The Kershaw Launch 16 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 tanto blade deploys on the central axis with the reinforced chisel-ground tip 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.

The 7105RAW and 7105OLBLK are both Launch 16 CPM M4 tanto automatics sharing the same 3.45-inch tanto geometry, KVT ball-bearing deployment, liner lock, and USA manufacture in Tualatin, Oregon. Both run Cerakote coatings over CPM M4 and both use Trac-Tec handle inserts. The differences are Cerakote color and handle base material. The 7105RAW runs gray Cerakote on the blade and a raw uncoated aluminum handle with black Trac-Tec inserts — the lighter, more geometry-readable blade finish on an honest bare-metal handle that develops a natural patina with carry. The 7105OLBLK runs black Cerakote on the blade and an olive Cerakote aluminum handle with Trac-Tec inserts — the fully coated all-field-dark configuration with maximum coating coverage on both blade and handle. For gray Cerakote's geometric readability on a raw natural aluminum handle, the 7105RAW. For the all-coated field-dark olive-and-black configuration, the 7105OLBLK.

CPM M4 is a high-speed tool steel produced by Crucible Industries through the powder metallurgy process — the highest edge retention and wear resistance of any steel in the Kershaw Launch lineup, significantly outperforming CPM MagnaCut, CPM-154, and D2 in sustained cutting endurance under abrasive tasks. CPM M4 is not stainless and requires active moisture management on uncoated blade surfaces. The gray Cerakote coating on the 7105RAW adds a polymer-ceramic corrosion barrier over the blade faces — harder and more abrasion-resistant than PVD. However, Cerakote wears at the edge bevel with sharpening, and once the coating is removed at the bevel, bare CPM M4 is exposed. Wipe the blade dry after moisture exposure and apply a light coat of oil periodically, especially at the bevel after sharpening wear.

Cerakote is a polymer-ceramic composite coating applied by spray and thermally cured — harder than PVD, more impact and abrasion resistant than black-oxide, available in a wide range of colors. Gray Cerakote and black Cerakote deliver identical functional protection characteristics — the same polymer-ceramic hardness, the same abrasion resistance, the same corrosion barrier durability. The difference is purely visual. Gray Cerakote is a lighter, more material-visible finish than black Cerakote: where a black Cerakote blade reads as near-uniform dark across the entire blade face, a gray Cerakote blade allows the tanto's blade geometry to read more clearly — the distinction between the primary edge, the chisel-ground secondary edge, and the flat face is more visible in gray than in all-black. For buyers who want the tanto's functional geometry to be visually readable at the blade, gray Cerakote is the more informative finish.

Trac-Tec is Kershaw's proprietary textured polymer grip insert system — purpose-engineered grip panels designed for positive non-slip contact under hard-use, gloved-hand, and wet conditions. On the 7105RAW, the Trac-Tec inserts are black, creating a color contrast against the raw silver-grey aluminum frame: the grip elements are visually darker than the handle body, making grip zones immediately readable. The combination of raw aluminum's honest bare-metal frame with black Trac-Tec inserts creates a two-tone handle where the grip panels stand out against the natural aluminum rather than blending into a uniform color surface. Trac-Tec's polymer construction is impervious to moisture and temperature variation.

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, gray Cerakote finish wear at the blade bevel, raw aluminum patina development, surface oxidation from inadequate CPM M4 maintenance after Cerakote bevel wear, sharpening, and damage from misuse are not covered.

The Kershaw Launch 16 7105RAW 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 7105RAW carries the Kershaw Lifetime Warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.