BM720 vs. Kershaw Boa

J

jrp1

Joined
Oct 19, 2001
Messages
17
I'm looking for an aluminum-handled knife for EDC
(already have 3 G10 knives) and have narrowed it down
to these two. I'm going to try to handle both at the
next gun show, but in the interim was hoping the good
folks here, especially those who might own both, could
voice their opinions.

Overall, the Boa is more interesting -
neat blade shape, Ti nitride coating,
assisted-opening, but the axis lock keeps
bringing me back to the 720.

How good is the lock on the Boa? Also, is the Ti
nitride blade coating more scratch resistant than
the BT coating BM uses?

Thanks for any info on these knives!
 
My Boa locks up good and tight. I have never done anything to try and make it fail, but it seems solid enough. The Boa is a neat knife. It is a little heavier than I prefer for an EDC, and the sharp edges on the flipper wear your pockets some, but other than that, I have no negative comments. I would prefer it in a different steel, but that is just personal preference. Kershaw's CPM 440V performs just like it is supposed to.
 
Very different knives, for sure. The BM is a thick, mid-sized work horse of a folder, a very solid utility piece. The Kershaw is a thin, slick, fast semi-auto with a sharp, sexy blade. I trust the 720 as a reliable tool, but like the Boa for it's action and feel. The Axis lock as the advantage of being ambi, but the flipper and speed safe on the Boa help balance that a little. Kershaw makes as good a steel liner lock as any factory today, but the Axis lock is superior as far as reliability goes.

Both coating scratch if you look at them funny, BTW. I'm still waiting for the right knife to come out with a Boron Carbide coating so that I can try that out.
 
I have zero experience with either knife, but...
Hoodoo, whose opinion I value very highly says the BM720 is a great knife, good enough that it replaced a Sebenza as his EDC.
V-Shrake, another person whose words are good ones concurs.
I have owned several Kershaw knives and would never buy another, the fit and finish quality is poor and the I've never seen a Ken Onion designed Kershaw that didn't have some amount of blade play (and I hate ANY blade play).
I think that Benchmade quality has really improved lately, especially the heat treat.
Stay Sharp,
Chad
 
Originally posted by stjames
The BM is a thick, mid-sized work horse of a folder, a very solid utility piece. The Kershaw is a thin, slick, fast semi-auto with a sharp, sexy blade.
Click to expand...

I like your comparison for purposes of style, but I'm not sure it applies to the physical properties of the knives. The Boa is actually a rather large and solid knife with a very practical utility blade shape. In fact, the Boa has a slightly longer (3.375" vs 3.25") and thicker (.125" vs .115") blade than the 720, as well as being a little heavier (5.0 oz vs 4.3 oz).

I have a lot of respect for the 720, but I think the Boa is just as good a workhorse. I've carried one most of the time for the past year and it has held up perfectly under serious use.

I can't say too much about the black finish. I own a black one, but I carry the colored model a lot more often. For what it's worth, the black on mine has held up well. It shows wear but has not worn through.

--Bob Q
 
Bob Q, the Boa just feels slimmer to me, must be a matter of ergonomics. I've carried and used both knives for a time, ended up passing them along to co-workers, and think they're both good performers. Just a big difference in style...
 
I own both knives and I have had good luck with both of them. Overall, I would say that the Boa fits my hand better but the 720 is nice too. The Boa has the more durable blade steel but 154CM/ATS-34 will work perfectly fine also. In terms of lock, I much prefer the Axis lock to a liner lock. The Boa is prone to making annoying rattling noises when it is the open position due to the speed assist mechanism, however, my Boa had no blade play at all. The aluminum finish on the Boa is more durable than that of the 720 if looks are important to you. The bottom line is what do you like. The 720 is more of a plain work knife, the Boa is a bit flashier and the speed safe has gadget appeal.
 
Thanks guys for the detailed responses.
Sounds like both are great knives, so my
my best bet will be to handle them both
before choosing.
 
I don't have the 720, but I do have the 722, and I have the multicolored Boa. My 722 is thicker than my Boa, and feels chunkier. My Boa locks up solid, and with the flipper/guard, you don't have to worry about losing a finger if the lock fails. It will pinch like a bee-yatch, but you should be able to save the finger. :eek: I use the 722 more because I trust the lock more, and it is just plain EASY to operate. Maybe I've become a spoiled axis-lock user, but that lock just seems to be the most natural lock that I have ever used. I carry all types of locks lately, but seem to always have an axis lock on me. In spite of saying all that, the biggest down of the Boa, IMO, is the steel; I'm just not a fan of S60V at all.

One thing about the Boa; you can remove the thumb studs and still have it open reliably with the flipper and torsion-bar assist. OBTW, my Boa also rattles a little when open, due to the assist machanism.
 
It also depends on what you're cutting, in my case it's lots and lots of corrugated cardboard bicycle boxes. For this the Boa works better, it just glides thru the cardboard while my 710, 720, and 735 tend to bind a bit. The Boa's also better at cutting plastic shipping bands and synthetic (nylon? poly?) twine & rope, don't know about hemp or natural fiber ropes since I haven't really come across any. I think in general the Boa's better for cutting soft materials. For what I'm cutting the Boa also holds an edge longer, and it seems to take a sharper edge.

On the other hand the 720's blade is more tolerant to abuse than the Boa. Hitting a large metal packing staple will ruin the edge on the Boa, as in the edge will be torn off, while the 720 will end up with chips in the edge and parts of the edge will get bent and rolled. I was cutting with a fair bit of speed and force when I did this, which is why there was a good deal of damage. Curious thing is that the Boa's better for cutting pop cans for making shims & for fun, after making the shims the Boa still shaves, the Benchmades won't. Cliff Stamp mentioned something about this in a post not too long ago.

Lockwise they're both pretty solid, but the 720's Axis lock is a lot easier to use, the extra strength and all is just an added bonus to me. But, the Speedsafe assist on the Boa is pretty addictive, especially with the trigger/flipper feature, then again you could hold the Axis lock bar back on the 720 and flick away, real fun too.

Personally I like the Boa more, to me it looks better and works better for what I do. I find that my 720 & 735 don't get used much, my 710 gets the call most of the time. The 710, Boa, and AFCK are the 3 most used knives that I have, it just ends up that way.
 
I cannot comment on the BM 720 as I don't own one. I do own a Boa and like it very much. Solid, strong and sharp. The Boa did ruin two pairs of Dockers by making holes in the pants when clipped to my pocket. It is the only folder I own where this has been a problem. I have since purchased a custom made sheat by Gary Graley and now the Boa is in the sheath with the clip removed. Gary did a great job on the sheath also!!!!!!!!!!!
 
boa2.jpg


Get BOA... fast, smooth, Ti coating and SEXY blade. Finger guard is a great feature too. I'm hapy with mine and use it daily.

Piter M.
http://www.guns.com.pl
 
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