BM 710 Design Questions

J

JMFWSU

Joined
Apr 23, 2002
Messages
181
Hi,

I just received a like new BM710BKD2. I am impressed with the level of quality displayed, and I'm curious as to the purpose of its design. The blade is long, kind of thin and narrow, and recurved. Also, it feels pretty light-weight for its size.

Do most of you find the design to be functional? Would you consider it a hard use folder?

Thanks,
Jason
 
My take? Yes and yes.

Although I don't choose my EDC based on blade profile and shape, over time I have found that I prefer narrow blades many times. A good example is try to open an envelope with a ZT 0300 blade then try it with a BM 710 style blade.

IMHO the BM 710 is a medium to heavy duty (versus extreme duty) EDC.
 
Yes, I think the 710 is a tough knife. I just don't like:

1. Recurved blade
2. Slick G10 handles
 
The 710 is a classic design that has stood the test of time. It is a solid, high-quality, well-built knife that is easy to carry, easy to deploy and exceptional as a cutter. It is certainly functional. It's a hall-of-fame folder, although that doesn't mean everyone is going to like it.

The recurved blade enhances its ability to cut, but makes it more difficult to sharpen on flat stones. However, it is easy to resharpen on ceramic sticks, such as the Sharpmaker. I question the effectiveness of stropping with the typical wide belt on a recurve.

The high-quality construction and axis lock make it smooth, fast and easy to open and close with just one hand. The handle is a whole-hand handle that is very secure due to its shape, rather than roughness of handle.

The 710 is a heavy-duty knife. Its strength comes from engineering, design, manufacturing excellence and top-quality materials. It is not meant to be a pry bar or able to take the same extreme lateral forces that bigger, heavier knives can handle. On the other hand, it will out-cut all those other knives.
 
I agree with Reeek and Twindog. Good tough knife. I have the version without the coating and the serrations, so I can't speak for 'em, but the rest of the knife earns my thumbs up.
It reminds me of an Al Mar SERE folder, albeit with a recurve and an axis lock; the bulge at the front of the grip, and the long thin blade with the spear-ground tip makes it feel a bit like a fighter.
That said, the knife is a great utility folder. A bit oversize for EDC - and I EDC a large Seb - but it cuts well, feels great in the hand, and unlike many folders it's fast enough opening and closing that you can get a job done before some people even realize you have a knife.
Also, it's my first and so far only D2 knife, but probably not my last. The steel seems inherently touchy to sharpen - even on a sharpmaker - but the edge well outlasts the one on my VG-10 Spydie, which was my last working folder.
Yep. Good tough knife.
 
I have the older versions with ATS-34 steel and will say without reservation that it's the best tool I've ever had. It's my EDC and has been for years. The shape of the blade makes it just a bit difficult to sharpen on larger stones, so I use smaller ones... The axis lock is solid and secure, can open and close as fast as an auto, and the grip feels good in my hand. I have a couple of them, both with and without coatings and serrations, and prefer the plain uncoated version. Simply a fantastic knife!

Stitchawl
 
I've had problems sharpening it but when it was sharp the answers to your question are yes and absolutely (completely interchangeable). The recurve blad lends it self to draw cutting especially cutting rope, although i have had problems with push cutting paper, but when are you going to be doing a chore like that in real life use. The axis lock and d2 steel lend themselves to hard use and the knife will hold an edge really welll. Some people complain about the smooth g10 but in my experience it is plenty grippy enough, I actuall prefer smooth handles.
 
I love the 710. Many people complain about the handles. Ive never had a problem with them. If your pushing so hard its slipping out of your hand, i think your probably using the wrong tool imo. Smooth is functional since it doesnt rip up your pants or your hand if you use your pockets for other stuff.

I do find the recurve difficult to sharpen, but if your skilled it isnt a problem.
 
I was using my 710d2 to cut up some boxes this afternoon. I have to say the recurve was a little awkward for me to use. The blade going from convex to concave made the blade wobble up and down when I sawed through the cardboard. I also lost leverage when I cut with the belly of the blade and got stuck in the bottom of the recurve. I was slight but I felt the the blade shape wasn't as good at cutting boxes as the tenacious I was using the day before.

The 710's blade seem more suited to self-defence than daily utility. It's long narrow blade is good for thrust cuts and stabbing. The recurve seem like it would help a slash bite deep into the target.

I like the handle . It is also very narrow which allows you to really wrap your hand around it. I don't need spikes all over the handle so I don't drop it. I like to using a fencing grip.




I
 
HotSwat said:
I was using my 710d2 to cut up some boxes this afternoon. I have to say the recurve was a little awkward for me to use. The blade going from convex to concave made the blade wobble up and down when I sawed through the cardboard. I also lost leverage when I cut with the belly of the blade and got stuck in the bottom of the recurve. I was slight but I felt the the blade shape wasn't as good at cutting boxes as the tenacious I was using the day before.
Click to expand...

The trick to cutting boxes with the 710 is to have the blade at about 75 deg to the surface of the box and slice thru. I have used it to cut up a lot of 2, 3 play corrugated boxes without difficulty. In fact its easier that a box cutter with its flimsy thin blade on the 3 plys.
 
The 710 sold me on D2 - great steel. The blade shape covers a very wide variety of uses and the knife overall doesn't scare folks as much as more "tactical" models but can do everything they can. It's also very pocket friendly. It deserves to be a "classic."

The only complaint I have is that the opening peg is small and my thumb would "miss" it now and then, it's so close to the scales... till I took the advice of someone on this forum and relieved the G10 a little right under the peg with a dremel. Now it opens quite well for me. If I didn't have some other great knives too it would be my EDC.
 
I've always thought of it as a meduim duty knife since heavy duty cutters usually have a stronger point. It's a great cutter though
 
johnu2 said:
I've always thought of it as a meduim duty knife since heavy duty cutters usually have a stronger point. It's a great cutter though
Click to expand...

i agree on the point. also, its thinner d2 blade would definitely be prone to cracking under any really hard use. its a big medium duty utility folder
 
The 710 design is a classic and w/o any doubt, the best knife Benchmade has ever produced.

The drop point is not only sharp but very strong. The recurve aids in cutting and is easy to sharpen on a Sharpmaker. I leave the stones for other knives for once you get a top notch edge on the 710, it's easy to maintain on the Sharpmaker.

My M2 version is probably the best knife I have and I've got some classics... a real workhorse that keeps an edge for a very long time.

The two M4's that I have on order, assuming the steel is all it's described to be, will be unbelievable and last a lifetime.

I might keep one of the M4's and sell the other as it'll be worth A LOT of money, especially if the 710M4 is a Limited Edition.
 
Every 710 I've purchased had some problem. The first two I ordered from Newgraham had bladeplay in all directions. Tightening the pivot fixed side to side but it had the up and down play no matter what I did. The third 710 also had side to side bladeplay but it required loctite to keep the pivot tight. I know I must have had some extremely bad luck but I'm never getting a 710 again. I've purchased the BM940, mini grip, regular grip, and a 943 and they were all perfect with 0 problems.
 
I am not a huge fan of D2 in general, I just can't seem to get it as sharp as other steels.

then again, my 710 has an M2 blade, and is one of my favorite knives.

I usually carry a Queen slip joint in addition to another larger knife though, and that one has D2 blades. It stays sharp awesome, I just can't seem to get it super sharp.
 
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