Locking Mechanism
- The patented Benchmade Axis Lock has been around since 1999 and has an excellent record. That means no reported failures so far. It does have a few advantages over lockback & liner lock knives. The very first thing that comes to one's mind (or that should, after all if something goes wrong, there will be your finger(s) on the line & most likely more than just one) when examining knife locking mechanism is how reliable and strong it is. 710 Axis Lock is definitely one of the best[if not the best] for sure.According to Benchmade it can withstand up to 200 Lbs. without any damage. For comparison, Gunsite which is one of the largest amongst the tactical folders with it's 5 inch blade, can hold up to 130 Lbs. What else is good about Axis Lock? Easy to operate and intuitive. Nobody has ever asked how to use it, unlike linerlocks ;) The action is really smooth, and with time gets only smoother, assuming you clean your knife periodically ;) Safe, no need to have your fingers between the blade & the handle when closing it. Also, according to Benchmade the wear process is not really going to affect Axis Lock, because of the springs that are pushing moving parts close to each other. So far so good, after 18 months of use there's no sign of wear, still going strong, only getting smoother and smoother :). More information about 710 Axis Lock & the locking mechanism itself check out this interesting article New Axis Lock for Folding Knives.
Like I've said there are no reports of Axis Lock failure for almost 3 years. Earlier I've seen couple reports regarding broken omega springs, but none of them lead to lock failure either. Since the locking bar is supported by 2 springs, the chances of breaking both of them simultaneously are very insignificant. Another problem with Axis is clogging. Lint, mud, blood, etc, can prevent it from engaging/disengaging, but in that case you'd notice something went wrong before using it.
Handle & Prolonged use
- As pretty much everything in this knife, the handle is well designed & made. G-10 used for scales is well known as a durable & dependable material. Liners are hardened stainless 410 steel because of the axis lock ;) titanium couldn't be used because it's not going to withstand as much load as the axis lock is designed to ;) So the hardened steel was used. The handle itself has very good ergonomics, you will appreciate that after any prolonged use. Especially if you use something like Buck Strider first and then 710. Slim, with smooth contours and no rough edges, it feels very comfortable in hand. The grip is quite secure. Sure Buck Strider provides even more secure grip, but that will take its tall from your palms and fingers ;)One of the complaints regarding the 710 handle is the absence of the defined finger groove. If you're stabbing real hard your fingers may slip down on the edge. Obviously that's not something you would like to experience. However, for a user knife that's not a real issue, besides a lot of things depend on your grip anyway.
In 2001 Benchmade introduced a special run of 710 knives, in their standard amount of 1000. From their TAC series, which stands for Tactically Advanced Knife. What was advanced on the 710 TAC was the handle. The scales were made of hard anodized aluminum. Black colored (For the record - the blade was uncoated 154CM). I haven't seen myself, but as far as I know the first pre prod run of 710s was with aluminum handles too. Basically the scales are made of aluminum vs. G10 on standard production knives. Sure, I got one as soon as it became available. I liked Osborne aluminum handles enough to try out this one.
In general there are 2 camps, one who prefers aluminum over G10, and the other, who think exactly the opposite, that is G10 is superior to aluminum. Both sides have their arguments, i.e. both materials apparently have their pros and cons, such as G10 is more durable, doesn't scratch, friendlier in cold environment, yet aluminum provides more secure grip, looks better, more solid, increases handle strength, etc... In short, I like aluminum handles better :) It does look better to me, besides the grip is better with it. Obviously anodized aluminum is more susceptible to scratching than G10. I've already managed to scratch it in one place. Click here to see the pic. Anyhow, after all I've said about M2, you could've already guessed what I did next to acquiring my 710 TAC. Yup, I've switched the blade on it, so now I am wearing some sort of TAC/710 HSSRAL hybrid, simply put I've installed M2 blade on my 710 TAC :) Donno if you can tell the difference between G10 and Aluminum from this pic, but definitely it is Super Coooool!.
As far as the prolonged use is concerned 710 is definitely a friendly knife. At some point, I've decided to use 710 as much as I could, even in cases were I'd use a fixed blade as usual. Obviously this is not always achievable, but for light and even medium cutting(mostly) it was not a problem. All I can say is that 710 was very comfortable and friendly to my fingers and palms. E.g the thumbramp on it is a lot more comfortable than the one on Numravus. It's not very easy(or exactly valid) to make comparisons with the fixed blade because of the obvious differences in knife designs, and the amount of the force that had to be exerted. Nonetheless, 710 has one of the most comfortable handles for the foding user knife.
Tuning Up Your 710 Axis
- Well, there's few things that you can do to make things better, the best and the first thing to do obviously it to sharpen your knife. I've already mentioned Joe Talamadge's article How to Make the Benchmade Axis Perform. To be a little more precise this is about making 710 perform better by resharpening, not improving the lock itself ;) I personally, have put primary bevel at 15 degrees and the secondary one at 17. So, as you can see the edge is quite thin, which makes an aggressive cutter/slicer. That angle is lower than the article recommends, but I find it just fine. No chipping whatsoever, even where the 21-22 degree 154CM blade chipped, M2 sharpened at 18 was just fine.One more thing that can be done, but it will be your responsibility to do so, is to disassemble the knife.
Warning - This will void Benchmade warranty. I myself, do that for cleaning regularly for cleaning and adjusting. Clean the lock and pivot area, use a better lubricant than the one comes with it, Miltec will do. Also it does help to polish those areas on the blade that contact with washers and pins, also the tang. I've used 3000 grit polishing tape and the action now is a significantly smoother.
- Specifications:
- Model: #710 McHenry & Williams
- Blade: M2 High Speed Tool Steel Hardened to 60-62 HRC
or ATS-34 stainless steel hardened to 59-61 HRC - Length: 3.90" (9.90cm) Thickness: .115" (2.92mm)
- Open: 8.80" (22.34cm) Closed: 4.90" (12.44cm)
- Weight: 4.50oz. (128gm)
- Handle: G-10 scales/double 410 stainless steel liners
- Lock Mechanism: Axis lock (U.S. Patent #5737841)
- Warranty: Limited Lifetime
Last updated - 06/20/08