Arrgh, I'm going nuts!!!...Starmate or BM 710 axis...

Flood

Flood

Joined
Jul 31, 2000
Messages
274
I just CANNOT decide between these two awesome knives. I'm extremely close to making my next and probably final purchase for a while: a "large" tactical-utility folder with a 3 3/4" blade or higher.

But which to pick? I strictly want one of these two: Spyderco Starmate or BM 710 Axis. I've done research into both knives...I've read both of Sergiusz Mitin's excellent reviews, plus a couple of others, I've read posts comparing them and I swear they're about even on both knives, I've done anything possible to inform myself of every nuance about these knives, yet I STILL can't convince myself which to get. Of course, I'd get both, but budget constraints make this impossible. Also, I am not able to handle both b/c, believe it or not, I know of no knife dealers in the area.

Alright fellow knife-nuts, I need your help badly. I want owners of both knives, non-owners with good knowledge, and everybody else who can venture an informed opinion, to talk to me about their preference and why. Given this budget constraint, which would you get? Discuss anything you want: size, comfort of handle, blade shape, weight, comfort while clipped inside pocket, carryability, concealability (very important), blade strength and overall quality, lock stability(I understand that axis lock is much stronger, but I trust Spyderco liner-locks just the same...arrgh!), and anything else you can think of or would care to point out.

Thanks a bunch in advance!

-Flood

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-It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a Grue.
 
I have a BM 710, I've handled Starmates and theres no way I'd trade the 710 for one. It just feels too good in the hand and the axis lock beats out a liner lock any day, so much easier to handle.

Jake
 
I have a 710. Get the 710 but get it in M2. Better steel than the Starmate or the standard 710 (if edge-holding is important to you), nice handle shape, better (best?) lock. Enough said.

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iktomi
 
Amen brothers. A 710 in M2. Better steel and a better lock.

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Semper Fi

-Bill
 
Deffinitely go wit the 710.
I don't have the M2, but i deffinitely advise you get it. It is worth it.
 
I too would go for the 710. I have had one for some time now and love it. One thing though, you will need some time and elbow grease to improving benchmade so-so edge geometry. To sum up: great handle, super lock, great looks, black clip, and once you have finnished the edge, a great cutter.

I have held the Spyderco Starmate a few days ago. It is a good knife, but the handle isn't a comfortable and a linerlock is not as secure as an axis lock (and less FUN).
 
Flood,
Go with the 710 in M2 steel! Its a great knife. The handle is comfortable and it locks up really tight. The only down side is that it will take some work to reprofile the edge. I have had mine for almost a year now and I love this knife.

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Shawn R Sullivan
ICQ # 82562931
 
Wow, this is getting quite one-sided. Am I to understand that there are no Starmate lovers out there who prefer their knife to a BM 710? Does the BM dominate the Starmate so clearly that NO ONE will come to this poor knife's defense? Say it ain't so!...
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I'd go with the 710 on purely aesthetic grounds, as well as the excellent reasons mentioned above. I spend more time looking at my knives than I do actually using them.
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I'd have to go also with the 710. This knife is one of the best production knives I've seen. You also can't compare to the smoothness and strength of an axis lock.
 
710 in M-2 (710HSS). The steel is tougher, holds an edge practically as well. Lock is more reliable, handle is stronger (dual liners, full sized washers thanks to Axis design). Also, the 710 has a flat grind that will cut very well in most materials once you get the edge geometry you prefer.

But don't beat yourself up over this. The Starmate is a fine knife too. I like the hole opener, it is thin, light. CPM440V takes a wicked edge and holds it very well. A good pocket razor, though not as strong overall as the 710. Buy the one that looks the best to you. If you don't like it, sell it at a small loss on the For Sale forum and get the other one.

[This message has been edited by Steve Harvey (edited 08-29-2000).]
 
OK. I'll present an opposing viewpoint. I can't make an entirely informed decision here, but I have a 710 and I've handled several friends Starmates. I really like the Starmate.

The 710 was a gift. I do not routinely carry large folders like this one, so I would never have purchased one myself. It's the partially serrated black version. I love the handle, and the axis lock is wonderful. The knife flips open extraordinairely fast.

I hate the partial serrations, which waste 1/3 of the blade. The most significant problem is the grinds on the blade. They were extra wide and very uneven. The ATS-34 is very very hard (makes me worry about chipping), which made reprofiling the edge much more difficult than it sould have been. This edge geometery problem, based on many posts I have read here in the forums, is quite common and very annoying.

So if you want a seriously well made 'pocket razor' (thanks Steve!), I'd go with the Spyderco Starmate. The BM710 is a very nice design, but one I and others think should have been much better made.

Paracelsus
 
Ah, Paracelsus, the Spyderco's blade is 440V, which will chip easier than the ATS-34, in most tempered states (PLEASE don't start a thread about 440V vs. ATS-34, we have all gone through that before!)

I would recommend buying BOTH. Find a way, you'll be happy, trust me. If you insist in only buying one, take the Benchmade (sorry Sal). In ATS-34 or M2 it's a better knife. Plus the serations on the Spydie are a waste of cutting area. When are they going to release the plain edge version?
 
I have owned both. Still have the Starmate. Sold the 710 because of the lousy blade grinds. Still wasn't really sharp even after being returned to Benchmade for re-sharpening.
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No problem with the Starmate. Came sharp and no cosmetic or other quality problems which are so evident with some recent Benchmade production. If you do buy a 710, ask the dealer to closely inspect it for you. Even then, you run a risk of having to return it to get a quality product. JMHO.
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You need to visit the Benchmade forum http:\\www.benchmade.com to do some research before making a final decision.
Lots of luck.
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ralph
 
I have the 710 and love it. I have handled the Starmate and it's a great knife, too.

I must be lucky, because when I bought my 710 at a gun show, I was able to examine a new one out of box, and the out-of-box edge on mine came out very sharp, and not at all the often severe, coarse edge grind often complained about. It seems ground to about a 20-degree angle, same as my Spydercos.
Jim
 
Paracelsus, as you know the 710 is available in straight edge only.

I dislike the uneven grinds, and dull NIB factory sharpening job. Otherwise the knife is very, very well made. The axis lock -- and its similar counterparts: arc, rolling -- is arguably the most safest lock currently on the market.

One of the most unique features of the 710 Axis which never gets mentioned in reviews is the "feel" of the opening/closing action. People mention the smoothness, however they fail to point out that tiny bit of resistance you feel when opening the blade which gives you much more control. It prevents the blade from running away from your grip like some liner-locks.

The resistance is like a lockback, but much, much less so the opening is both smooth, easy AND controlled. Upon closing, it closes quite freely like a linerlock for about 3/4 of the way down, then "pops"
closed.

For those of you who like to snap the blade open quickly, it does that too. In fact, it becomes a pure "gravity fed" knife (like a balisong minus two steps to open it) if you pull the axis lock back with your thumb and let the weight of the blade, and a little momentum, carry the blade out.


[This message has been edited by Full Tang Clan (edited 08-29-2000).]
 
Originally posted by Full Tang Clan:
Paracelsus, as you know the 710 is available in straight edge only.
Click to expand...

My understanding is that Both Starmate and the 710 are available in partially serrated versions. My knife

 
I've sold many of the 710's and I always inspected the knives carefully. Haven't come across a bad one yet. I ask my customers for feedback(positive or negative)and they're a vocal group. So far only positive for the 710's. One of the features I like is that the knife is totally ambidextrous including the clip. This feature is appreciated by the leftys and those that carry their handgun on the right hip and want their backup blade on the left side.
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Ray Carr
 
The Starmate is by far my favorite knife. I have the plain-edge version and it has only been very lightly sharpened. I find the handle to be very comfortable and I like the lines of the knife as well. I personally don't care for the handle design of the 710. A friend of mine has a 710, and it's a bit thicker and therefore less comfortable in the pocket. My Starmate came with no defects whatsoever and the liner lock is ROCK solid. I can't imagine it ever being defeated. I have read that the axis lock is superior, and maybe it is marginally so, but the folks at Spyderco know how to make a liner lock properly. As far as chipping of CPM-440V, I don't intend to use my fine knife as a screwdriver.
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Chris Turner
Arkansas

"We Don't Rent Pigs" --Augustus McCrae

"I won't abide rude behavior in a man." -- Woodrow Call
 
Well Flood here's the scoop, I SOLD my 710 Ats-34 last week, that's right I sold it last week because I ordered another one in the M2 tool steel! This is as fine a larger folder that is made. It is a tad heavy and large for every-day carry IMHO but truly an excellent knive although you might have to do some work on the edge to thin it out and refine it. Well worth it!
 
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