Hi everybody,
I stumbled across this site / community looking for kit reviews.
Great ..... A bushcraft community in this country, I didn't even know there was a mag to be had outside of the US ... I'll be subscribing for sure
I'm getting a bit long in the tooth now and decided to get back out in the bush, or forests really, here in N. Wales, before I'm unable!
So I'm brushing up, pardon the pun on my skills and getting my kit back together.
Thought I would say hi here because not long ago, about 2 months now, I purchased a couple of folders..... The Benchmade 710HS (plain edge) and not long after, a Lone Wolf Ranger T2 with cocobolo scales.
Why two ... well I liked the look of the 710HS and the reviews helped me make up my mind. So I hunted one down in the UK.
The Lone Wolf ranger T2 .... Well I just could not resist when I saw it regardless of already having the 710HS .... The cocobolo scales just made it for me ... and I like wood.
Now these couple of months have gone by I can't be happier with my purchases.
I'll give you my impressions of both over this short time:
I'm no knife expert by the way, so if my terminology is off please excuse me ( these emoticons, I think there called, are quite funny 
)
The Benchmade 710HS : Great knife and very well built.
The steel holds a very good edge cutting normal stuff ( not trying to cut stuff I wouldn't normally cut, like steel rope, hammering it through steel cans and such ) I suppose some have to find out mind you
I took the shoulders off the edge firstly with my sharpmaker set at 30 degrees, then the cutting edge set at 40 degrees.
The tip to the start of the recurve I've left a shaving sharp polished finish, the recurve to the blade end was finished the same and then a couple of strokes per side with the medium stones just to rough it slightly.
It now slices like a demon just where you want it to, the belly and tip area is great for fine work and you dont normally slice rope etc with that part.
IMHO it out performs the standard grind easily.
In my hand it feels good, an extremely versatile and solid grip, the lock up is solid and dependable. The G10 scales afford a good grip and appear to be very tough, I think they will last.
My only concern at first was the Axis lock spring, but I'm reliably informed that if it does not fail in the first couple of weeks its likely to last many years. Im a general engineer and not sure of the logic behind that but can only guess they may have had a few weak batches.
As I said the build quality is exceptional, if I rap the handle on my knuckle the whole knife rings a lovely tone ... very tight tolerances.
Quality steel, quality build .... What more can you ask for, hey
Now the LoneWolf ranger T2........... Another great knife, excellent build quality.
The Blade steel is CPM S30V and it is sharp! Even straight out the box its damn sharp. I left it well alone for about six weeks, no need to fiddle. After quite a bit of cutting work, again nothing out of the ordinary, I decided to sharpen it. No need really because its edge retention is extraordinary (done some work with powder steels in the past but this is better than those.)
The only steel, in blades, Ive had a similar experience with was a laminated steel forged by an old mate of mine who had an interest in blade steels, he copied the blade making techniques, as close as he possibly could and after loads of research, of the Japanese master sowrdsmiths. Boy that was sharp, flexible and it held the edge! He even copied some of the rituals, may be thats what did it!! . Modern metallurgy has enabled us to surpass but it took 600 years, according to my friend. Sorry I digress.
Anyways, I treated it to 30 degrees then 40 degrees then stropped to finish off, I left the whole blade edge like that. Hairs just fall off and it will cut a blue rizla cigarette paper in half, held hanging, with one swipe, not bad!!
In my hand the knife feels nice, I love the tactile cocobolo. Looks nice too. Ok they will mark more easily than G10 but nice nevertheless.
The knife feels more controllable for fine work, skinning etc. The broader more conventional blade is the reason for that. ( The more aggressive blade on the 710 tends to dig in if not careful ) The weight is towards the blade more (or so it feels, the balance point is almost the same as the 710 ) due to the titanium liners I guess, keeping handle weight low.
The liner lock is positive, solid and no worries about longevity there it is a little sticky to release at times, the titanium binding on the stainless a little.
I will try that Militec oil that everyone raves about, if I can find some in the UK???? Anyone ???
My only concern with that design is that; if a small stone/bit of gravel gets between the scale and the liner lock when open, if you dont notice, you may not be able to release the lock, worst case scenario I could crack the scale as I apply pressure to release the sticky lock. One remedy would be to remove that part of the scale but it would not look or feel that good after!
The rest of the open design is good, easy for bits to fall out and to clean.
They look like phosphor bronze bearings at the pivot, they will last.
A very nice knife indeed
To sum up: . Before you get to bored!
I use the Benchmade 710HS as my, do most things, knife. Its slightly easier on the hand, better ergonomics for prolonged use and the G10 scales will endure. As long as the Axis spring holds up thats how it will stay. A good solid performer. Very happy with it!
The LoneWolf Ranger T2 That is my fine work knife, super sharp and beautiful to work with, more controllable blade shape. The cocobolo scales not only look nice but also feel great in the hand, a pretty hard wood with a pleasing grain, the finish has a lovely depth to it. The finger scallops assure a good grip.
Ive sharpened both knives according to how Im going use them. The finest edge in the world is not necessarily the best at all tasks !!
All in all: I could not choose between the two. Both well built enough to stand the test of time. Both have good and bad points. They both perform differently at certain tasks as Ive pointed out, both have a place in my kit.
I have an ideal combo IMHO I must stress its only my opinion; Im no knife expert but hope my observations will be of interest to someone.
I also have a Cold Steel trailmaster Bowie I use as my camp knife, I completely reground/reshaped the blade.
I wont go on about that now as Ive waffled on for far too long already, especially for a first post !!
I will only add: A folder must be used within its design limitations, commonsense I know, but I have seen a guy trying to chop down a tree with one! Best leave that to a good camp knife.
Cheers,
Stiks.
I stumbled across this site / community looking for kit reviews.
Great ..... A bushcraft community in this country, I didn't even know there was a mag to be had outside of the US ... I'll be subscribing for sure
I'm getting a bit long in the tooth now and decided to get back out in the bush, or forests really, here in N. Wales, before I'm unable!
So I'm brushing up, pardon the pun
on my skills and getting my kit back together.Thought I would say hi here because not long ago, about 2 months now, I purchased a couple of folders..... The Benchmade 710HS (plain edge) and not long after, a Lone Wolf Ranger T2 with cocobolo scales.
Why two ... well I liked the look of the 710HS and the reviews helped me make up my mind. So I hunted one down in the UK.
The Lone Wolf ranger T2 .... Well I just could not resist when I saw it regardless of already having the 710HS .... The cocobolo scales just made it for me ... and I like wood.
Now these couple of months have gone by I can't be happier with my purchases.
I'll give you my impressions of both over this short time:
I'm no knife expert by the way, so if my terminology is off please excuse me
( these emoticons, I think there called, are quite funny )The Benchmade 710HS : Great knife and very well built.
The steel holds a very good edge cutting normal stuff ( not trying to cut stuff I wouldn't normally cut, like steel rope, hammering it through steel cans and such ) I suppose some have to find out mind you
I took the shoulders off the edge firstly with my sharpmaker set at 30 degrees, then the cutting edge set at 40 degrees.
The tip to the start of the recurve I've left a shaving sharp polished finish, the recurve to the blade end was finished the same and then a couple of strokes per side with the medium stones just to rough it slightly.
It now slices like a demon just where you want it to, the belly and tip area is great for fine work and you dont normally slice rope etc with that part.
IMHO it out performs the standard grind easily.
In my hand it feels good, an extremely versatile and solid grip, the lock up is solid and dependable. The G10 scales afford a good grip and appear to be very tough, I think they will last.
My only concern at first was the Axis lock spring, but I'm reliably informed that if it does not fail in the first couple of weeks its likely to last many years. Im a general engineer and not sure of the logic behind that but can only guess they may have had a few weak batches.
As I said the build quality is exceptional, if I rap the handle on my knuckle the whole knife rings a lovely tone ... very tight tolerances.
Quality steel, quality build .... What more can you ask for, hey
Now the LoneWolf ranger T2........... Another great knife, excellent build quality.
The Blade steel is CPM S30V and it is sharp! Even straight out the box its damn sharp. I left it well alone for about six weeks, no need to fiddle. After quite a bit of cutting work, again nothing out of the ordinary, I decided to sharpen it. No need really because its edge retention is extraordinary (done some work with powder steels in the past but this is better than those.)
The only steel, in blades, Ive had a similar experience with was a laminated steel forged by an old mate of mine who had an interest in blade steels, he copied the blade making techniques, as close as he possibly could and after loads of research, of the Japanese master sowrdsmiths. Boy that was sharp, flexible and it held the edge! He even copied some of the rituals, may be thats what did it!!
. Modern metallurgy has enabled us to surpass but it took 600 years, according to my friend. Sorry I digress.Anyways, I treated it to 30 degrees then 40 degrees then stropped to finish off, I left the whole blade edge like that. Hairs just fall off and it will cut a blue rizla cigarette paper in half, held hanging, with one swipe, not bad!!
In my hand the knife feels nice, I love the tactile cocobolo. Looks nice too. Ok they will mark more easily than G10 but nice nevertheless.
The knife feels more controllable for fine work, skinning etc. The broader more conventional blade is the reason for that. ( The more aggressive blade on the 710 tends to dig in if not careful ) The weight is towards the blade more (or so it feels, the balance point is almost the same as the 710 ) due to the titanium liners I guess, keeping handle weight low.
The liner lock is positive, solid and no worries about longevity there
it is a little sticky to release at times, the titanium binding on the stainless a little. I will try that Militec oil that everyone raves about, if I can find some in the UK???? Anyone ???
My only concern with that design is that; if a small stone/bit of gravel gets between the scale and the liner lock when open, if you dont notice, you may not be able to release the lock, worst case scenario I could crack the scale as I apply pressure to release the sticky lock. One remedy would be to remove that part of the scale but it would not look or feel that good after!
The rest of the open design is good, easy for bits to fall out and to clean.
They look like phosphor bronze bearings at the pivot, they will last.
A very nice knife indeed
To sum up: . Before you get to bored!
I use the Benchmade 710HS as my, do most things, knife. Its slightly easier on the hand, better ergonomics for prolonged use and the G10 scales will endure. As long as the Axis spring holds up thats how it will stay. A good solid performer. Very happy with it!
The LoneWolf Ranger T2 That is my fine work knife, super sharp and beautiful to work with, more controllable blade shape. The cocobolo scales not only look nice but also feel great in the hand, a pretty hard wood with a pleasing grain, the finish has a lovely depth to it. The finger scallops assure a good grip.
Ive sharpened both knives according to how Im going use them. The finest edge in the world is not necessarily the best at all tasks !!
All in all: I could not choose between the two. Both well built enough to stand the test of time. Both have good and bad points. They both perform differently at certain tasks as Ive pointed out, both have a place in my kit.
I have an ideal combo IMHO I must stress its only my opinion; Im no knife expert but hope my observations will be of interest to someone.
I also have a Cold Steel trailmaster Bowie I use as my camp knife, I completely reground/reshaped the blade.
I wont go on about that now as Ive waffled on for far too long already, especially for a first post !!
I will only add: A folder must be used within its design limitations, commonsense I know, but I have seen a guy trying to chop down a tree with one!
Best leave that to a good camp knife. Cheers,
Stiks.
