It has been my EDC (Every Day Carry) for over 2 years by now, and the longer I have it, the more I like it :) In its current configuration[M2 blade BC coating + Al handles], as a pocket knife 710 McHenry Williams is just a terrific piece of cutlery. Well, at least IMHO. I've started with ATS-43 710, then got M2 and have been carrying it since then. I've modified the knife in several ways, including Aluminum handles, BC coating and edge reprofiling. Latest modification was applying Boron Carbide coating to my 710 blade, read about that below. Currently I think it's there and I have no further mods planned. Who knows what'll come up later though :)
The Story
- The very first Benchmade 710 Axis Lock (and axis lock knife in general) that I got was in March 2000. It was an ATS-34 stainless steel blade. My impressions were very positive in every aspect. To be honest, partly because of the lack of experience ;) So, anyhow, 2 weeks later I've ordered another one, at this time with M2 tool steel blade. And that was my first M2 blade. Since I don't care about the steel stainlessness that much, for that I think it's nothing extraordinary to take minimal care of my knives, plus I don't live in high humidity area, it was definitely a better choice. Well, speaking precisely, M2 tool steel seemed to be a better choice based on the data I've had at a time, and luckily, turned out to be a better one eventually. Clearly I am more than glad with the choice I've made :)BTW, from the beginning I considered BT2 to be a better choice over satin finish. It looks cool before you start actually using it, but not after I've used it for a while :) Now, I'd prefer no BT2 coating at all on my blades, but unfortunately Benchmade doesn't produce their M2 uncoated. At some point it's understandable, as M2 is not a stainless steel, and it'll rust easier if proper care is not taken. Apparently Benchmade doesn't want to deal with frustrated customers who couldn't keep their knives from rusting. On the other hand, worth mentioning that there are many knife users out there who can take good care of their knives and just plain hate BT2, some for the looks, some for it's lack of wear and scratch resistance, some for both, and those folks do have a reason.
Besides designing the perfect (or almost perfect) lock for folding knives McHenry & Williams also designed BM 705 which was farily popular small folder, although little bit tooo thick for many(including myself) and absolutely terrific small folder Benchmade McHenry & Williams 707 Sequel.
Overview
- Despite certain common problems(mainly the thick factory edge) with BM knives and some QC complaints regarding different BM knives, 710 is kind of the ultimate pocketknife. Amongst the high end, mass production knives that is. IMHO - it's a very well thought and designed blade. As for the production blade I think it's very hard to beat, especially considering the price/overall performance/quality ratio. Yes, it may have some QC problems, but in the end it's a workhorse and the beauty ;). Actually, this is my favorite, every day carry knife ever since I got it. Besides the looks, that I like so much (well, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder anyway) 710 McHenry & Williams is a real user knife, stout and versatile, it can take some real punishment, especially in M2 blade configuration.One of the things I'd like to notice first is the innovative Axis Lock mechanism. It is very simple, easy to operate, provides very smooth action, plenty strong, durable, prevents knife from opening in your pocket, self adjusting to the wear process, what else would you demand from the folding knife locking mechanism?
G-10 handle provides good grip, durable & dependable, plus the handle design/ergonomics are very good. Lately introduced Aluminum handles are even better(IMHO), though again some dislike the aluminum handle slabs, because they scratch, not very comfortable in cold weather, etc. I find aluminum handles very comfortable though, and they definitely give more solid feel. As for the scratches, here's the picture of those Aluminum handles slabs after over a year of use, as you can se nothing terrifying.
I carry my knife in a jeans front pocket as usual & it is almost unnoticeable, unlike for example Emerson Commander, which has the same OAL length & even a shorter blade, let alone Strider Buck. And one more nice detail, as on most of the Benchmade folders the clip is reversible, i.e. can be easily attached from any side, and the thumbstud is ambidextrous, thus lefties are covered as well.
M2 Steel
- M2 high speed tool steel, that has very good characteristics such as toughness, wear resistance, edge holding (or the abrasive resistance). Click on the icon or on the following link to see the Tool Steel Comparative Chart. While M2 steel primary designation is high temperature metal cutting, which isn't really close to our everyday knife chores, it turns out to be a good blade material as well. M2 is a good one to sharpen. I like sharpening M2 blades. It's noticeably more difficult to grind than Benchmade, ATS-34/154CM, but it gets a keener edge definitely. In other words, M2 can be sharpened to a finer edge & will retain sharpness much better. On soft materials this may not be as evident, but on something harder you'll definitely see the difference, thanks to its toughness. As you can see from the chart M2 has higher wear resistance than A2 or D2 & those are considered to be amongst the best blade materials. After some use I can definitely say that M2 performs very well, definitely better that any other stainless steel(in factory knives) I have had, that includes high end ATS-34, 154CM, let alone 440A, 425M, etc. Also, given the M2 toughness, it becomes possible to sharpen the blade thinner, thus increase its cutting ability, without compromising its lateral strength and the edge holding ability as well. BTW, speaking of toughness, you can check out Osborne 940 review, there's some more information comparing 154CM and M2 performance in a real life cutting application. The short story is that 154CM blade chipped badly on the same wire that M2 handled with flying colors, that was M2 blade with 18 degree edge angle and 154CM with 21.One thing I would like to mention here in defense of M2 is the rust resistance. In general M2 is not a stainless steel, it's a carbon steel, so it will rust easier than the stainless one. Often you see people asking which 710 should I get, ATS-34/154CM or M2, and many answers sound like M2 will rust as soon as you take your eyes off of it. M2 doesn't rust that easy, in general if minimal care is taken, it won't rust at all. I have several M2 blades and no rust whatsoever on any of them, even on my BT2 stripped Nimravus, after all the edges are exposed even on coated blades right? So, IMHO unless the rust resistance is your primary concern, M2 is a better choice for a user knife, at least that's the case with the Benchmade knives.