As many of you know, Stanley May likes titanium knife handles just about more than any other.  This is a curse I have from being a structural engineer for so long. With this background, I have acquired a bias that says, I want everything to be as strong, lightweight, and functionally rugged, as possible within reason.  For me, this usually means titanium handles.  If any of you know of a good titanium counselor, please let me know, for I need help.

Today I am going to review the Benchmade 790 Lerch Subrosa.  It is a high quality, strong, assisted opening, titanium frame lock knife that actually has some style to it.  First, let's get the particulars out of the way:

1. Blade length                                                                                  3.75 in
2. Closed knife length                                                                       4.625 in
3. Blade material                                                                               S30V
4. Handle/Frame thickness (per side)                                               0.110 in
5. Blade thickness                                                                             0.125 in
6. Handle material                                                                             6AL-4V
7. Knife Weight                                                                                  4.00 oz.
8. Pocket clip                                                                                     Titanium?
9. Spacers and screws                                                                      SS?

Note I could not readily determine the materials for items #8 and #9, so they are my best guesses.  I didn’t feel like spending much time trying to figure these out.

This Matthew Lerch design titanium knife came in the usual Benchmade box and pouch, and possesses the usual Benchmade quality.  I really like Benchmade knives, and generally think they are high on quality and value.   The Subrosa’s machining, finishes, and tolerances held are very good indeed.  The centering of the blade is perfect as it is in all the Benchmade knives I own.  It is an open knife that facilitates cleaning, and is very lightweight.  The frame locks the blade open via a monolock scheme typical of most other framelock knives.  The handles come in only one color (titanium grey), and have some NC machining done on them that forms the design’s artistic long arcs.  The handles are then bead blasted to give it that dull uniform appearance.  Post bead blasting, some shallow semi spheres are machined in between the arcs to give it a fairly esthetic appearance, especially in comparison to other titanium handles.  The blade is available in either a satin finish or painted black, and with or without partial serrations.  I got the satin plain blade that came very sharp.  It has one pocket position; tip down.

The Subrosa’s performance has some good points, and some less than desirable points.  I like the knife’s size, and balance, and it feels very comfortable in my hand.  The knife flies open when the thumb stud is nudged and locks up very solid.  At this point there is not the slightest hint of movement or looseness.  It definitely feels very strong.

It is when retracting the blade that I have a problem with the Subrosa.  It takes more force to do this than I expected.  Perhaps it will loosen up with use.  However, I used an electronic parcel scale and measured the force it required to do this.  It consistently required 3 pounds to fully retract the blade.  This not a show stopper, but it does and will take more time and effort to retract the blade.  Once retracted it feels like it will stay shut, and I think the potential of it firing in your pocket is very low.

 Another problem I have with the Subrosa is the grip.  When you grip it, it feels like there is nothing gripping back.  Additionally, the jibbing is anemic.  I do not see much point to this minimal jibbing provided that really does not offer much.  This could really cause a problem if the handles are wet, and it seems like a problem that could have been avoided with a little more thought and machining.  If you have the hands/strength of a gorilla, then you can ignore this problem.

I will conclude with pros and cons:

 Pros

1. Esthetic appeal – for titanium handles, they are very attractive
2. Strength and toughness – this is a strong knife
3. Opening speed and lockup
4. Great materials
5. Great machining, finishes, and tight tolerances
6. Blade shape, thickness, and material

 Cons

1. Large force required to retract blade, and resulting in slightly longer time to do so.
2. Poor gripping features
3. Anemic jibbing

 In summary, I would say this is a good and worthy knife.  I think it would make a very good EDC for regular and demanding tasks.  It may not be the best knife to take into the woods, camping, or hunting because of the less than ideal grip and speed of retraction.  If you are considering a Subrosa, I would encourage you to look at other assisted and non-assisted knives because I think for the same money there are others that would match the pros, and not have the problems I see in this knife.  Thus, I do not give the Subrosa my highest recommendation.