The Kershaw Launch 22 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. The KVT system uses ball bearings in the pivot for a faster, smoother deployment than a traditional washer-based pivot. To close, disengage the liner lock with your thumb and fold the blade back into the handle. The Launch 22 is a folding automatic knife — the blade pivots from the handle rather than deploying axially through the front. 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 Launch 22 FDE and Launch 22 Blue are the same knife in different handle colorways — identical CPM MagnaCut blackwash blade, KVT ball-bearing side-button automatic deployment, liner lock, green Micarta panels, and USA manufacture in Tualatin, Oregon. The difference is the aluminum component's anodized color. The FDE variant pairs Flat Dark Earth anodized aluminum with the green Micarta — both materials sitting in the same warm earth-tone register, creating a more tonally unified handle where the two materials share a visual vocabulary. The blue variant pairs blue anodized aluminum with the green Micarta — a cooler, higher-contrast pairing where the blue aluminum and the green Micarta read against each other more distinctly. For the most field-unified, tonally cohesive earth-tone handle, the FDE. For a bolder cool-warm contrast between the aluminum and Micarta, the blue variant.

CPM MagnaCut was engineered by metallurgist Larrin Thomas and produced by Crucible Industries to outperform CPM-S35VN and M390 in edge retention, toughness, and corrosion resistance simultaneously. Most production automatic folders run stainless steels like 154CM, CPM-154, or D2. CPM MagnaCut is a meaningful step above each of those in all three performance categories. In a side-button automatic, edge retention keeps the blade sharp through more carry cycles between maintenance. Toughness matters at the blade tip under mechanical deployment stress. CPM MagnaCut's near-H1 corrosion resistance handles humidity and carry moisture with less maintenance than semi-stainless alternatives. The Launch 22 is the only Kershaw Launch series folder running CPM MagnaCut.

Micarta is a composite material produced by saturating layers of natural fiber — linen, canvas, or burlap — with phenolic resin under heat and pressure. The natural fiber base gives Micarta a warm, organic visual texture and a grip character that develops with handling over time — a patina unique to natural fiber composites that no G-10 or synthetic polymer replicates. Green Micarta sits in the same warm, natural color register as FDE anodized aluminum — earthy, muted, and field-purposeful. On the Launch 22 FDE, the two handle materials share that warm earth-tone vocabulary: FDE aluminum reads as a processed, precise version of the same palette that the green Micarta carries in its natural fiber form. The result is a two-material handle that is more tonally unified than any single-material handle in the production automatic market.

Blackwash is a two-step finish: a stonewash texture is applied first, then a black layer settles into the recesses and wears away at the high points — producing a dark, low-profile appearance with grind geometry visible up close. The blackwash adds a functional corrosion barrier on top of CPM MagnaCut's near-H1 resistance. Against the warm FDE aluminum and green Micarta handle, the dark blackwash blade creates a cool-dark-against-warm-earth contrast that sits across the full handle-to-blade transition: dark blade, warm FDE, natural green Micarta.

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, mechanism wear from sustained deployment cycling, cosmetic blackwash finish wear, Micarta patina development, sharpening, and damage from misuse are not covered.

The Kershaw Launch 22 FDE 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 Launch 22 FDE carries the Kershaw Lifetime Warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.