BM 710 or Chinook II

S

S. Brown

Joined
May 16, 2006
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So from what I've heard, these sound like two pretty good knives. I'm looking to get one of them and I'm leaning a little more toward the 710 at the moment, however a little bit ago I was leaning toward the chinook. What are the ups and downs of each? Is one "better" than the other?
 
Niether is going to really be better as they are both about the same price level and have similar material and construction quality. I've owned a Chinook II and extensively handled a 710. The Chinook is S30V, where as the 710 will most likely be D2. I've had some issues with keeping the rust speckles of my D2 knives, so if that's an issue for you, it's something to consider. Both steels are similar in edge retention, S30V will take a finer edge, where D2 is more toothy, both cut well in general use in my experience. The ergonomics on the Chinook are far superior to the 710. The Chinook fits my hand like a glove, on of the most comfortable folders I've ever held, and the G-10 is very secure and grippy, having a very nice quailty feel to it, where as the 710 has flat, stick like ergos and smoother, plasticy feeling G-10. The 710 is much slimmer and lighter and feels better in the pocket, and packs on a mentionworthy amount of cutting edge over the Chinook. Spyderco edge geometry is vastly better than BMs in most cases, and that is not different here, the Chinook will most likely way out slice the 710, especially if you pick up the new flat ground Chinook III. The 710 has the Axis lock, which some will swear by. They are very smooth and fun to use, while being very reilable and strong. The Chinook has the classic lockback, only way beefier. I would trust the lock on this knife over any other, hands down. It's utterly tank-like in lock up. Bouth are ambidestrious, but the Chinook offer four way clip placement where the 710 does not.

Personally, I think the Chinook is vastly superior, and would even call it one of the best designs available right now in folders. The only downsides are weight and thickness.
 
Plus 1 for the Chinook, but the manix is a little more "politically correct" in it's looks if you would be open to a third option. I don't prefer the 710 for the same reasons as mentioned above.
 
Good choices. See if you can handle both first-hand. I prefer the 710 simply because of its slimmer profile and the Axis lock. I have the M2 version and rust is an issue from everyday use (no biggie for me though).

No knocking on the Chinook since it is built like a tank. Seriously, it is big, beefy and hefty. Just a bit too big for my taste. S30V, Spyderco quality and the grippy G10 make the Chinook a good choice too.

Try to handle both and make your decision from there.
 
J85909266 did a fair explanation.

I vote 710, my most often carried model of knife. It is simply a great EDC.
 
I love my 710 too. But I really wish they textured that damn G-10 better, it feels like crap honestly.
 
Well, you can alway have a set of custom made panels made.

Or, have the stock ones media blasted. I ran into a machinist who had blasted the grips on his 800 and they looked/felt much grippier (not quite like Spyderco G-10, but better than stock).
 
J85909266, that was an excellent comparison, very cool.

I think it depends on what you like and what you're going to use it for. I would probably go for the Chinook just because I have 2 griptilians that have the axis lock. The Chinook would add utilitarian diversity to my personal collection. I would really like to have a 710 also. Lastly, I wouldprobably go for a Manix over a Chinook like someone else said before.
 
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