The Kershaw Launch 1 uses a side-button automatic mechanism — press the button on the spine of the handle and the blade deploys instantly, locking open via the liner lock through the KVT ball-bearing pivot. To close, disengage the liner lock with your thumb and fold the blade back into the handle. The Launch 1 is a folding automatic knife — the 3.4-inch CPM-154 drop point pivots from the handle. Automatic knives are subject to the same state and federal restrictions as OTF automatics. See the legality FAQ below before purchasing.

Side-button automatic knives are subject to strict regulation under federal and state law. Under federal law, the interstate sale and transport of automatic knives is restricted. State laws vary significantly: some states permit automatic knives freely, some restrict blade length, some require permits or military or law enforcement status, and some prohibit them entirely. Knifeworks cannot provide legal advice. It is your responsibility to verify that automatic knives are legal in your state, county, and municipality before purchasing. Check your local laws at akti.org (American Knife and Tool Institute) or call us at 888-225-9775 — we will not ship to addresses in states where automatic knives are prohibited.

The 7100BW and 7100GBLUBLK are both Launch 1 drop point automatics sharing the same KVT ball-bearing deployment, liner lock, and USA manufacture in Tualatin, Oregon. The differences are blade steel and handle color. The 7100BW runs CPM-154 blackwash on a fully black anodized aluminum handle — consistent, no-maintenance stainless performance, zero-signature all-black carry. The 7100GBLUBLK runs CPM MagnaCut blackwash on a black-and-blue two-tone anodized aluminum handle — the benchmark alloy with measurably better edge retention, toughness, and corrosion resistance than CPM-154, in a more visually dynamic two-tone handle. For consistent CPM-154 performance in zero-signature black, the 7100BW. For the benchmark CPM MagnaCut steel in a two-tone handle, the 7100GBLUBLK.

Blackwash applies a dark coating over a stonewash base — the stonewash tumbling process creates micro-texture variation in the surface underneath, and the subsequent dark coating sits over those micro-variations rather than a perfectly flat substrate. The result is a blade surface with dimensional depth rather than a uniform flat black, visible across the drop point's broad, versatile blade face. Paired with the fully black anodized handle, the 7100BW reads as a single unified dark tool with no tonal break between blade and handle.

CPM-154 is the powder metallurgy version of the classic 154CM stainless steel formula, produced by Crucible Industries — more uniform carbide distribution, better edge retention, improved toughness, and excellent corrosion resistance than conventionally melted 154CM. CPM MagnaCut, used on the Launch 1 7100GBLUBLK, was engineered specifically to outperform steels like CPM-154 in edge retention, toughness, and corrosion resistance simultaneously. CPM-154 remains an excellent and proven stainless tool steel — the difference is one of degree rather than category, with CPM MagnaCut representing the newer benchmark. Both require no active moisture maintenance in normal carry conditions.

Kershaw offers a lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. If the knife fails due to a manufacturing defect, Kershaw will repair or replace it at no charge. Warranty service is handled directly by Kershaw — not Knifeworks. Submit a claim through Kershaw's website at kershawknives.com with a description of the issue and proof of purchase. Normal wear, blackwash finish wear, handle anodize wear, sharpening, and damage from misuse are not covered.

The Kershaw Launch 1 7100BW is manufactured in the USA at Kershaw's production facility in Tualatin, Oregon. Domestic manufacture is a consistent feature of the full Launch series. The 7100BW carries the Kershaw Lifetime Warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.