Bensei tests a meteor hammer made entirely of chainmail
Omnimaille's handmade challenge entry puts craftsmanship and impact resistance on very different footing.
Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 518,287 views a day, 19 times a normal first day on this channel (27,516).
Thank you so much Omnimaille! #benseiarmy #meteorhammer
"I don't want to break this, it's so pretty!" Bensei says, caught between admiring a handmade weapon and doing exactly what he brought it outside to do.
Omnimaille's entry in the 2026 Meteorsmith Challenge, called "The best defense," is chainmail all the way through: not just the weighted head, but the entire length connecting it to his hand. Bensei swings it around his body for a flow test before moving on to the less forgiving business of hitting things.
The Short has drawn about 335,000 views in eleven hours, far outpacing his usual start. Its appeal comes with a very visible problem: the metal rings aren't welded shut. After the first strike against stacked tires, some are already opening.
Out come the pliers. Bensei pinches a link closed so he can try an ice block, which withstands repeated casts before a different swing finally shatters it, sending loose rings flying too.
The comments turn into an informal materials discussion. Viewers wonder whether the flexible head compresses on impact, cushioning the blow rather than delivering it cleanly. Others dwell on the hours of work the piece must have required, or Bensei's small, defeated reaction to its final outdoor test.
Bensei keeps those two judgments separate: he praises Omnimaille's craftsmanship while explaining that a chainmail weapon needs welded or pinned rings to hold together under impact.
Published on Trari
Where next?
What viewers say
I'm curious if the impact is softened bc the chainmail ball just deforms more easily like a bean bag
@robertscott7812See it on YouTubeThis must've taken AGES :0
I'm absolutely mesmerized by it@gebratenekinder3261See it on YouTubeThe defeated little "oh" at the end 😂
@ShesanaSee it on YouTube
3 more comments
Incredible Craftsmanship
@Dragonis-t4wSee it on YouTubeI wonder if it wasn't doing great vs the ice block because it had a bit of flex/compression in the hammer and so it wasn't transferring all the force fast enough?
@alariclandkingSee it on YouTube"..........oh"
Some say it is still out there to this day flying high to avoid that ground smash.@dontfeedthelunaticSee it on YouTube
Public comments from the video's page on YouTube
- Channel
- instructor_bensei
- Subscribers
- 633,000 ▲ 8,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 6,317,466
- Channel views, pace per day
- 673,466 (on a normal day: 675,461)
- Video published
- October 22, 2026
- Video views so far
- 334,983 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 518,287
The numbers
The chainmail test is moving far faster than Bensei's usual Short, with comments already well beyond a typical full first day.
💡 Test your knowledge
What is Omnimaille's Meteorsmith Challenge entry called?
Bensei introduces Omnimaille's all-chainmail entry as "The best defense."


