Hey, need some advice on a folder.

[Vince-Corto]

I personnaly have no experiences with Sharpening and that's the reason why i get a Sharpmaker : works really well for me ...
The only drawback is when you wait until your blade is really dull...But if you practice some touch-up with it regularly, there's no problem and you cant obtain a really sharp edge...
My choice between the knife on your list will be the BM 710HS and for little less money a Spyderco Native III (VG10 steel is more easier to resharpen than S30V for me...) or a little Fallkniven U2 (really nice little knife) or my EDC (due to police control, i guess it's the only knife you've good chance to keep with you ...) : a SAK Soldier...

 

[allenC]

RagingBoredom,

I have owned many knives over the years, and many GOOD knives since discovering this forum.

And here is my advice:

Never settle for a lesser blade-steel.
The blade-steel is the heart and soul of a knife, and you should have a knife with a very good blade-steel.
Blade-steel is a much debated topic here on the forums, so you will have no trouble learning about which ones are preferred by us knife fanatics.
My personal recommendations for blade-steel are:

S30V
154CM
ATS-34
440C
VG-10

All of these are very good in the respect that they can get very sharp, they hold an edge for a long time, and they are rather rust resistant.

Here are some knives that I have no hesitation to recommend:

Benchmade 710 (The very best Axis-lock Benchmade IMO).

Benchmade 635 Mini-Skirmish (the handle is a bit small for me, but it is a very nice frame-lock).

Spyderco S30V Military (Possibly the very best compromise between strength and weight to be found in any folder. It's big but it's light-weight, and it's strong).

CRKT S-2 (These have been discontinued for a while but you can sometimes find them. They are very strong frame-locks, made with top-notch materials, have great craftsmanship, and are very affordable. It is sometimes called the "poor man's Sebenza".

Good luck,
Allen.