and accommodates dummy cords as well.

 

AXIS Lock Mechanism

Benchmade's patented AXIS Lock mechanism governs the deployment of the manually opened blade on the Benchmade 698. Unlike liner lock mechanisms, which favor either the right or the left hand but not both, the AXIS Lock mechanism remains fully ambidextrous. A slot machined into both of the 410SS stainless steel liners of the knife provides the location for a hardened steel bar that moves forward and back. This bar provide the locking mechanism for the blade. Located behind the blade and spanning both sides and liners of the knife, the locking bar engages with the tang of the blade to lock it open. Twin springs keep the bar engaged with the knife tang.

 

Pocket Clip

As befits an ambidextrous design, the stainless steel pocket clip of the Benchmade 698 Foray can attach to either handle scale. From the factory, the knife arrives with the clip affixed to the right-hand scale using two Torx screws, but you can remove and reattach it to the left-hand scale. The clip features a mirror shine rather than a black finish. The deep carry tip-up clip won't convert to a tip-down position, however, so if you prefer an alternative carry, you may have to consider a warranty-voiding alteration to the knife itself.

 

Knife Dimensions and Weight

The Benchmade 698 Foray measures 7.32 inches long opened and 4.14 inches closed, which also equals the length of the handle itself. The blade measures 0.137 inches thick. The handle measures 0.56 inches thick. The knife weighs 3.58 ounces.

 

Other Observations

Many consider the Benchmade 690 a collectible high point within the overall history of Benchmade's knife production. With the new Benchmade 698 Foray, the company re-envisions this popular product with new functionality and high-tech materials. Its light weight, superior edge retention, strong materials, and ready-for-anything utility make it an everyday carry with an outdoor mentality.

 

 

698 Foray

 

Weight

3.58 oz.

Overall length

7.32"

Closed length

4.14"

Blade length

3.24"

Blade thickness

0.137"

Handle length

4.14"

Handle thickness

0.56"

Handle material

Contoured G10 composite with 410SS stainless steel liners

Handle color

Black

Blade material

CPM 20CV premium stainless steel

Blade hardness

59-61 HRC

Blade style

Drop-point

Blade grind

Flat

Blade finish

Satin (698 and 698S)

Blade edge type

Plain (698) or serrated (698S)

Pocket clip

Removable, reversible tip-up deep carry stainless steel

Lock mechanism

AXIS Lock

Opener

Manual

Sheath material

Sheath sold separately

Benchmade product class

Blue

User

Right-handed or left-handed

Best use

EDC, outdoor

Manufacturer's suggested retail prices

490 and 490S: $225

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