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

dan55797 said:
A few years back, I owned a millie-S30V all black; probably produced in 05 or 06. I did like the knife. I did feel that the millie's tip would break in an instant if it was to meet any hard material in a thrust. One night, being extremely hamered and night-hiking with a buddy (this explaining the ridiulous actions I'm about to explain), I decided to test my millie's "capabilities" on a small tree; aproximately 3 inches in diameter. Up to this point I had only carried my millie as a ready reserve defesive weapon and only used it for very, very minor slicing tasks. Anyhow, I hacked the tree down in a couple of swings with little effort. Afterwards I was astonished to find my mille had more bladeplay than something you would win at a county fair carnival game- not even an exaggeration. It was although the impact had just flat out destroyed the knife.
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This is why I prefer the 710, because the lock is hardier.
 
This from a diehard Spyderco guy, and I'll say I'd take an FRN Endura over either, but I gotta go with the 710 on this one.

1)710 carries tip up, I HATE TIP DOWN

2)Axis lock over liner lock

3)Military blade is 4mm thick I'm pretty sure the 710 is 3mm like an Endura

4)I think the Military is pushing it size wise for an EDC/Utility, it always feels too big to me in person even though it is light weight and a great knife in its own right.

Even though I prefer the Spyderhole and flat ground blades, I don't think it's enough to give the Military the win on this one.
 
I had two 710 ,and 0 mili , then I got first mili , sold one 710 and got 3 more Mili .
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now I have one 710 ( doesn't get any pocket time) , and 4 Military in my EDC rotation
 
These two make up my primary edc rotation, in my experience, I've found the military to be a better work knife by a good margin. It has the edge with ergos and that blade is amazing, the nice sweep of it and full flat grind is incredible.
The 710 is no slouch either, sharpening aside, the recurve is nice to work with and the axis lock is a joy. I find myself playing with the benchmade more, but for work, the spyderco usually wins out.
Though I consider these two of my favorites, the military still ends up in my pocket the majority of the time
 
I much prefer the Spyderco Military because well first off I actually own one and love to carry and use it. Plus the blade is a full flat grind, has real G10 with actual grip and great ergonomics. At a store I worked at we sold BM 710's and found the lack of ergonomics and the G10 the way that BM does it which I hate the way they do it. Overall the Spyderco Military has much more going for it than the 710 and the blade shape has more belly and easier to sharpen.
 
Hard call overall. I own one of each. I give the edge to the 710 for me.

I like the Military a whole lot, its one of the better looking Spyderco's, feels solid while still being light, and has great ergonomics. The second one I got is smooth, and locks up tight (my first millie was very, very stiff). I like having the handle that I can move my hand up to the choil for precision, or back some for a more normal cutting grip. I don't find the handle too long at all.

That said, the 710 just hit all the right buttons for me. The things people dislike about the 710 either don't bother me, or I don't even see what they are talking about. I didn't find the handle to lack grip at all, in fact I found it to be grippier in texture than my military's. The thumbstud placement is just fine, and it opens very smoothly. I usually prefer thumbholes, but I like how the studs give this one a much smaller profile. I actually prefer the 710 for pocket carry, and find the weight difference to be pretty much unnoticeable. I love the axis lock, and tip up carry is a nice plus.

Also, I really, really like the blade shape of the 710. The recurve does not bother me at all, and having a blade that is not as tall, makes it feel easier to control, even without having a choil. It really feels like an extension of my hand. Handle is plenty long, without having a noticeable excess. Last, but not least, the 710 looks much classier to me. I find the Military to look more threatening, and definately a bit more tactical.

All this said, I agree with most here that they are both awesome knives. I would rate the Millie a 9/10, and the 710 a 9.5/10 personally. (The price difference is true too, I got my 710 for $108 pre shipping, Militaries seem to be about $125 at the cheapest I can find).
 
I have alot of respect for both the Military and 710 but the 710 wins in my book... I have 3 710's they are great knifes and fit my hand perfectly the recurve does not bother me the least bit.. The AXIS lock is butter smooth, lock up is tite and solid with no blade play.. I played with the idea of getting a military at one point but found a really good deal on a benchmade 800 and then later picked up a 806-901... I guess you could say I like benchmades... Maybe one day I will pick up a military I like there digi camo g10 model..
 
My second knife was a tossup between these two as well. At that time my sharpening system was a Lansky (now a DMT aligner), so the recurve on the 710 killed it for me. That said, if it lacked the recurve, it'd be a darned close fight. I find the Mili's liner lock better than axis locks-at least those on the Rift, HK 14210 and 530 - because of ease of unlocking. The Mili's liner lock has a very generous cutout.

The downsides of the Military? My hands are too small for it, and the blade is too thick. The 710 has a thinner blade, but a lower grind, so I suspect they cut around the same.

Also, they don't do orange 710s.
 
I like the Military more because I can get CPM S90V, CPM S30V, or BG-42 blades for it. The 710 doesn't offer any blades with Vanadium. The Military also offers Titanium and Carbon fiber handles. The 710? only G-10.
 
I'm a huge Spyderco fan, and the round opening hole is the single most important feature on a folder to me...and I vote for the 710.

The Military doesn't fit my hand well and I don't like liner locks. The 710 has almost as much usable blade but in a slimmer and more ergonomic package. If the 710 had a round hole opener it would just about be the perfect knife.
 
wongKI said:
I find the Mili's liner lock better than axis locks-at least those on the Rift, HK 14210 and 530 - because of ease of unlocking.
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Are you serious? The AXIS lock has to be one of the easiest knives to unlock ever put on a knife! Plus your fingers are out of the way and not in the path of the blade. I despise liner locks and will try my hardest to never buy one again. Unfortunately the Gayle Bradley has one and I really want to try that knife.


tiguy7 said:
I like the Military more because I can get CPM S90V, CPM S30V, or BG-42 blades for it. The 710 doesn't offer any blades with Vanadium. The Military also offers Titanium and Carbon fiber handles. The 710? only G-10.
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Those were sprint runs that have been long sold out except for the S30V. How are you going to get them now? The 710 had a limited run with M4 which I like better than S90V. It is just about impossible to find any of them now unless you want to pay almost twice what they were when new. Even then they are few and far between.

I do not like the military. I have large hands and the handle is still obscenely long. I even like the Rukus which has a long handle so there is just something about the one on the Military. Plus the blade isn't even all that long for as long as the handle is. I would take whatever is not the Military. I'm not a huge fan of the 710 as I think there are a couple much better AXIS lock Benchmades but it is still a good knife.
 
I have a Military with an S90V blade and a Titanium handle. I have a 710 with CM154 blade from which the recurve was removed. I don't carry either very often. I dislike M-4 because it rusts. The 710 seems to have few sprint runs. I carry the Ti 943's and the William Henry Ti B-15's.
 
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