Which 710 Do You Prefer ?

Buffalohump said:
I sincerely regret not getting the original KW M390 710 which I believe sold for $150. I like the look of the new one with blue/black scales but prefer the texture of regular G-10. Now what I would love to see is one in 'Benchmade blue' G-10 scales with a M390 blade. Winner winner...!
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I kind of fell into the original M390 model with the rounded spine.
Besides the M2 710 this is also one of my fav 710's.....


 
I've carried this 710 (M390) for a few years on and off

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I've been fantasizing about what kind of exciting variation Benchmade might give the 710 in 2019 to commemorate it's 20th anniversary.
 
Which steel came with the original 710 when it debuted back in 1999 ? I wanna say ATS-34 but I'm not certain.
 
I have the D2 and the M390. I do like the M390 better. I like the steel and the blue black scales. It goes nice with my Contege M390.
 
I prefer any 710 that is NOT D2. I have had pretty bad luck with Benchmades D2 rusting and staining outta nowhere and seeming to be slow yet unstoppable. I do have the M390 1401 but hate that the blue black scales are even slicker and smoother than the light texturing of the cheap G10 on the regular one despite being a bit thicker. Driven me nuts to the point I am going to remove the scales and have them cerakoted with a nice thick and even medium texture color or mix of colors. My eternal search for linen micarta scales for the 710 which would be sooo perfect has got to end as whenever I get close to a source the scales end up being very clearly cheap and poorly made with uneven axis cut outs etc. UGH. Anyways the 1401's M390 blade takes one of the most insane edges Ive seen on a knife yet holds that edge like high end tool steel. The 1401 blade alone is worth the price of the knife
 
I'm surprised to hear about D2 rust issues since it still has a fair amount of chromium at 12%. S30V has just 2% more at 14%. But M390 has 20%.
 
I am as well it is my 2nd D2 710 that has done this. I just sent it back for warranty blade replacement yesterday. D2 is made to different standards with differing manners by different companies. Benchmade may have an industry leading method of cutting blade blanks for example but is it Benchmade that heat treats and tempers the blade blanks once they have been cut or is it the D2 steel supplier themselves that say heat treats the sheets of D2 before they go to Benchmade? Something is just missing in the process. I keep my 710's clean and properly lubed at all times so Im just shaking my head it happened yet again. I left two fingerprints on the left side of the D2 710 blade I just sent back that were not even there two days. They then stained in permanently overnight and began slowly turning into rust fingerprints Ive never seen anything like it. I tried like hell to stop the oxidation etc but couldnt do it. On the other side of the same blade along all the flat McHenry Williams area slowly grew tiny stain spots that were so close together they seem to just " grow" out from one spot on the flat across the rest of the flat resulting int the flat on the right side of the blade with a cloudy grey appearance as opposed to the bright clear satin shine of the flat on the other side. Ugh

Best D2 Ive ever seen is in Ka Bars D2 Extreme Fighter believe it or not. There is a HUGE difference in the source and or process of manufacture between Benchmade D2 and in my opinion damn near stainless totally superior Ka Bar D2. I have beaten my D2 Ka Bar to where most the coating was worn off the blade. Ive batoned firewood in the rain during an emergency twice and swam way out in a Canadian lake with the Ka Bar D2 tied to my wrist by a lanyard. No rust..ever. Not a stain...at all. I havnt used all the tool steels but vs any stainless Ive used the Ka bar D2 holds an edge better than any of them I dont get it.

I did indeed explain my situation to Benchmade. Im happy they are going to replace the blade but Im not happy that Im pretty sure the same things are just going to happen for a 3rd time. So as I have some Ka Bar restoration projects underway with cerakote Ive decided to cerakote the 710's new blade when I get it back which should quell any of this strange crap I hope
 
CelticCross , is BM replacing the D2 blade for free ? What did they say when you told them of your situation ? I wonder if you could purchase an M390 blade direct from them (?)
 
Wolverine666 said:
You do ? That's awesome. How much different does it look compared to a new 710 ? Any chance of a pic ?
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I'll try to get a pic. It's a black-coated PE, which were a little uncommon. It looks basically the same as the current D2 model. This is one of the things that is really a testament for the 710 - it is now more than 15 years old and it has basically had no changes - because it didn't need any. That and the fact that it still sells pretty well are pretty exceptional, but it is an exceptional knife.
 
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Although I have a 710 in D2, which I probably carry more often, I prefer my 710-2 in M390. Wish I could find some black C-Tek covers for it.
 
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