Happy B'Day to me: Benchmade 710

DRider

DRider

Joined
Jan 8, 2005
Messages
597
Ah, another birthday... another knife. Ain't life great?

I was really torn this year. Go all the way and get a custom? There was a Brian Tighe Tighe-Stick I was drooling all over at True North Knives... but $525 is a lot of money for me, and I use my knives daily, so I'd be worried about something happening to it. I was pretty close to getting a Manix, even though lock backs worry me, since they are the only style of lock I've been able to defeat on decent production knives during testing. Manix is very sweet... but its really wide and fairly large, and I wanted something that would stay with me in business clothes. I've been moving from the Skirmish or Rukus when in jeans, Lone Wolf Cocobolo T2 or Pro Hunter in dress clothes, and though they are all great knives, I wanted something new. (of course)

This forum has been an invaluabe resouce in my research.

So there I was today at a hunting gear/gun shop, and there was the McHenry & Williams 710.... D2 steel, G-10 handle scales, axis lock, no black coating, recurved plain edge. Elegant design, just classy... tactical in a tuxedo. And I remembered all the glowing reviews... then I held it, and that was it.

Here it is now, the newest member of the Great Rider Folder Collection.

Locks rock solid, no side or vertical play at all, perfect centering when closed. Fits my hand like a glove. Longer than you'd think... holding a Bnchmade Skirmish and a 710 in each hand in a normal grip, the "reach" is pretty much identical. Lightweight yet very strong, good for any task from food to the theoretical worst case encounter. Really outstanding quality for a production folder, fit and finish excellent.

Any negatives? The ambidextrous thumb studs are a little small, easy to get used to but not as easy as some other knives to open. I liked the way the AFCK had a hole opener without a large hump and maybe that would have been a good way to go on this one. I don't use pocket clips, I take them off every knife I get, but if I was a clip guy I wouldn't like the way that these are only set up for tip up carry, and leave a lot of knife sticking out of your pocket.

Pretty minor flaws... but of course, by next year, I'll be searching once again for the perfect knife. :D

Anyway, I was just really happy with the new knife and wanted to share... and wanted to send a big thanks to every one on the forum who have shared their thoughts and reviews and pictures... thanks guys.
 
The 710 is an eXcellent choice!


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The 710 is one of those folders that every knifenut should have. :D
 
The 710 is one of those knives i look at every time i'm going to buy a knife. Wish i had gotten one when they were still available in M2 as the nimravus i have in M2 is sweet.

How easy/difficult is it to open relative to some other knives you have floating around? I hate asking this question all the time but it really limits my choices for new acquisitions as thumbstuds are difficult for me and thumb holes are just about impossible. (stupid non bending in the middle thumbs) For example, I cant open my leek with the thumb stud without changing my grip a bit more than i would like and even then i am using my thumbnail then rotating to the pad of the thumb which is a huge pita.
 
You have a fused thumb joint, or otherwise immobile? This will make the 710 not so user friendly for you. The thumb studs are small and are not wider than the frame; I'm one of those knife nuts who actually practice a the draw-open sequence, and I found I had to slide my thumb tip up along the closed blade and kick it open against the stud with the tip of my thumb. Rapid and fairly reliable after practice, but if you can't bend your thumb to get the tip there, its gonna be a pain for you.

I don't use my thumb in my knives with blade holes - what I do is use my index finger in the hole (tip against the far inner edge of the hole) to push open the knife just past the place where its "sucked down" into the handle frame and then flick it open the rest of the way. On knives like the Skirmish, the Military, Pro-Hunter, and AFCK it is very rapid, allows for a stable grip throughout the opening process and should fit in perfectly with reduced flexibility of a thumb joint. As the push and flick become practiced, the whole thing becomes very smooth and appears to be all one motion as it comes out of your pocket.
 
sputnick said:
The 710 is one of those knives i look at every time i'm going to buy a knife. Wish i had gotten one when they were still available in M2 as the nimravus i have in M2 is sweet.

How easy/difficult is it to open relative to some other knives you have floating around? I hate asking this question all the time but it really limits my choices for new acquisitions as thumbstuds are difficult for me and thumb holes are just about impossible. (stupid non bending in the middle thumbs) For example, I cant open my leek with the thumb stud without changing my grip a bit more than i would like and even then i am using my thumbnail then rotating to the pad of the thumb which is a huge pita.
Click to expand...

What you might be able to do with a 710 is just use your index finger to pull the axis lock down and just flip it open, or you may be able to do it with your thumb. Thats one of the many beauties of the Axis, you don't even need to touch to blade to open/close them.
 
Followthehollow said:
What you might be able to do with a 710 is just use your index finger to pull the axis lock down and just flip it open, or you may be able to do it with your thumb. Thats one of the many beauties of the Axis, you don't even need to touch to blade to open/close them.
Click to expand...

Exactly!:thumbup:

You can just use your index finger to manipulate the lock-release and then all it takes is a slight wrist movement.

Good luck,
Allen.
 
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