The AXIS™ lock is totally ambidextrous and allows for easy one-handed opening and closing of the blade without your fingers ever being in the path of the blade. The design is very intuitive to operate with little or no instruction needed on how the lock functions. As simple as the lock is, perhaps its biggest selling feature- is its brute strength. In testing, the lock supported a negative load of over 200 pounds without damage. When the lock does finally fail, the liners simply crack over the locking pin, but at no time in Benchmades testing would the blade have closed on the users hand. The AXIS™ lock features two Omega shaped springs that provide outstanding functional redundancy. The springs are lightly stressed and our tests show they should last indefinitely. In the unlikely event that one of the springs does fail, the other will still operate the knife just fine.

Is this the strongest lock made? That is very difficult to say for certain. Benchmade claims that it is certainly more rugged than many of the typical lock-back and liner-locking knives. The sizable 3.90 in. D2 Tool Steel blade of the Model BM710D2 features a reverse-curve grind for increased cutting ability. The double liners are heat-treated 420 stainless steel as is the locking-bar. There is a removable, stainless steel pocket-clip located on the butt end of the knife. This given clip location on the butt end is necessary due to the locking mechanism. If the clip were positioned on the pivot end, the knife would protrude much too far out of your pocket.