New 710-1401 from Knifeworks (pics added)

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cistercian

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DSCN0479.jpgDSCN0478.jpgDSCN0476.jpgMidnight Friday I ordered the limited edition Mchenry & Williams from Knifeworks.I did so with some trepidation...I have heard stories about poor fit and finish ranging from poor grinds to the tip of the blade being too high as well as poor centering.This worried me...a lot.

I am very glad to report the knife is wonderful...not perfect...but excellent.The centering is just a tiny bit off...less than a quarter millimeter.
The grind is also very good...but off on the swedge near the tip about one quarter millimeter.The action of the lock and pivot are superb.The G10 scale fit is also very very good.In short I am very happy I got it.I have wanted a 710 for awhile but wanted a stainless steel.M390 is very stainless so it works better for me than any HS steel would.

I should mention that most of my Benchmade edges are rough from the factory.Sharp...but toothy.This edge is very smooth compared to any other benchmade I have received as well as being the sharpest of them by far.It needs nothing out of the box which is frankly surprising to me.

Epic WIN!

As far as Knifeworks goes...they shipped it 2 day priority for FREE!!!! I was so pleased I called them and thanked them not only for the great blade but the upgraded shipping as well.I work in customer service so I can relate to only hearing complaints all day...it is rare someone says thank you.

So I did.

Knifeworks 710-1401.Get one while you still can. At 169.95 I am a very happy camper with mine.
 
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Congrats on the m390 710.
I wasn't aware the 710 was offered in HS steel, unless you're talking about second hand market.
 
I thought D2 was a high speed steel...I guess it is a tool steel!I don't pay much attention to the non stainless steels and tend to mix them up.Sorry! At any rate one of my main concerns is corrosion resistance.
I sweat a lot!A lesson I learned when I was young was how fast some steels rust in your pocket in the summer...even when oiled first.I found the oil would be rubbed off by my jeans then presto!Rust! Those high carbon knives kept an edge well but they rusted like mad.Now I only use stainless steels.Lucky for me the new ones have really fine grains and vanadium as well as chromium carbides...I like they way they wear and how sharp they can get.And I don't worry about having to carry an oily rag in a baggy.

And thanks...I am really glad I pulled the trigger!
 
That's all good news about your new 710 KW exclusive acquisition. I adore the 710 and I'm considering the M390 710 from KW too. The blade sticking out too far is my main concern. I'm hoping the issue has been resolved.
 
Wolverine666 said:
That's all good news about your new 710 KW exclusive acquisition. I adore the 710 and I'm considering the M390 710 from KW too. The blade sticking out too far is my main concern. I'm hoping the issue has been resolved.
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Mine is fine.It is in deep enough for certain.I was worried about the same things as you and mine is fine.
I think many that buy them don't post their good experiences.But if something is not right everybody finds out.
I have several grips and the quality control I saw in the store was scary.But I really wanted the black and blue scales as well as M390.And since it is an exclusive...I finally caved when the price dropped.

I am really glad I did!

2mm below the liners at the tip.Pressing hard I can't make it bite my index finger.I bet my seven year olds fingers might.But she won't be using it so no problem.
 
cistercian said:
I thought D2 was a high speed steel...I guess it is a tool steel!I don't pay much attention to the non stainless steels and tend to mix them up.Sorry!
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It's ok, for a half second I got excited.
BTW, D2 isn't even in the same ball park as HS steels.
 
jpm2 said:
It's ok, for a half second I got excited.
BTW, D2 isn't even in the same ball park as HS steels.
Click to expand...

I am sorry I got you going!I know some are really into the wear resistance and crazy edges available on the non stainless steels.

The truth is I still keep my blades lubed.I hate rust.So no tool or HS steel here.If HS is good enough for drill bits I expect it would exhibit epic edge holding.

These are great times for certain in regards to the great steels we have.My father was fond of saying that the thing that improved most in his lifetime was steel.His dad was a tool making blacksmith in the B&W steel mill.Steel sure has come a long way since he was a boy in the 40's!
 
Wolverine666 said:
That's all good news about your new 710 KW exclusive acquisition. I adore the 710 and I'm considering the M390 710 from KW too. The blade sticking out too far is my main concern. I'm hoping the issue has been resolved.
Click to expand...
When the 710-1401s were first released there was a problem where you could get snagged by the tip of the blade. I had one of the problematic 710s and sent it in to Benchmade (not KW) whom fixed the slightly protruding tip. KW acknowledged the issue and has remedied the problem. At one time KW had a blurb on their website about the problem and the fixing of all affected knives but has since removed the notification being as it is now not relevant.
It is no longer a concern.
 
Stand Straight said:
When the 710-1401s were first released there was a problem where you could get snagged by the tip of the blade. I had one of the problematic 710s and sent it in to Benchmade (not KW) whom fixed the slightly protruding tip. KW acknowledged the issue and has remedied the problem. At one time KW had a blurb on their website about the problem and the fixing of all affected knives but has since removed the notification being as it is now not relevant.
It is no longer a concern.
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Good to know. I know which knife I'll be buying next 😃
 
cistercian said:
I am sorry I got you going!I know some are really into the wear resistance and crazy edges available on the non stainless steels.

The truth is I still keep my blades lubed.I hate rust.So no tool or HS steel here.If HS is good enough for drill bits I expect it would exhibit epic edge holding.

These are great times for certain in regards to the great steels we have.My father was fond of saying that the thing that improved most in his lifetime was steel.His dad was a tool making blacksmith in the B&W steel mill.Steel sure has come a long way since he was a boy in the 40's!
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I think good heat treated m390 has edge holding more than covered, toughness might be another matter.
If stainless were more of a concern than toughness, m390 would be a top choice for me also.
 
jpm2 said:
It's ok, for a half second I got excited.
BTW, D2 isn't even in the same ball park as HS steels.
Click to expand...

It was originally offered in a high speed steel. Specifically, M2. Personally, I'll cheerfully take D2 over M2.
 
jpm2 said:
I would like to know why?
I'll cheerfully take any M2 blades off your hands, even got several D2 ones to trade.
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Corrosion resistance. If they were running both steels at Hrc 64 I'd go for the wear resistance of the M2, but since every production company I know of leaves both relatively soft I'll take the toothy edge and corrosion resistance of D2.
 
After getting my zt452cf early this year, I've been eyeing that particular knife for my next acquisition.

I got the knifeworks 810-1401 Contego last year and like the knife.
 
The KW 710 I had was a really nice knife. It had none of the previously reported problems and was a heck of a looker. The only "flaw", if you could call it that, was the grind lines (may not be the correct term) were a bit more noticeable than other knives I have had.
 
jstrange said:
The KW 710 I had was a really nice knife. It had none of the previously reported problems and was a heck of a looker. The only "flaw", if you could call it that, was the grind lines (may not be the correct term) were a bit more noticeable than other knives I have had.
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There is a cool cross hatching on the flats.I like it! It is a heck of a looker
 
Insipid Moniker said:
Corrosion resistance. If they were running both steels at Hrc 64 I'd go for the wear resistance of the M2, but since every production company I know of leaves both relatively soft I'll take the toothy edge and corrosion resistance of D2.
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Fair enough on the corrosion resistance, but minimal in my experience.
Also in my experience, M2 at a soft 60 will breeze through stuff all day long that instantly destroys D2 of any hardness.
The only thing I see that D2 has over M2 is ease of sharpening.
 
jpm2 said:
I think good heat treated m390 has edge holding more than covered, toughness might be another matter.
If stainless were more of a concern than toughness, m390 would be a top choice for me also.
Click to expand...

Yep...that is where I am at.I wonder how this blade will fare as far as edge holding goes.I will have to see.I know it can be taken to a point that reduces the stainlessness.Based on what some have said I think these might be softer than previous runs...which is fine by me since the non staining properties should be maximal.I don't know how this will affect toughness.I wish someone would test the hardness of various M390 blades by Benchmade to see where they fall.

It won't make much difference to me...I won't be taxing this knife very heavily.But if it does end up having great edge holding it will be fun to compare it to the S30V and 154CM knives I already use.154CM works very well for me and sharpens fast.If it beats that and S30V and is very non staining I will be pleased.
 
jpm2 said:
Fair enough on the corrosion resistance, but minimal in my experience.
Also in my experience, M2 at a soft 60 will breeze through stuff all day long that instantly destroys D2 of any hardness.
The only thing I see that D2 has over M2 is ease of sharpening.
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I've never noticed that big a difference between the two in edge retention, honestly. I've always attributed it to both being left soft, but M2 has never particularly blown me away. For me, it falls into roughly the same category as D2, S30V, XHP, S35VN and similar steels. All of them hold an edge for long enough that I'm happy using them, but all fall well short of steels like M390, M4, S90V, S110V, etc. Given that, I'll take ease of maintenance over what I've always experienced as a relatively small difference in edge retention.
 
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