That "mini 710" you mention is actually the short-lived 705, but I'm in full agreement with your HO. The 710 is one of my all time favorites, a great knife, and the 705 is the perfect companion for it. The blade shape is almost identical, minus the recurve, and the handle scales are made to match, just lacking one of the two distinctive diagonally milled recesses that are one of the signature features of the bigger knife.
I've had 5 710s and have kept 3, having gifted one to my middle son and sold the 710S I bought shortly after the knife was discontinued. I've had 3 705's and kept two, selling off the 705S pre-production that was my first. I've got one Sequel (BM 707)--the knife that sparked your comment--so named as it succeeded the 705 and have outfitted it with DOAT CF scales which is a great improvement over the black-coated, stock aluminum handles.
Here's my user 705/710 pair in the sheetmetal shop today.
Our resident sparkies--
Dcdavis
and others--will likely recognize the knockout punch I'm using to cut the outlet holes in the gutters along with the PVC box adaptors I've modded by tapering their flanges to fit into the bottom recess for hard-pipe connections as the rainwater must be be conducted through the framing before be re-directed back outdoors.