So, what I thought of those BM knives and the MOD Scorpion knives I got in trade!

The General

The General

Joined
Jun 6, 2000
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To recap, I got a 721, 720, 730 area's, 705 and the MOD Scorpion knife.

The BM's were all part serrated and BT2 coated. ATS-34 and 154CM
My work mate went in on the deal and now has the 721 with the G10 scales.

I went for the 720 (ATS-34) bowie with the Alu scales as the lock up is perfect, no blade play whatsoever! The 721 (154CM) would wiggle and wobble slightly up and down side to side. Not a lot, but I am used to my Sebenza's with no blade play whatsoever!

The 720 is a very fine knife, the blade shape is really nice, even grind lines and a sharp edge. The serrations do not dominate the usable edge at all. The opening with a couple of drops of Militech- is Axis smooth as ever! Ambidextrous and solid. Hey it had to happen a BM knife I love unconditionally!

The 730 (154CM) Area's is a nice knife, the edge is a little thick and needs a little shoulder removal, otherwise a fine knife, slight blade play but nothing serious or in any way worrying. I like the spearpoint shape and like the coloured g10 scales. Another good knife, though not as nice as the 720.

The 705 (ATS-34) is a dissapointingly small knife, otherwise its fine, but it is just to small for me, it is slightly awkward to carry and open for even my medium sized hands. I dislike the width of the blade also. Makes this small knife even smaller. My M2 710 is HUGE next to it. Dimentions on paper really don't convay the difference here. Slight blade play and the serrations use up to much of the edge. An ok knife but nothing special.

MOD Scorpion 154CM plain edge. A great looking neck knife, a great sheath and perfect in almost every way! The edge angle is horrifically thick though, I predict many many hours of stock removal to get anything approaching an edge on this knife:confused: Dissapointing in an expensive brand. My MOD CQD DD MK1 also required a huge investment in time to get anything approaching a 20 degree per side angle. Oh and the thumb studs keep dropping off on that knife, I must get that returned...;)

So to conclude, the Axis works well and when you get a good Benchmade knife, its a good knife! I still don't love the company, but hey I may just consider buying a BM knife new again one day. Perhaps!:eek: :p

Till then I will stick to the customs and Benza's:)
 
hi The General,

nice knives you got there, a trade you say? what did you trade (if you dont me asking) and are these bm's and the mod lnib? used?

you seem to have a lot of bladeplay there in those bm's :confused: i thought the axis mech was self adjusting for vertical movt and the user adjustable pivot meant side to side play could be eliminated ??

my minigrip has zero blade play, yet still opens smoothly, the 73x's and 705's i've handled also had no play at all?

your post has a hint of disspointment in it to me, are you not terribly pleased with your new knives? :(

in the spirit of posts ive seen elsewhere on a few knife forums, if there's any of those knives you dont like then you can always send them to me ;)
 
No, quite the opposite! The 705 is a small knife and there we have it!

The blade play is very very slight and only if you waggle the blade in your fingers firmly can you feel this. This *play* has been evident on all my axis folders so far with G10 scales.

I will try tightening the pivot screw a little more, I had not thought to do this as I am used to the Benza where the pivot screw is designed to be fully tight. I will dig up my Torx set!:p

With regards to trade, I actually bought them from a friend but to my eye its a trade with a friend rather than a new purchase!
 
I have axis-locked knives with aluminum and carbon fiber handles and they have slight blade play as well. The good thing is that they're all more than suitable for regular use. If I had a side job as a neuro surgeon, the slight play might be intolerable, but so would the idea of using most folding knives.

Hotel kilo, if your money lacks satisying lockup and edge retention, maybe you could trade with the General?
 
thrombrogan, i'm quite happy with the lock-up and edge retention of my money thanks, it falls well within design parameters :D

i am also very happy with the lock-up on my low-end axis. i was just suprised to hear about such sloppy lock-up on three, usually very well thought of, BM folders. lets face it most ppl reading this forum would prefer zero blade movement in a locking folder and the axis lock is regarded as doing a good job in this area.

my minigrip after about a yr of edc use developed a tiny amount of play horizontaly. after a stripdown (sshhh) and clean it was back solid and as good as new and reminded me of how good it 'should be' - hence my question about lnib or used etc, mebbe they just need an internal clean ?

imo they should all be 100% solid, am i expecting too much from BM products, have i just got lucky with my mini-grip?
 
Originally posted by hotel kilo
imo they should all be 100% solid, am i expecting too much from BM products, have i just got lucky with my mini-grip?
Click to expand...

Maybe you just got lucky - but then that means I did too. My mini-grip has no discernable bladeplay either :)

Matthew
 
General,

I fully agree with your comments on the 705 and 730. I sold both of mine. I do have a 720 on the way and am looking forward to it more since your positive post.

I've never found vertical blade play in any of my axis locks (550,705,710,730,940) but some horizontal play seems appropriate if you want extremely smooth opening.

Enjoy your knives!
 
Originally posted by The General
My MOD CQD DD MK1 also required a huge investment in time to get anything approaching a 20 degree per side angle. Oh and the thumb studs keep dropping off on that knife, I must get that returned...;)
Click to expand...

That is EXACTLY the reason I have never bought a thumbstud knife and probably never will. Or were you kidding? Inside joke? I just noticed your winkie-smiley.

Either way, I simply do not trust thumbstuds to not do exactly what yours did. (And unless you were kidding, it happens even to expensive knives, apparently.)

There is nothing to fall off of a knife with a thumb-hole.

---Jeffrey
(Firm believer that fewer parts = better knife)
 
The 720 series is excellent

I was not joking about the MOD CQD and the studs, the winky is because I have been promising to send this back for about a year...:p
 
I own around 20 axis locks and have yet to have one with any vertical blade play, also , I have not had one that requires more than one finger to release the lock, I truly feel that the axis lock is the best folding knife lock design ever, I just love them.
I have heard others putting this knife down and saying the lock is a passing fad and will soon vanish because of lack of interest, I think not as many knife companies are currently copying the lock in one fashon or another(Cold Steel,Sog,Spyderco) I believe if Benchmade decided to sell the rights to it many knife companies that make folders would buy it and use it on their knives because it is simply the best design in a lock that is strong,smooth and ambidextrious.
 
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