It’s a big EDC market out there, and tons of awesome gear is released all the time. We made The Drop to help you discover the latest and greatest essentials worth a spot in your EDC.
While our team is busy covering SHOT Show 2023, Benchmade decided to drop a caseful of new models for this year, with one shiny new slicer immediately grabbing our attention. The 748 Narrows is the brand’s first titanium knife in a good long while, with a heritage spanning legendary butterfly knives like the 42 and the recent 85/87, as well as the highly desirable 781 Anthem with its bold integral lock handle. The Narrows makes a big statement in the thinnest way possible.
How thin, you ask? Well 33% thinner than even their light-carrying Bugout, affording the Narrows a super light weight of only 2.41 ounces. Within the skinny milled titanium handles lies the iconic AXIS lock, which in turn manages the knife’s larger 3.44″ M390 blade, a premium stainless steel best known for its corrosion resistance and edge retention. Anodized blue hardware gives the Narrows some eye-catching accents, including dual titanium thumbstuds, the pivot, standoffs, and also the reversible clip, which also makes this a truly ambidextrous knife for us lefties to drool over.
While the knife is remarkable in a lot of ways, the elephant in the room is its price, as this is one of the more expensive models to come out of Oregon in recent releases. Be prepared to pay a premium for this one, though given how popular titanium Benchmade knives have gotten over time as collector’s items, the higher ask may be justified in the end.
What we like: A titanium Benchmade that’s premium all over, carries super light, and is a treat for lefties.
What to watch out for: There are some pretty big numbers after the dollar sign when looking up its price.
Final verdict: It’s a knife that ticks all the premium boxes, with the DNA of many of its highly popular brethren that came before it, and if you can swallow the cost, likely to be another collector’s item in the future.
