Bertrand, thanks for replying. My pre-pro seem to have some kind of plastic spacer (I'm pretty sure it's not G-10).
Upon comparison with a 710 Axis (154CM satin blade) aluminum handled model, I noticed that the hollow bevel on the 154CM blade is ground slightly higher at the rear half than that of the pre-pro M2 version. (Does that make the pre-pro M2 blade stiffer by design?). I don't know if this is true when comparing the regular production 710HS vs the pre-production 710HS.
[This message has been edited by toothed (edited 03-22-2001).]