About to buy - BM 710D2

W

Wolf_HR

Joined
Jun 22, 2013
Messages
223
I've decided to bite the bullet and move to the upper part of the knife market and am seriously considering buying a BM 710D2. Apart from the minor issue of going to shop to see how it feels in my hand (I've slight concerns that it might be a wee bit too big, although I EDC a Navaja which is but a 3/8" shorter, albeit a fair bit slimmer), which I feel is a requirement before I part with hard earned cash, I'm a terrible 'buyer'* and I've been slightly disconcerted by some of the things I've read on the forum about BM.

I know that BM ranks highly for their quality and F&F, plus 710 is sort of flagship of theirs- but I've read posts about poor quality control, uneven grinds and similar stuff as reasons people do not want to buy BM anymore; and even in this sub-forum there were mentions of issues with 3rd gen 710 of blade hitting spacers, &c. It does not put me off from buying it, because I think 710 is one of the most beautiful knives I've ever seen, but (with my history of poor inspection before purchasing) I'm slightly concerned and would be much obliged for any pointers on what could possible issues be- what to look for, where to look for it and how to spot it.

This would also be my first higher end knife, and first D2 blade- which means I'm a bit clueless about proper TLC my new knife should be given if I (hopefully)= decide to buy it. Therefore, I'd appreciate any tips for care and maintenance of a good knife.

Am I right in assuming that I won't be able to purchase knife with modifications (I'd like to get the arrow clip and barrel spacers), so either I or the dealer will have to send the knife to BM to fit them?

TIA and sorry for lots of questions and long(ish) post.

* many a time I've bought things, oblivious of obvious flaws and imperfections which start to bug me as soon as I spot them (and I always spot them... afterwards)
 
I will try to answer a couple of your questions.
As far as the quality. The most recent Benchmade knives I have purchased have all been perfect. I am sure some bad knives can get out the door, the real question is how does the company deal with the problem when that happens. I have never heard anyone complain about Benchmade customer service, aside from they won't send out replacement parts to customers.
With D2, I wipe mine off after I cut something moist or wet. I will squirt some oil on mine from time to time. It is semi-stainless so it can rust. I have not seen any rust on my blades but my D2 blades are also all coated. Overal I am happy with my D2 blades.
As far as buying your knife with mods, as far as I know if you want something different you would either have to mod it yourself or check out some of the limited runs that have been done with the 710 and see if you like that better.
 
I just bought one used. It had been sent to BM for the barrel spacer modification. It looks like they did a perfect job to me. There is a more expensive version at one of the knife sites done as a limited run and it has the barrel spacers as well as CPM M4 steel.

I am more into Spyderco, so I only had one other BM before this. I love the thing. It's slim and has a long, slender blade. I think the D2 does require a little thoughtfulness, but if you really take care of your knives, I think you'll catch any rust pretty early on. I've heard some people say that living by the ocean or working in wet environment (or even being a sweaty person that soaks their clothes daily) would make a poor match for the steel. But if you live in drier areas and let the thing air out after getting wet, it should be fine.

I read all the other posts about the issues you mentioned and it almost dissuaded me. My blade doesn't look even close to touching the barrel spacers, so maybe some of the issues were larger spacers? I dunno. I'm really pleased with mine and I'm kind of surprised it's not mentioned more often, maybe it's just too old to keep people's attention. It's a badass knife, if you ask me.
 
My 710 has just recently started hitting the back spacer. However, this condition is probably because of me playing with my 710 waaay to much. It is just so fun to open! I am pretty sure the grind is uneven on my but I am going to sharpen it anyway.

You will need good stone for D2 because is hard. Maybe a diamond set. What I love about D2 is that it holds an edge but is pretty easy to strop back to sharpness. Black and green jeweler's compound (also called polishing compound) are a must. They will be next to the grinders in Lowe's. Flexcut gold is even better than the green. I did have some very slight rust develop on the spine near the tip but some OOO steel wool (and oil) will take it right off. First time I have had a D2 blade rust. I suspect I used the 710 to cut something and forgot to clean the spine.

If you know to sharpen and oil the blade, then you are well on your way to a good knife owner. And, if you are like me, my only regret about the 710 is that I didn't buy one sooner.
 
Thanks, guys- you've reassured me a bit (albeit, Squashfan didn't do a very good job of it ;)). :) I'll have to be a bit mindful when inspecting, and will give it a try in 'as is' configuration (liner and clip) and send it in if I decide to modify the knife (I was impressed by Keyman's green G10 scales- they make 710 look absolutely splendid).

Dunno, 710 was the first knife I saw and thought it just looks perfect- every proportion, every line is just beautiful. I'm not good at sharpening- I just bought a whetstone (which seems a bit crappy- wears much faster than cheap knives I practice on) and have a few old knives to practice with, so I wouldn't dare to sharpen 710- but I'll care for it and hopefully will be able to sharpen it when I learn to sharpen properly (seems I still have a long way to go) .
 
I have owned literally hundreds of Benchmades. I have only had two issues. One was more a design issue (BM 670) and one was an HK that hit the barrel spacers. All the rest were world class, I would have no worries about getting a 710, as a matter of fact have one on the way now.
 
Hello Mark, nice to see you over here. Oddly enough, the only Benchmade sent up for repair they couldn't fix was in the same family, a 672. This knife could be spine whacked every single time. When asked what I wanted as a replacement I got a 710D2; good choice and I have no regrets, I like D2 which was used on both knives.
 
i felt the same way when i first saw the 710 earlier this year. the proportions and blade shape were very appealing.
the first one i picked up here in town was perfect. the blade centered, even grind etc. the f&f were excellent!

i liked it so much that i wanted to get a second one, the place i had picked up the first one was sold out, so i went to another retailer here who are registered dealers from the BM website. they had a total of 4 in stock, one was the display knife, which had probably been handled by any number of customers, so i skipped on that one. asked to see one that was still in box, so out come the three they had sitting in the back, on one the blade was touching the liner so that was out, second one the blade was a little off center and grind was uneven, the third one had an almost centered blade and even grind. so i took it home...however, on closer inspection i realized that one of the omega springs was some how stuck between the scale and liner on one side (pic).
ERAlNNLl.jpg

So i took it back the next day, and ended up exchanging it for the second one, this was the one with the uneven grind and off center blade but not touching the liner. after a couple of days i noticed that the blade does hit the back spacer...since this was meant to be a user anyway, i don't mind too much...
As for sending it in...i have considered it, however, being in Canada, i am a little worried about axis lock knives going through customs...

Don't get me wrong. i really like BM products and i am sure that their customer service is excellent...however, i was very surprised that out of the three new 710s the dealer had just received that week all had problems...imho this model being in production for so long, the first axis lock and a flagship model for BM should have better QC....


When picking up your 710, just give it a good look over... it is a great knife and my most frequent edc...




Wolf_HR said:
Thanks, guys- you've reassured me a bit (albeit, Squashfan didn't do a very good job of it ;)). :) I'll have to be a bit mindful when inspecting, and will give it a try in 'as is' configuration (liner and clip) and send it in if I decide to modify the knife (I was impressed by Keyman's green G10 scales- they make 710 look absolutely splendid).

Dunno, 710 was the first knife I saw and thought it just looks perfect- every proportion, every line is just beautiful. I'm not good at sharpening- I just bought a whetstone (which seems a bit crappy- wears much faster than cheap knives I practice on) and have a few old knives to practice with, so I wouldn't dare to sharpen 710- but I'll care for it and hopefully will be able to sharpen it when I learn to sharpen properly (seems I still have a long way to go) .
Click to expand...
 
You may call me a necromancer, but I've just dug out this (slightly dead) thread to thank everyone for their input. :) Unfortunately, this purchase has been put on hold due to being blinsided on 4 pm on some idle tuesday- death in close family severely depleted my savings, and I have been laid off, so no further cash flow my way for now (hopefully, I can beat job-market trends of increasing unemployment). My head's still above water and am keeping my eye fixed on 710 as soon as my feet feel the terra firma beneath them. :)
 
I have had a 710 D2 for about 3 weeks now. It has been in my pocket since day one. I really like it and it is nearly perfect. IMO it rides in the pocket better the a Spyderco PM2. And by that I mean it takes up less space front to back when in the pocket, which I like. So far I haven't had to sharpen it. It flicks great. It is a long blade, and women and children may run off screaming when you whip it out in the office. I like the slight recurve and the pointed tip. I don't think you would be dissappointed with purchasing a 710.
 
longun said:
I have had a 710 D2 for about 3 weeks now. It has been in my pocket since day one. I really like it and it is nearly perfect. IMO it rides in the pocket better the a Spyderco PM2. And by that I mean it takes up less space front to back when in the pocket, which I like. So far I haven't had to sharpen it. It flicks great. It is a long blade, and women and children may run off screaming when you whip it out in the office. I like the slight recurve and the pointed tip. I don't think you would be dissappointed with purchasing a 710.
Click to expand...

Of all the Benchmades I own these are favorites; in the mix is a 710-1 from Knife Works and a 710D2 that I stripped the coating off. (Top) The knife gets used a lot on hikes and camping trips and so far with a good clean shows no staining or rust.



Congrats on getting yourself one...!
 
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