Benchmade 710: A truley classic knife

[craytab]

Hi all,

Recently I bought an older 710 off the exchange and I thought I would do a little over view because I found it extremely impressive.

This is one of the original 710s that came in ATS-34 steel. There are other interesting differences from the current iteration. The original washers were some sort of nylon. While they operated fine, I replaced them with PB washers. The liners are more heavily milled and are done so in a different pattern. Rather than the holes like the 810, 915, 860, or newer 710 I have, the liners in this ATS-34 710 are milled more like a PM2, Military, or 0560, though I think they are done even better. This thing is lite! It feels liter in hand than the M4 710 with keyman scales that I have. Another difference is, I could not take the axis lock bar out during disassembly. This is unlike other Benchmades I have, in that there is no cavity to slide down into so the lock bar can be removed. My M4 710 is the same way but not my other BMs. Not really a problem but I would have liked to have completely broken down the liners for a more thorough cleaning and polishing near the pivot. There was some rust that needed removing under the scales but for a knife this old that is understandable. It cleaned up very nicely.

All in all, I am very impressed with this knife. Considering its age I am even more impressed. It performs just as well as my other Benchmades that are 10-15 years newer but it cost half the price on the exchange. Do I wish it was plain edge? Yes. I thought about sending it in to BM and asking for a blade swap. But I really like ATS-34 and I love the character of the blade looks wise and the history of it is special.

Ne PB Washers.

Back end of liners.

Front end.

Older Axis cavity:

Family Photo:

 

[pmek5]

That is a really nice classic of a classic. Personally I would not change the blade even though I am not a fan of serrations & coatings, but the ATS-34 is what makes vintage. It does have a lot of character, and I am sure it will perform fine for many more years.
Congrats.

 

[craytab]

That is a really nice classic of a classic. Personally I would not change the blade even though I am not a fan of serrations & coatings, but the ATS-34 is what makes vintage. It does have a lot of character, and I am sure it will perform fine for many more years.
Congrats.

Yup, that is exactly my thought on the blade.

 

[bravodelta]

I have an original 710 in Ats34 just like that one and it has been to hell and back without a hiccup.

 

[Wolverine666]

So the Axis lock still works fine ? Original spring(s) ?

 

[bravodelta]

So the Axis lock still works fine ? Original spring(s) ?

100% original but with a brutal polished wicked edge.

 

[knifedude802]

Any idea on why they stopped milling it out that way?

 

[craytab]

So the Axis lock still works fine ? Original spring(s) ?

Mine worked just fine. Not even any corrosion on the springs. I think when people have an omega spring failure it is just a bad spring and not due to it being warn out. Just a thought.

Any idea on why they stopped milling it out that way?

I have no idea. But it certainly looks like it would take more time and attention to mill it out the old way opposed to just drilling some holes.

 

[jkarp_53]

Those 710's with the cutout liners are very early models and hard to find. Yet along the lines of longevity the knife hasn't changed very much in all these years. I own four and probably will buy another couple before I'm through. Such great as they are.

 

[craytab]

Those 710's with the cutout liners are very early models and hard to find. Yet along the lines of longevity the knife hasn't changed very much in all these years. I own four and probably will buy another couple before I'm through. Such great as they are.

Any idea of a manufacture date for these early models?

 

[jkarp_53]

Late 90's. Say 1998 but I could be off a year or so.

 

[craytab]

So the Axis lock still works fine ? Original spring(s) ?

Late 90's. Say 1998 but I could be off a year or so.

Cool. Gotta say. The knife is in damn fine shape for being about 15 years old.

 

[JNewell]

Doug Ritter published a page back in December 1998 saying that he'd been using a prototype for a couple of months and that the knife had just gone into production. I saw that and ordered one from Knifecenter, a 710BK (ATS-34 PE black coated). I still have the knife. I need to compare the liners to your great pics. The 710 is a real classic.

 

[jkarp_53]

Interesting...just pulled my NIB ATS-34 710, old school slim blue box. Paperwork inside is dated '98 and the more familiar cutouts in the liners are circular.

 

[CelticCross74]

Awesome thread! I have many Benchmades but the 710 will always be the one that floored me completely and showed me what I consider to be the ultimate modern day version of the Buck 110! After years of collecting the 710 is still the best Benchmade design yet made and I always have an eye out for the rare ones like this. The milling difference is yours is one of the very first production 710's with the original liner milling style. Benchmade quickly realized it would cost much less to drill holes which would also speed up production as well. Not sure what to tell you about the absence of cutouts for Axis pin removal installation though. Maybe they used a press fit at the factory that is permanent? Awesome knife though very sweet upgrade with the PB!

 

[crom]

Nice collection man! Been on my list of must haves for some time.

 

[A-love05]

I am always so upset reading threads like this because it reminds me how much of a bonehead I was when I sold my 710`s I had the 710-1 and a few others.. I got into a sub 3" folder craze and thought that's all I needed.. and now every time a 710 thread pops up,I shed a small tear!!

Nice knife!! I'm jealous..

 

[craytab]

Interesting...just pulled my NIB ATS-34 710, old school slim blue box. Paperwork inside is dated '98 and the more familiar cutouts in the liners are circular.

That is interesting!

Awesome thread! I have many Benchmades but the 710 will always be the one that floored me completely and showed me what I consider to be the ultimate modern day version of the Buck 110! After years of collecting the 710 is still the best Benchmade design yet made and I always have an eye out for the rare ones like this. The milling difference is yours is one of the very first production 710's with the original liner milling style. Benchmade quickly realized it would cost much less to drill holes which would also speed up production as well. Not sure what to tell you about the absence of cutouts for Axis pin removal installation though. Maybe they used a press fit at the factory that is permanent? Awesome knife though very sweet upgrade with the PB!

Thanks for the info.

 

[Hair]

I think the 710 is one of the overall best pocket knives ever made, regardless of price.

I used to own a 154CM version. For some reason I couldn't put my finger on, I wasn't in love with it at the time. I had other Axis knives I liked more (again, at the time... my tastes have changed since then). I sold it and ended up missing and thinking about that knife a lot.

Now I have a 710D2 and I freakin' love the thing. It is very comfortable in pocket and in hand, cuts extremely well, holds a great edge, and is extremely durable. It is also very stylish in a gentleman's tactical sort of way. It gives you a *LOT* of cutting edge for the handle size; almost uncanny.

I haven't purchased custom scales for any of my BMs yet, but one thing I love about some of the popular BM models is how much of an aftermarket there is for things like custom scales, clips, stand-offs etc... If there is something you don't like about the knife, you can change it. Few knives reach that level of popularity and fandom.

 

[cjscb84]

Hey, sorry if this is in the wrong place (BF newbie), but how do I disassemble the axis lock on an older 710? It doesn't have a cutout in the liner to slide it out, and I can't break it down completely to clean the washers without removing it. Thanks!