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The Benchmade designed H&K Entourage side open automatic knife has been redesigned--offering a G-10 inlay for added security and implementing D2 tool steel for better edge retention. The entire H&K line of knives are all manufactured by Benchmade and carry their limited lifetime warranty and are eligible for all Benchmade services. The enlarged push button offers ease of use and you will also find an integrated slide safety located on the spine of the handle in close proximity to the firing button. This model, the 14701BK-1, offers a tanto style D2 tool steel blade in a black finish. The pocket clip on this series of H&K Entourage knives is designed for tip up carry only and offers a left or right hand carry option. Made in the USA.
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Blade Length: 3.74"
- Overall Length: 8.44"
- Blade Material: D2 Tool Steel
- Blade Finish: Black
- Handle Length: 4.7"
- Handle Material: 6061-T6 Aluminum / G-10
- Weight: 4.5 oz.
Germany's Heckler & Koch has been manufacturing small arms and light weapons for law enforcement, armed forces, sporting, and commercial uses for more than six decades. The German police and special forces, along with NATO members and NATO-associated states, rely on Heckler & Koch armaments. In the U.S., Heckler & Koch has provided weapons to the Army, the Marine Corps, the Department of Homeland Security, the Navy Seals, and Delta Force. Along with European subsidiaries in France and the United Kingdom, and U.S. subsidiaries in Georgia, New Hampshire, and Virginia, the company is headquartered in Oberndorf, Germany. HK's traditions include the use of innovative materials and the creation of products that incorporate ambitious technologies.
HK Knives represent a collaboration between Benchmade and Heckler & Koch. Designed and manufactured by Benchmade in the U.S., these products live up to the Heckler & Koch "No Compromises" commitment, offering superior materials, features, and manufacturing quality.
Blade Profile
Benchmade formerly crafted the HK 14701BK Entourage with two choices of blade profiles. Model 14701BK featured the tanto-point available on the new 14701BK-1 Entourage. The product line also included a drop-point version, model 14702BK, which no longer exists in the Benchmade HK Entourage lineup.
Also called a chisel-point style because of the angled shape of the point of the blade, a tanto-point knife incorporates the equivalent of two cutting edges if its point also carries a sharp edge. Fashioned at between a 60-degree and 80-degree angle, the tanto blade point runs nearly the full thickness of the rest of the blade, giving this knife shape the strength to absorb an impact without incurring damage during a penetrating strike. Because the blade edge includes very little curve, or belly, the tanto-point offers limited functionality as a traditional slicing knife.
The Benchmade HK Entourage 14701BK-1 uses a flat ground blade with either a plain or a serrated edge. Model 14701BK-1 features the plain blade edge, whereas model 14701SBK-1 incorporates rip teeth, or serrations, on the left side of the blade near the handle. These teeth quickly work their way through sawing and cutting tasks that involve rope, paracord, wood, or other fibrous materials. The location of the serrations makes it easier to apply maximum leverage to that portion of the blade and get full use out of the rip teeth when you need them. If you opt for model 14701SBK-1, bear in mind that sharpening a serrated edge, or the serrated portion of an otherwise plain blade, presents greater challenges than dealing with an unserrated blade because of the small, partially enclosed cutting edges of rip teeth.
The Benchmade LifeSharp limited lifetime warranty applies to the HK Entourage 14701BK-1. This coverage includes blade reconditioning, resharpening, and even replacement, provided that you comply with the warranty terms. Disassembling the knife, or sharpening it yourself incorrectly, may void the warranty. Note that if you opt for model 14701SBK-1, the LifeSharp lifetime sharpening service does not cover the serrated portion of the blade. For full details of the warranty coverage, consult the Benchmade website or the warranty card included with your knife.
Blade Finish
The Benchmade HK Entourage 14701BK-1 comes with a black Cerakote blade coating. The coating virtually eliminates the prospect of glare off the knife blade, which can form a serious consideration in tactical settings. The HK logo appears on the blade's left side near the handle. To personalize your knife, opt for Benchmark's lasermarking service, which can add text and graphics to blades and some handles. Because the new HK Entourage 14701BK-1 includes G10 laminate inlays on both sides of the handle, it can't accept lasermark engraving on any surface except the knife blade itself. On the blade's Cerakote surface, the laser engraving process burns away portions of the coating to reveal your chosen message or pattern.
Blade Steel
The new HK Entourage 14701BK-1 switches from 440C high-carbon (0.95% to 1.20%) stainless steel with a hardness of 58 to 60 HRC to D2 tool steel with a hardness of 60 to 62 HRC. The designation "HRC" refers to the Rockwell Hardness Scale on which the hardness properties of metals and other materials are evaluated in laboratory tests. The hardness test for the HRC scale drives an indenter made from industrial diamond into the surface of knife steel to measure its resistance to force.
Once ranked as a high-end option among U.S. knife steels, 440C appears as a frequent choice for blade fabrication because of its wear resistance, hardness, and stain resistance. It offers less corrosion resistance than other members of the 440 "family" of stainless steels because it contains less chromium than other 440 alloys.
Tool steels incorporate tungsten, molybdenum, and other elements. Among these alloys, D2 qualifies as a high-carbon alloy because of its 1.5% carbon content. It provides a high degree of wear resistance, which equates to the ability to withstand abrasive and adhesive contact without degrading the surface of the blade. Abrasive wear occurs when steel makes contact with a rough surface. Adhesive wear involves the transfer of material from one surface to another. D2 tool steel also contains almost enough chromium content to qualify as a stainless steel, but is best described as stain resistant instead. It offers good edge retention but can be difficult to sharpen.
To qualify for the label "stainless steel," an alloy must contain at least 12% to 13% chromium. Along with contributing corrosion resistance, chromium also enhances tensile strength and hardness. The version of 440C that Benchmade used in the HK 14701BK Entourage incorporates 1.0% carbon, 17.5% chromium, 0.5% manganese, 0.5% molybdenum, 0.04% phosphorus, 0.3% silicon, and 0.03% sulfur. Of these elements, phosphorus and sulfur play only minor roles in determining the performance and characteristics of the resulting steel. Nonetheless, phosphorus increases hardness, and sulfur enhances machinability at the expense of toughness, which represents an alloy's damage resistance and ability to bend rather than break.
Selected for the new HK 14701BK-1 Entourage blade, Benchmade's D2 alloy includes 1.5% carbon, 12% chromium, 0.3% nitrogen, 0.6% manganese, 1.0% molybdenum, 0.3% nickel, 0.6% silicon, and 1.0% vanadium. Nitrogen, nickel, and silicon don't contribute substantially to the characteristics of D2. However, nitrogen plays a role in upping corrosion resistance, hardness, and edge retention; nickel raises toughness and low-temperature strength; and silicon helps increase hardness, and removes oxygen during production to minimize pitting.
Switching from 440C to D2 gives the HK 14701BK-1 Entourage blade slightly more hardness than that of its predecessor, the 14701BK, at the expense of slightly less corrosion resistance. Because high-carbon steels such as D2 can demonstrate brittleness, the tempering applied to them during alloy manufacturing can have a critical impact on their toughness or fragility.
The move from 440C to D2 also increases the wear resistance of the blade, thanks to the greater percentage of carbon in the D2 alloy formulation. At the same time, however, wear resistance correlates with difficulty in sharpening, so if you opt for the Benchmade HK 14701BK-1 Entourage, consider finding an expert sharpening service, sending your knife to Benchmade for sharpening under the terms of the LifeSharp limited lifetime warranty, or upping your own sharpening skills and investing in better tools, particularly hand-powered diamond abrasives. Thanks to D2's superior edge retention, however, you won't need to sharpen your 14701BK-1 Entourage often.
Comparing 440C and D2 reveals other differences that affect aesthetics and costs. Unlike 440C, D2 develops a mirror finish that demonstrates a grain or surface texture sometimes referred to as "orange peel," which some people dislike. Because the HK 14701BK-1 features a black Cerakote coating, you won't see the surface finish. Finally, because D2 typically commands higher prices than 440C, the new choice of steels forms one reason that the Benchmade HK 14701BK-1 Entourage lists at a higher manufacturer's suggested retail price than its predecessor, the 14701BK.
Handle Materials
The black anodized 6061-T6 aluminum handle on the Benchmade HK 14701BK-1 Entourage continues the material choice found on the HK 14701BK. This aluminum alloy also sees use in demanding applications such as the construction of boats and aircraft.
Pure aluminum would yield a supremely lightweight handle, but at the expense of too much softness to withstand the type of heavy use that a tactical knife such as the Benchmade HK 14701BK-1 Entourage sees on a daily basis. In an alloy that includes magnesium and silicon, aluminum retains its desirable light weight but adds strength and toughness, along with corrosion resistance, to its performance profile. Benchmade creates handle parts for the HK 14701BK-1 Entourage out of billet aluminum, using specialized machining processes to carve out precisely, smoothly finished components with cleanly rendered lines.
The handle design of the Benchmade HK 14701BK-1 Entourage differs from that of its predecessor in the addition of black G10 laminate inlays instead of the surface grooves featured on the 14701BK. Made from resin-soaked layers of continuous-filament glass cloth that undergoes compression and exposure to heat, G10 offers rugged, lightweight hardness, and doesn't shrink or lose shape under extreme conditions of heat, cold, or wear. It resists humidity, moisture and chemicals at a wide range of ambient temperatures. G10 laminate sees use in the electronics industry, including as a substrate for printed circuit boards, because in addition to its other positive features, it doesn't conduct electricity. To increase grip, G10 laminate features a checkered surface texture introduced during the production processes of compression and baking. G10 inlays offer additional friction that makes the new Benchmade HK 14701BK-1 Entourage easier to hold securely, and increases your ability to translate grip into pressure.
Handle Design
The Benchmade HK 14701BK-1 Entourage uses handle-shape features to maximize hand safety as well as grip. A front quillon at the bottom of the handle near the blade serves as a stop that limits the likelihood of hand or finger travel forward onto the blade itself. The rise at the top of the handle provides a resting spot for the tip of your thumb when you hold the blade in a conventional grip. Both the front quillon and the thumb rise, as well as the heel of the knife handle, feature jimping grooves machined into the 6061-T6 aluminum alloy to increase your ability to hold on to the knife, even when your hands are wet. These features carry forward from the design of the 14701BK. Also like the 14701BK, the Benchmade HK 14701BK-1 Entourage does not incorporate a lanyard hole at the end of its handle.
The push-button automatic opening mechanism triggers from the left side of the knife handle near the blade pivot screw and just slightly behind the point of the front quillon. Because of the location of the opening button, the Benchmade HK 14701BK-1 Entourage strongly favors a right-handed user or a lefty who feels comfortable operating an automatic knife in the right hand. The integrated safety appears on the spine of the handle slightly behind the front edge of the G10 laminate inlays and just before the first of the set of jimping grooves.
Knife Dimensions and Weight
When Benchmade revised the design and specifications of the HK 14701BK Entourage to create the new HK 14701BK-1 Entourage, it produced a knife with subtle changes in dimensions and weight. Overall length remains unchanged at 8.44 inches, as does closed length at 4.70 inches and blade length at 3.74 inches. Blade thickness rises from 0.114 inches to 0.124 inches with the shift from 440C stainless steel to D2 tool steel. Weight declines from 4.64 ounces to 4.52 ounces. Handle thickness increases by three one-hundredths of an inch from 0.53 inches to 0.56 inches with the incorporation of G10 laminate inlays.
Pocket Clip
The removable tip-up pocket clip feature on the HK 14701BK Entourage becomes reversible on the HK 14701BK-1. Three Torx screws secure the pocket clip to the handle of the Benchmade HK 14701BK Entourage and the new 14701BK-1. With the addition of a second trio of mounting holes on the left side of the knife handle, the new design accommodates placement of the clip on either side. You'll need the proper screwdriver to remove and reattach the pocket clip, but if you prefer to use the HK 14701BK-1 Entourage as an everyday carry and want to place it in your left pocket, you can reverse the clip and secure the knife on the other side of your body.
Safety Mechanism
Like the safety mechanism on the Benchmade HK 14701BK Entourage, the equivalent feature on the 14701BK-1 holds the automatic knife blade locked in place, either after you open it or to prevent it from opening at all. Some automatic knife owners leave these features off because they feel that a safety lock slow their ability to deploy a knife quickly in an emergency. Others prefer to engage safety mechanisms because they fear unintentional deployment with the prospect of injury, especially when they carry a knife in a garment pocket, although Benchmade's push-button automatic knifes don't typically open accidentally. When you do use the safety lock on the HK 14701BK-1 Entourage, it engages and disengages with a faint but reassuring click.
Other Observations
The Benchmade HK 14701BK-1 Entourage combines an extremely durable blade with the edge retention that spells long service without the need for frequent sharpening. Whether you choose it for tactical purposes or opt to use it as an EDC knife, the Benchmade HK 14701BK-1 Entourage can stand up to substantial abuse and heavy-duty real-world work. The addition of G10 laminate inlays on the new 14701BK-1 Entourage yields an even more refined version of an already classic knife.
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HK 14701BK Entourage
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HK 14701BK-1 Entourage
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Weight |
4.64 oz. |
4.52 oz. |
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Overall length |
8.44" |
8.44" |
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Closed length |
4.70" |
4.70" |
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Blade length |
3.74" |
3.74" |
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Blade thickness |
0.114" |
0.124" |
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Handle length |
4.70" |
4.70" |
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Handle thickness |
0.53" |
0.56" |
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Handle material |
Anodized 6061-T6 billet aluminum |
Anodized 6061-T6 billet aluminum with G10 inlays. |
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Handle color |
Black |
Black |
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Blade material |
440C stainless steel |
D2 tool steel |
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Blade hardness |
58-60 RC |
60-62 RC |
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Blade style |
Tanto-point or drop-point |
Tanto-point |
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Blade grind |
Flat |
Flat |
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Blade finish |
Black (14701BK and 14701SBK) |
Black (14701BK-1 and 14701SBK-1) |
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Blade edge type |
Plain (14701BK) or serrated (14701SBK) |
Plain (14701BK-1) or serrated (14701SBK) |
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Pocket clip |
Black, removable, tip-up |
Black, removable, reversible tip-up |
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Lock mechanism |
Auto open with integrated safety |
Auto open with integrated safety |
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Opener |
Push button automatic |
Push button automatic |
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Sheath material |
Sheath sold separately |
Sheath sold separately |
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Benchmade product class |
HK |
HK |
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User |
Right handed |
Right handed |
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Best use |
EDC, tactical, law enforcement |
EDC, tactical, law enforcement |
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Manufacturer's suggested retail prices |
14701BK and 14701SBK: $175 |
14701BK-1 and 14701SBK-1: $200 |