Instant single handed deployment (snappy and firm lock out) combined with rugged, not scared to use it good looks...scary sharp from Kershaw factory. I like the contemporary lines and design emphasis Team Kershaw produced with this auto-folder. In short...attractive and subtle utility blade that opens fast and assertively. Born in the USA, great edc and utility/pricepoint. Will buy another as a backup! Win/win knife imho.
This is the second one I’ve ordered. It’s a quality knife and good value. You can pay twice the price for a Benchmade but this one will work just as well. Good customer service.
Why is there confusion about the lock? It does lock (very solidly ). Its a push button or " plunge" lock. The same button that opens the blade is depressed again to close it. Zero blade play. Sharp as anyone could need from the factory. Fairly thin and light overall. And i dare you to find an auto this well made for under 100$ especially with a 154cm steel blade. Overall its better than most of my 150-200$ autos. Dont hesitate on this one.
I was really excited when I saw that Kershaw was making autos again, I missed out on the breakout when they were still being made. I ordered the knife on Friday and received it on Monday, super happy with the quick processing and shipping from Knifecenter. The knife is built extremely well, especially for $96. The aluminum handle is well crafted and anodized perfectly, although it has a few sharp edges on the back of the handle. It is completely solid on lockup with absolutely no play in the blade. Easy to use and operate one-handed, and it isn't too bad to use with your left hand. I am very happy with the knife and it is now my newest edc.
My first premium knife! Forgot to write this review years ago!
So I purchased this knife around 3 years ago, and carried it almost daily as a security guard for a couple of those years. I will say, I did have some apprehension abut carrying it in my main side pockets due to fear of it opening. However, I wore pants with pockets further down on the legs and that's where I carried it, and it never popped open or anything. Knife was and still is very sharp, and I've never had any issues with it. Great knife and a great first "premium" knife to start my collection. Regardless of price, this will always be a good buy!
I'm new to the knife community and had purchased a few knifes. By any means this knife is awesome. I enjoy carrying it and being able to deploy the blade as fast as it does. Solid construction. I only wish I knew about it sooner.
დიდებული დანაა, არაჩვეულებრივი დიზაინი, ხაზები ტარსა და პირზე საოცრად ჰარმონიულად გადადის ერთიანობაში. პირის ფოლადი კარგია. დანა კარგად არის გალესილი ქარხნულად. ნორმალურად უჭირავს ფხა. თხელია და მსუბუქი, ქალაქში სატარებლად მაგარია. პირი ბრტყელია და ფართო. "კლიპსა" ნორმალური, მოხერხებული და ზომიერად რბილი. საერთოდ დიდებული დანაა. გირჩევთ!!! Great knife, unusual design , the lines in Tarsus and the person goes into a surprisingly harmonious unity . The steel is good . Knife is sharp factory . Normally occupies affected . Thin and light , it's cool to carry around the city . Person is flat and wide . " Clips " normal , comfortable and moderately soft . Generally a great knife. Recommended !!!
I bought the Kershaw Launch 1 this past week. I'm always amazed at how fast my orders are filled and delivered by Knifecenter.com. I am an avid knife enthusiast and collecter since my early teens and this knife is not my first automatic but it is by far the one that I like the most from the sharpness of the blade right out of the box to how well it feels in my hand. Great balance, no blade wobble, lightweight, hit the button and get a crisp automatic open, and ease of closing. It's a great knife. I would not hesitate in taking this knife into any type of situation I might encounter other than the normal use I will subject it to. Another great knife from Knifecenter and Kershaw. And this one is made in America!
This knife is awesome. I use it as an EDC blade. It is light, attractive, and it compares favorably to knives nearly twice its price. The blade is very sharp as shipped and deploys with confidence. My only gripes for the knife are that 1) it lacks texturing of any kind so it could get quite slippery and 2) I'm not a fan of the pocket clip design. It is perfectly functional but doesn't look good on the knife. Neither of these detract from the launch 1 enough for me not to love the knife. I also want to say that knife center was very helpful and super fast about getting my order processed. Another satisfied customer.
When I first tried to open knife it was slow and only opened half way. After a few tries it opens perfect. Word of advice ket a good hold on knife when opening it will fly out of your hand. I love this knife carry it everyday.
This is my first automatic knife. I must say for the price, Kershaw has out done themselves. There isn't anything not to like about this knife. It has a lighting fast opening, the blade locks with NO blade play, and the blade quality is fantastic! This will be my EDC for a very long time. The only thing I wish they would have added was a textured inlay into the handle, similar to the Blur. This is only because it opens with such speed and snap. I could see it being a bit slippery when wet. I've been to excited to test that theory!
I love this knife all aspects .dont want to on about the pro's cause its awesmoe.first lets talk about "slippery handle?" kershaw made this nive as a slicer and cutter.not a stabber.proof is in the blade profile.if you want a stabving blade get a clippoint or dagger grind.if you need this to be a"tactical"'blade you can go to dicks wer they sell skateboards and buy griptape.this easy setup make this knife glue into youre hands.and it is removable.just make sure you clean area with windex for proper stick.cheap verry efective.you can also do any designe on handle.unless you are military or police uou are not going to use it to stab.
Great looking folder from the aesthetic point. The deployment is authoritative and the fit and finish is well executed. The blade size and shape makes the knife to be an excellent slicer. I like how the clip can be positioned left or right tip up only option. Those are the positives. Having said all that, this folder should not to be confused as a serious tactical knife despite the militaristic marketing ploy being an auto and complete with the reverse U.S. flag representation. This is due to the smoothness of the aluminum handle. There is no grippy traction or even a jimping anywhere on this knife or even a decent finger guard, all are necessary for a tactical defensive folder. I have other folders more suitable as a defensive or tactical use like the Blackhawk Be-Wharned or the Spyderco Paramilitry 2. Neither of the two is the assisted type yet deploys just as fast and even easier to close one handed compared to the Launch 1 or any of the Launch series of knives for that matter. I also wish the clip can be carried deeper like the way Spyderco does their wire clip design. It's nice looking knife and will see some limited use in the rotation. Decent edc folder. It is sharp right of the box.
Great knife but could be perfect with just a few changes
I love the blade no room for improvement there. It is extremely sharp and beautiful. But the handle could be improved. First thing is that the grip is quite slippery and I would be concerned if used tactically with gloves. Second be careful with the paint on the handle chips easily you cannot have anything else in your pocket like keys or money clip. The first day I had it clipped in my pocket the paint got chipped up bad by my keys. I am very disappointed it now looks like I have EDC for years. I wish they sold touch up paint for it. The best thing about this knife is made in the USA! I not support buying anything from countries that do not like us. I have not bought other Kershaw knives because they were made in China. I am so happy they're making some of their knives here. Overall this is a great auto knife. With just a couple changes to the handle it would be perfect. Even with the issues I listed I would still buy this knife again and recommend that others buy it. This is a great deal at this price and I have paid a lot more with less quality in other automatic knives.
Pros: Ease of Opening, Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Blade Sharpness
Cons: Handle Feel, Handle Material
Good but short of great.
Nice weight and construction. Angle of handle to blade is perfect if you are going to have to use it hard as it gives you several degrees of leverage. Finish is good, deployment is crisp and the lock up has no play. Zero. Sharp as a razor out of the box. As a former soldier, what it lacks is handle checkering or materials to keep it from slipping in your hand, though the handle design and the angle makes it slip out our your hand in the direction that keeps you hand off the blade. Put a great handle on it and it's a classic. As is, it's a fair weather blade, and harder to hold than a Spyderco Tenacious, which is half the price.
The button mechanism of this knife is so gritty that it will fly out of your hand because you have to press so hard on the button- and the sides are so slick you can't grip it properly to open it with 1 hand. The button moves in about 1/2 way and then grinds to a halt - it's 50/50 whether it will open with a few more lbs of pressure... I spent a couple of hours trying to "work it in" with no luck. The spring is too strong and the lack of grip so complete that when it does spring open with like 10 lbs of force on the button it will literally spin out of your now bloody clutch.
This knife has a serious design flaw and is a danger if carried as it is designed. First off I own 2 of the auto folders. The 7200(launch 2) and the 7100bw(launch 1). I purchased the launch 1 because i loved my launch 2 so much which i still carry. Problem is the launch 1 WILL come open in your pocket and possibly cut the crap out of you. I carried it for about 2 weeks casually and while remodeling a bathroom. It didnt seem to matter what i was doing. The launch 1 repeatedly came open in my pocket. Destroyed a pair of my nice pants and cut my thumb. Luckily only bad enough to require a Band-Aid. I talked to Kershaw on the phone they couldn't make any recommendations that I hadn't already tried. The thing is though.... Is that I have been carrying the launch 2 for almost a year and it has never not even one time come open in my pocket regardless of what I was doing. And that includes working 24 hour shifts on a 911 Response Ambulance to crawling around under my pier and beam house Plumbing a bathroom remodel. The button is much more protected on the launch 2 vs the launch 1. Do not buy this knife. I can definitely recommend the launch 2. I tell you what would be nice, is that if they had a lock.
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Automatic Knife Ordering Agreement
IN COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL STATUTES, KnifeCenter, Inc requests that you read carefully the requirements set forth below, and agree to this prior to your purchase or receipt of any automatic opening knife from our company.
Federal law prohibits shipment of automatic knives across state lines, with the following exceptions:
to civilian or Armed Forces supply or procurement officers and employees of the Federal Government ordering, procuring, or purchasing such knives in connection with the activities of the Federal Government;
an active Armed Forces member or employee acting in the performance of his or her duty;
to supply or procurement officers of the National Guard, the Air National Guard, or militia of a State, Territory or the District of Columbia ordering, procuring, or purchasing such knives in the connection with the activities of such organization;
to supply or procurement officers or employees of the municipal government of the District of Columbia or the government of an State or Territory, or any county, city or other political subdivision of a State or Territory;
to manufacturers of such knives or bona fide dealers therein in connection with any shipment made pursuant of an order from any person designated in paragraphs 1, 2, 3 and 4.
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(local, state, federal and international) in regard to the possession or purchase of any item from KnifeCenter, Inc. You further hereby represent and certify that your purchase or ownership of automatic
opening knives from KnifeCenter, Inc meets one or more of the criteria set forth above and agree to use these knives in connection of duties as described above in sections 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
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