Benchmade 710 vs. 14210 and others for EDC

K

Kn00b

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Mar 13, 2006
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I've read the archived threads and looked at the stats, but not having the opportunity to handle them in person I'm a bit torn. I'm considering a few different choices for a new EDC in the 3-4 inch range but am torn. Here's what I can see as the pro's/cons of each.

Benchmade 710D2: Not sure I'm crazy about the recurve. Carry and ergos sound good from what I read. Everyone raves about it so might be a good choice? I was dead set on this one until some of the other choices caught my eye.

Benchmade 14210: Like the 3" blade and overall shape (that's why I'm comparing the 14210 not the 14205). Again not crazy about the slight recurve but blade shape looks a bit better.

Mini Deja Vu: I really like the blade shape and opening hole but not crazy about the liner lock or plastic backspacer. How's the in pocket carry on the shaped handle? Too bulky?

Spyderco Paramilitary: Thought I'd thow it into the mix for comparison purposes as it seems to be a close competitor to the G10 Benchmade axis lock choices.

Anyone have experience with any/all of these to provide a little direction? I think the steel choices of any of them would be fine for me (doubt I'd personally notice a big difference between 154CM, S30, or D2 in day to day use. EDC tasks generally include blister pack use, cardboard, tape, and other packaging and occasional food prep.

Obviously any of them can handle the tasks I'm looking to throw at it. Best choice though... Anyone have any advice?
 
I have all the knives mentioned and here are my thought on these knives
710/154cm great knife just a little longer than I want in an EDC
14210 and 14205 both are fine knives but the 14205 a bit large for my Edc and the 14205 bit thicker and chunky try the 707
Paramilitary good EDC but I just never warmed up to it
I have a 940 with the reverse tanto blade and really like it
Take a look at ENRG2 small or large really like this for an EDC and the flipper works very well now that I got use to it
CalyIII by spyderco is very nice I have the G10 and carbon fiber ones
I have gotten to the point that a knife around three inches in blade length is my preferred carry. good luck.
RKH
 
If the steel is good enough in all of them, length doesn't matter much to you, and they can all do what you need them to then just grab the one you think is prettiest (or cheapest). Between those options I would get the 710. I prefer that blade shape and length to the others for edc.

edit: I should mention that those are all good options. It would surprise me if you were disappointed after getting any of them. Make sure that you know how long of a knife you can carry concealed in your state. For example, here in Iowa I can legally carry all of those concealed because none of their blades exceed 5 inches. In some states the blade has to be 3 inches or less, so my suggestion wouldn't be worth much to someone living in those states.

Have you looked at a griptilian/mini?
 
I have a HK 14210, which is excellent as an EDC. 3" blade, G10 scales which allow a full four finger grip, and the butter smooth Axis lock. Nicer ergo's thqn the BM Mini Grip with full SS Liners, which puts it's fit and finish a notch above the Griptillian line. It also has open construction so it's easy to clean, and carries nice in the pocket. The only downside, in my eyes are the scales are a bit smooth, but they are fine none the less.

I also have a Para Military, this is my no#1work EDC, at the moment. Great Ergo's, grippy G10 scales, open construction and light weight. What makes this such a great work knife for me is it has a larger handle so a good solid grip can be achieved. The choil allows me to choke up on the blad for finer cutting, and the compression lock is solid like a rock..a fantastic knife!

I recently traded a Mini Dejavoo away...It is thin so it carried nice in the pocket, and had a low ride clip. It also had a great blade shape, and I like the overall appearance of the knife. I had 2 turnoffs..one being that it's a liner lock, the other was that the scales are very smooth, and on one occasion my hand slide on the scales and I got bit by the blade.

I never had a 710 so I can't comment
I'll give another thumbsup for the Spyderco Caly3..great ergos, 3" blade and I'll add a Kershaw Mini Cyclone TiZDP...frame lock, speedsafe, 3-3/16" blade..deserves a look.

Anyways all your choices are good quality knives pick one and don't look back...until your ready to buy the next.

Dave
 
I'd thought about the mini-cyclone last ime but I'm not willing to do an assisted opener. I went with a mini-skirmish instead (Benchmade 635) last time but I haven't been crazy about the thick heavy blade or the chamfered hole.

Although a leatherman style blade is a bit too thin and delicate for my taste, I haven't been crazy about the 'tank-like' blade in the 4mm thick offerings I've tried in the past for some applications (like peeling an apple).

I had thought a bit about the Caly 3 but I'm not sure I'm crazy about the backlock.
 
Travis,

For me it would be between the 14210 and Paramilitary. I like the 14200/14205 over the 14210 just because of the size-but the HK line is definitely one of my favorite line0s that BM offers.

The Para is great. I love the compression lock. Great ergos, full flat grind- just a great design.

But it always comes down to how they fit in your hand and you personal preference. Good luck, you can't go wrong either way you go. All of the designs you've mentioned are high quality folders.

The AO mechanism on the Mini Cyclone can be turned on/off. It's a great design, didn't feel as good in my hand as I anticipated it would.

The CF ZDP Caly 3 is a great design. It's probably my next buy. The back lock is really great once you warm up to it. I wasn't excited about the back locks until I really started handling them, now, they're one of my favorite locks because they've been time tested for security and strength and they're really not as boring as they might seem on paper. Of all the choices, I'd go with a CF ZDP Caly 3.
 
Gentlemen, I must say that my ZDP CalyIII is very sharp and I think Spyderco does a great job on the back lock. Spyderco has done a great job on designing their Back lock to be strong and secure and to be able to close one handed! Had a Mini Dejavu but did not like the too smooth handle scales and it had too little resistance when opening. I have had too many linerlocks come open in my pocket.I do like the Axis lock a lot! By the way I think Kershaw is making some outstanding liner locks and really like the Mini cyclone and ERNG2.
RKH
 
Kn00b, I have owned all of the knives that you have listed, apart from the DejaVoo.

710: Great knife, but I find it a little large for EDC.
14210/14205: I didn't like the position of the ridge of the finger groove on the underside of the handle. I found that it got in the way of the thumbstuds when opening the knife.
Para: Didn't like the compression lock.

Does your knife have to have a G10 handle?
For EDC I prefer a 943 Osborne, 525 Mini Presidio or Mini Grip variant.
 
I used to really like my Benchmade Strykers, but then I tried an Emerson. My wife bought me a Karambit and a Commander for a no-reason gift, and I instantly fell in love with the wave. I carried the Commander for the last few weeks, and I just recieved my Super CQC-7 today....I don't think I'll ever have an EDC without a wave.

I HIGHLY recomend an Emerson CQC-7, mine's amazing. Very tight lockup, extremely sharp, very unique, and it has the wave. Oh, it's very light for its size and carries easily (so far tonight at least).

You can get them for $120 http://www.knifeworks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=10289
 
I've been carrying the 14210 for a little over two weeks now. Awesome knife. I read about folks having problems with the thumb studs, but I haven't had a single issue. The knife opens easily each and every time. The Axis lock is as strong as you're going to get in a folder, and the G10 has some heft to it (to me a good thing, although I know some like light-weight knives). I also am not a huge fan of the recurve, but I haven't had an issue with it yet, and it's done plenty of cutting.

I traded in a Emerson for this knife, because the liner lock was only engaging half-way. No such problem on the 14210.

I also checked out how STR waved the 14205, and I'm thinking about giving it a shot on my 14210, but I do know its doable and makes your knife a bit more custom.

The only issue I can think of is that some may consider the G10 slippery. It's not slippery, it just isn't as grippy as others. If you work in a high risk environment (I'm in the Coast Guard, and use my 14210 underway in the freezing rain and don't have a problem with it) or if you plan on having a lot of blood on it (I don't want to know), maybe it will be too slippery and it isn't the knife for you. Other than that, it comes highly recommended from me.
 
Maikutis said:
I traded in a Emerson for this knife, because the liner lock was only engaging half-way. No such problem on the 14210.
Click to expand...

I find that the less a liner lock engages, the better. It leaves room for wear and minimizes the chance of vertical blade play. If you have the knife long enough and work it hard enough, it'll work it's way over to the other side. The quality of the liner lock is what determines if there's a good chance it'll fail, not whether or not the liner engages far enough.
 
Steven Andrews said:
Does your knife have to have a G10 handle?
For EDC I prefer a 943 Osborne, 525 Mini Presidio or Mini Grip variant.
Click to expand...


G10 isn't a must but I have to say its one of the preferred options for me. Other than titanium versions I'm not a big fan of metal handled knives. If my hands are sweating, a lot of metal handles tend to feel really slick to me (the ti slabs on the 625 don't seem too bad for that though). I just can't seem to warm up to FRN. Always feels 'cheap' to me (no offense meant to anyone).
 
I think you should keep an eye out in the for sale forum and auction sites for a BM Ares. G10 handles, 3.4" blade length with no recurve, great ergos, axis lock, and carries real well for a larger knife also. It's a discontinued model but they do come up for sale quite often. Here is a quick pic of mine.

Benchmade_Ares_732_a.jpg
 
I ended up going with the 710D2 for now (it just arrived via USPS a couple of minutes ago). I was unaware that the 710 also sports the plastic sandwich style backspacer as the Dejavoo. :grumpy:

This will be my first axis lock and I normally need some time with a new piece to warm up to it and get comfortable so we'll see how I feel about it in a few days.

A question for those familair with the 710 though:
When closing the knife I can hear a soft 'thud'. That's not the blade contacting that plastic backspacer is it? Due to the non-open construction, I can't really see in as it closes well enough to find out on my casual inspection.

Thanks for all the advice thus far everyone! :thumbup:
 
Hey Knoob,
Great purchase. I don't think you will find the recurve gives you too many problems. I love that knife, and in fact own three of them! I don't think the thud you're hearing is the blade edge hitting anything. I know the sound you're talking about, but I've never had the edges on mine get marked or rolled in any way due to heavy closing. I would get one out and check to be sure, but I'm at work don't have my 710 with me right now. It may be some pivot area/lock contact. I'll look at mine later and repost.

Enjoy,
Jon
 
It's the Axis bar getting hit by the section just below the edge (mini choil area). It's perfectly fine. Axis locks are great, people including myself flick the hell out of them all the time and they keep asking for more.
 
Kaizen1 said:
It's the Axis bar getting hit by the section just below the edge (mini choil area). It's perfectly fine. Axis locks are great, people including myself flick the hell out of them all the time and they keep asking for more.
Click to expand...

Thanks Phil, I couldn't look at mine since, due to your raving, I have my Para-military sitting in my pocket where the 710 usually sits!!:mad:
 
jonnymac44 said:
Thanks Phil, I couldn't look at mine since, due to your raving, I have my Para-military sitting in my pocket where the 710 usually sits!!:mad:
Click to expand...

I got my Para in my pocket right now, you don't see me complaining that I don't have your 710 in my pocket:D.
 
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