Friday I went to a gun shop in southern Minnesota and saw the 828U for the first time in person. Yeah it was a little pricey, but not really compared to other nice O/U's on the market. I picked it up and immediately noticed the lightness and how good it felt. I had a few "extra" guns to trade in so we made a deal and I walked out with my new 828U with 28" barrels. The quality is great - just what I would expect from Benelli (I also owned a Super Sport).
On Sunday, I took the gun and my dog to a gun club I belong to and had some pheasants thrown out for us. It wasn't long before she kicked up the first rooster - one shot had it on the ground. The 828U kicked a fair amount, but nothing worse then any other O/U I've owned in the past. The next bird took 2 shots to drop but that was my fault for rushing, not the gun. The last 2 went just as easily and we were done for the day.
Now, I know it was only one outing, but I couldn't be happier. The gun performed as expected and my shoulder was just fine. I still need to adjust the stock so the mount is a little closer to natural and I removed the auto safety clip so that it doesn't return to safe after each opening of the breech.
I know that the gun looks "different" but I wouldn't call it ugly at all. All of the changes appear to be for the better and it's easy to take apart and clean. So there's an opinion from a real Benelli 828U owner.