The Kershaw Launch 14 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 14 is a folding automatic knife — the 3.375-inch CPM-154 blackwash cleaver blade pivots from the handle, the broad rectangular blade face deploying forward at full extension. 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.

A cleaver blade draws from the kitchen cleaver and Chinese chef's knife tradition — a broad, tall blade with a spine that runs nearly parallel to the cutting edge, producing a rectangular or squared-off blade profile with the widest flat face in the Launch catalog. In a folding knife, the cleaver geometry delivers maximum slicing surface in a draw cut or rocking push cut, with the broad flat face providing even blade-to-material contact across the full blade width. The cleaver is the most visually bold and immediately recognizable blade profile in the Launch lineup — it reads as distinctive and unlike any other blade in the series and is purpose-built for slicing, light-medium cutting tasks, and food prep where a broad blade face is the performance driver.

The 7850OLBW and 7850BLKDAM are both Launch 14 cleaver automatics sharing the same 3.375-inch cleaver geometry, KVT ball-bearing deployment, liner lock, and USA manufacture in Tualatin, Oregon. The differences are blade steel, blade finish, and handle configuration. The 7850OLBW runs CPM-154 stainless under blackwash on an OD green aluminum handle with carbon fiber inlay — consistent stainless performance, no active moisture maintenance, field-carry OD green signal with premium CF material detailing. The 7850BLKDAM runs Damascus under acid etch on a gray aluminum handle with black carbon fiber inlay — per-blade-unique Damascus pattern that no stainless cleaver can replicate, warm etch tones as visual accent against cool gray, requires active moisture management. For field-carry stainless cleaver performance with no maintenance, the 7850OLBW. For premium Damascus pattern on the cleaver's broad canvas, the 7850BLKDAM.

Blackwash applies a dark coating over a stonewash base — the stonewash tumbling process creates micro-texture variation in the aluminum-oxide surface layer, and the subsequent dark coating sits over those micro-variations rather than a perfectly flat substrate. The result is a blade surface with depth rather than a uniform flat black: the micro-texture under the coating creates subtle variation in the black surface tone that reads visually as dimensional. On a broad cleaver blade face with more uninterrupted surface area than any other Launch geometry, that depth is visible and readable across the full blade width rather than concentrated near the edge or tip. Blackwash on a cleaver produces the largest, most fully visible dark-depth surface in the Launch catalog.

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 — no active moisture maintenance required in carry conditions. In the Launch 14, CPM-154 delivers consistent and measurable blade performance that Damascus cannot match for predictability or maintenance simplicity: wipe clean, sharpen on standard equipment, carry. The trade-off versus the 7850BLKDAM is visual — CPM-154 under blackwash produces a dark, consistent blade surface; Damascus under acid etch produces a per-blade-unique pattern visible across the cleaver's full face. For no-maintenance consistent stainless performance, the 7850OLBW. For pattern-per-blade visual uniqueness on the cleaver canvas, the 7850BLKDAM.

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 14 7850OLBW 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 7850OLBW carries the Kershaw Lifetime Warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.