The Story
- One more cool knife from Benchmade. It all started in 2001 on Benchmade Forums. Group of BM forum members proposed a limited run of some knife from BM current line. It'd be nothing new, as Benchmade does it all quite frequently, except at this time the knife model, configuration and some other details were chosen by forum members. Obviously they (or we) were the first buyers as well :) After long debates, as you know everyone has an opinion or two ;) consensus was achieved, and the configuration was finalized as following:- Model 705 (No blade length limit problems practically anywhere);
- Carbon Fiber Scales vs. G10 on the prod. model;
- M2 Blade Steel vs. 154CM on the prod. model(though damasteel was popular demand too);
- Boron Carbide coating vs. BT2 on the prod. model;
General
- I didn't find any problems or manufacturing flaws in 705CFHS Osborne. The action was silky smooth, and the edge was done surprisingly well. I'd estimate something equal to Edge Pro 300 grit stone. All I had to do was mirror polish it with 600 and 3000 grit. I never bought 705 mainly because of the blade material, which was ATS-34 (now 154CM steel). Don't really like that one except Strider's. By the way more than once several knife dealers stated that 705 wasn't as popular as its bigger brother 710 Axis. Well, as it turned out 705 was popular enough amongst BM forumites, and that was enough to make a forum knife ;) Anyway, BM did the nice thing. After all it was a special knife for the forumites. As an extra BM included Mil-Tech lubricant in a small bottle with every forum knife. I personally intend to use my knife. It is included in my EDC rotation list, small EDC knives rotation list to be precise. I carry it clipless, in front pocket.Blade
- 705 features almost 3 inches long (2.9) BC coated M2 steel blade. Geometry is similar to 710 Axis, except the size and missing recurve. In general you don't find many recurved blades of that size, even though the recurve increases the cutting surface :) Anyway, for every day small cuting chores 705 is a good choice. The blade is this and pointy enough to handle delicate cutting without problems, and M2 is tough enough not to suffer damage if you accidentally hit the staple while doing the "paperwork" ;) And one unquestionable advantage of the knife this small is that noone will get nervous when you open an envelope with it.I've written a lot about the M2 used in 705CFHS. For more info check out Nimravus reviews, and of course checking one or more knife forums would be a good idea. As for the elemental makeup check the M2 Steel Composition.
One more new thing in 705CFHS and I guess I shuold add BC here it the new, Boron Carbide coating. By now I have several blades with this type of coating and the first results are very positive. Nimravus review has a section dedicated to BC coating with some useful info and links.
Handle
- I like the handle ergonomics on 710 Axis a lot. Very comfy for prolonged use too. 705 is basically the scaled down 710, with all the consequences. One of them is that due to the smaller size it's not as comfortable as 710's handle, but still feels very good in hand. Less likely that you'll be using your 705 to chop down the trees, or cut 1000 pieces of hemp rope. For its[705] normal tasks the handle is just fine. I don't excactly remember how thick the handle scales are on regular 705, but on the forum knife those are quite thick. Overall the handle is rather thick. Because of the smaller size of the knife it looks disproportional to me, nevertheless it is ergonomic and a good one to use. Probably I'll try to handle one of those Aluminum handled 705s BM produced under their KOTM programm and if that's slimmer I'll try to switch the scales., but I'm not really sure about that, CF feels really good on this knife, unlike e.g. Osborne 770.Update
- For those who liked 705, the new blade from Benchmade will definitely be a nice surprise. I am talking about Benchmade 707 Sequel. Take a look and you will see why it's called a sequel :) IMHO very successfull one too.Specifications:
- Steel: M2 High Speed Tool Steel 60-62 HRC;
- Blade: 75mm (2.95")
- Thickness: 2.54mm (0.1");
- OAL: 171.45mm (6¾") Closed: 96.5mm (3.8");
- Weight: 79.4g (2.7oz.);
- Handle: Carbon Fiber Scales/double 410 stainless steel liners;
- Lock Mechanism: Axis lock (U.S. Patent #5737841);
- Warranty: Limited Lifetime;
- Acquired - 12/2001 Price - 200.00$
Related reading:
- Benchmade 16707BT Blackwater Folding Knife review
- Benchmade 770s Osborne Folding Knife Review
- Benchmade 773 Osborne Folding Knife Review
- Benchmade 707 Sequel Folding Knife review
- Spyderco Chaparral 3 C152STIP Stepped Titanium Folding Knife Review
Last updated - 05/19/19