(oh no, not again...) Spyderco Military vs. Benchmade 710

B

brj

Joined
May 18, 2005
Messages
1,111
for those of you that have both, would you care to say which one do you prefer and why?

DSCF0008-1.jpg
 
I handled a Military, and loved it, but that said, I would probably go with the Benchmade. The Military's lock is very nice and solid, but I still think that an Axis lock will beat a liner lock any day of the week. I also still prefer thumb holes, but given how smooth the Military I handled opened, this wouldn't be much of a problem
My answer: get both!
 
The only advantage I see in the 710 comparing it to a factory Military is the tip up clip is my preference and the Axis Lock would probably take more abuse before giving out. However, the liner lock on my Military and other Military models has been 100% secure for me after years of use.
Much prefer the ergonomics, opening hole, lighter weight, blade shape, thumb ramp, G10 or CF texture, finger choil and slight curve throughout the Military to the 710's design.
 
710:

- pros: opens like butter, solid lock; aesthetically appealing; tip up or tip down
- cons: blade profile is not the easiest to sharpen (for me)

Military:

- pros: thin for easy carry, big blade, fits the hand well, can open soothly;l but mostly its that combo of thin + large blade, which is the best of both
- cons: tip down only

I prefer the Military.
 
Both are great. Neither has a weakness. The 710 is rock solid and has the better lock. The Military carries easier. But the telling comparison is the blade. The Military's full flat grind, sweeping belly and pointy point make it the better cutter for most tasks.
 
They are both excellent knives, but the Military is the clear winner, IMHO.

Years of real world use have proven the Military to have some very good features, and no major flaws. The Millie is a knife that I could easily wear 24/7 for extended periods of time, without feeling that I've made some sort of a compromise. This is the true test of a knife's worthiness.

I would normally consider the liner locking mechanism to be a minor flaw, but I've grown to trust the Millie's liner lock over most other types of locks on the market. The closest thing to a flaw that I could find on the Military is the shape of the pocket clip, but two minutes with a Dremel quickly cures that problem.

The 710 is an odd composition of some outstanding features, some good features, some minor flaws and one major flaw. The thumb stud positioning is positively horrible on the 710. It makes the knife very hard to open in a normal non-threatening manner. I just couldn't live with that major flaw 24/7 for an extended period of time.
 
I prefer the spyderhole for opening

Plus the Military wins in longevity, I've heard the axis lock spring on the BM can wear out and break, although none of mine have yet.
 
I like the Axis lock way better. The military is pushing it on size. It's jsut about too big to use in public. On the other hand I don't care for the recurve of the 710, otherwise I love the knife.
 
I own both, but if I had to choose only one it's the Military. The g10 is grippier, the ergonomics + choil are great, and I like the full flat grind. The bm710 is a great knife as well and I only have few minor complaints about it. Get both
 
I had a BG-42 CF Mili:




..but I sold it, as I found that I prefer Benchmade Axis Locks:


or Spyderco's lock backs (The Endura and Pacific Salt are two of my favourites)

In fact, every liner lock knife that I ever bought got sold on, and I have now learned not to buy any more!
 
Now this is a very tough call.....too of the finest of each of the finest companies....the creme de la creme and so on.

But...I think I'd take the 710. It looks classier, has the superior lock and I like the blade shape more.

The Military is thin and light, where the 710 gives you the feeling of a tank. I can see situations where either would be nice.

Plus the Military wins in longevity, I've heard the axis lock spring on the BM can wear out and break, although none of mine have yet.
Click to expand...

Liner locks wear out much faster than axis locks, on average anyway. I don't know about the Military, but I suspect this would be true as well. Out of the many thousands of axis locks that pass through this forum, we've had maybe 20 springs break and one, maybe two, failures.

Given that, it seems to me, since we've been using probably in excess of 5000 axis lock knives on this forum alone, for many years (and we flick our knives all the time), is very impressive to have such a low failure rate.

I think, in reality, liner locks have a very good failure rate too (from reputable companies, that is), and are quite underrated. But still, no comparison to the axis. If we saw thousands of cheap axis lock ripoffs from the low end companies, then we might see the same increased failure rate.

Anyway, you can't go wrong. These are like the company's greatest hits.
 
I have both, and both are excellent.

I prefer the 710. I have M2 and M4 versions, and I like the high speed steel better than S30V. Although the liner lock on the Millie is as good as it gets for a production knife, I still trust the Axis more. For me the Military's flaw is it's delicate tip. I know, I know, lots of you out there love it. I see it as a liability. I'd much rather see a more robust shape on that tip. Spyderco did just that when it redesigned the Endura and Delica -- why not the Military? For me the 710also carries better in my pocket -- I've never been fond of the way the Millie and Para stick so far out of the pocket. Last but not least, I prefer tip up carry.

But again, both are great, time-tested designs.
 
Last edited:
i prefer the military even though the axis is my favorite lock. i do not like the 710 especially the d2 variant...
 
They're about equal for me. Maybe a slight edge toward the Millie because of ergos, but not so much that it matters. I don't own either, but have owned both in the past.
 
Having both, the 710 beats it by a smidge. The only things I think the Mili beats it on are the g10 finish and the factory grind bevel. The 710 has the tip up, Axis, and blade to handle ratio that I prefer. I don't care much for flow through spines either. The ergos are a kind of a toss up because some days one feels better than the other while other days, visa versa. The 710 rides MUCH better in my pocket too. But all that aside, the Military will always have a home in my pocket whenever I get the liner lock buzz.
 
I'd prefer the Military. I love the Spyder Hole, the ergos, and the grip on the G-10. It's also quite light and well balanced for such a big folder.
 
I have both, well, three versions of the Military... Guess which one I prefer (yes, I passed on the M-4 710:eek:)
The 710 is a perfectly good knife, but the handle erganomics on the Military are lightyears ahead. Same thing with the blade shape.

The only thing I like about the 710 anymore is the lock. If the Military had an Axis lock I probably wouldn't buy another knife for a long time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top