Kershaw Launch 17 Auto – 3.5″ Damascus Clip Point Blade, Gray Aluminum & Black G-10 Inlays Handle USA Made – 7951DAM

The Kershaw Launch 17 7951DAM is a USA-made side-button automatic folder with a 3.5-inch Damascus clip point blade on a gray anodized aluminum handle with black G-10 inlays — the Damascus variant of the Launch 17 family and the only full-size Damascus clip point automatic in the Launch lineup, pairing pattern-per-blade Damascus with the refined acute-tip clip point geometry on a two-material handle that balances visual neutrality with grip texture.

The Launch series represents Kershaw’s highest-tier USA-made automatic folder production — KVT ball-bearing pivot, side-button deployment, liner lock retention. The Launch 17 7951DAM runs Damascus steel — forge-welded layered alloys manipulated through twisting, folding, or patterning before grinding to final geometry and acid-etched to reveal the contrasting layer pattern. No two Damascus blades carry an identical pattern: the 7951DAM you receive is the only one with that exact pattern in existence. The clip point geometry is the defining blade profile of the Launch 17 series — the spine runs straight from the handle then curves concavely downward to a fine, acute, lowered tip, historically associated with Bowie and jackknife traditions, excelling at precision entry and detail push cuts while maintaining a long useful cutting belly. At 3.5 inches, the 7951DAM is the longest Damascus clip point automatic in the Launch lineup — the full-size clip point in the most visually premium blade material. The gray anodized aluminum handle with black G-10 inlays creates a two-material handle that sits between the all-black CPM MagnaCut 7951BLK and the OD green CPM S35VN 7951OLBLK in carry signal. Gray aluminum reads as neutral and precise; the black G-10 inlays add dark tactile grip panels against the lighter gray frame — a color-contrasted two-tone handle where the grip elements are the darker element and the frame is the lighter. The warm caramel and dark-brown acid-etched Damascus tones read as a warm visual accent against the cool neutral gray aluminum. Damascus requires active moisture maintenance. All assembled in Tualatin, Oregon on Kershaw’s USA production floor.

• Blade: Damascus steel, clip point profile — layered forge-welded construction with a pattern unique to each blade; the only full-size Damascus clip point automatic in the Launch lineup; 3.5 inches for the longest clip point in the family; warm acid-etched pattern as visual accent against the gray handle; requires active moisture management
• Handle: Gray anodized aluminum with black G-10 inlays — two-material handle; gray neutral frame with dark G-10 grip panels; warm Damascus etch tones read as accent against the cool neutral gray
• Deployment: Side-button automatic — press the button on the spine; KVT ball-bearing pivot delivers fast, smooth, one-hand deployment; liner lock retention
• Carry: Longest Damascus clip point in the Launch lineup at 3.5 inches, USA made (confirm clip configuration)

Collectors and carry enthusiasts who want Damascus steel in the full-size 3.5-inch clip point geometry — the 7951DAM is the only Damascus clip point automatic at this blade length in the Launch lineup, and the gray/black G-10 two-material handle distinguishes it visually from both the all-black 7951BLK and the OD green 7951OLBLK. Buyers who appreciate Damascus’s per-blade-unique visual uniqueness in the refined clip point geometry at the longest blade length in the Launch 17 family. Collectors completing the full Launch 17 trio who want the 7951DAM Damascus alongside the 7951BLK CPM MagnaCut and 7951OLBLK CPM S35VN.

Damascus clip point, gray aluminum with black G-10 inlays, USA-made side-button automatic, and Kershaw Lifetime Warranty — the Kershaw Launch 17 7951DAM is the only full-size Damascus clip point automatic in the Launch lineup.

Specifications