Kershaw Launch 18 Auto – 2.79″ CPM-154 Stonewashed Spear Point Blade, Gray Anodized Aluminum Handle USA Made – 7551

The Kershaw Launch 18 7551 is a USA-made side-button automatic folder with a 2.79-inch CPM-154 stonewash spear point blade on a gray anodized aluminum handle — a compact sub-3-inch automatic that bridges the ultra-compact 1.9-inch Launch 4 and the full-size 3.45-inch Launch variants, delivering CPM-154’s powder metallurgy stainless performance in a profile sized for carry situations where a standard automatic draws unwanted attention or creates unwanted bulk.

The Launch series represents Kershaw’s highest-tier USA-made automatic folder production — side-button deployment, KVT ball-bearing pivot, liner lock retention, and blade steel positioned precisely in the performance hierarchy. The Launch 18 7551 runs CPM-154, Crucible’s powder metallurgy version of 154CM — more uniform carbide distribution, better edge retention, improved toughness, and excellent corrosion resistance, in a 2.79-inch blade that delivers meaningful everyday cutting capability in a genuinely compact footprint. At 2.79 inches, the Launch 18 occupies a specific and practical position in the automatic knife market. It is large enough to handle a full range of everyday cutting tasks — food prep, packaging, cord, everyday light work — with more blade length than the Launch 4’s 1.9 inches. It is compact enough to carry in dress or professional contexts, alongside a phone in a front pocket, or in environments where a 3.5-inch automatic creates unwanted profile. The stonewash finish leaves CPM-154 in natural textured form — matte, low-reflectance, diffusing light and developing a working patina with carry. The gray anodized aluminum handle is the most carry-neutral colored anodize in the production automatic market: not the tactical signal of OD green, not the warm field identity of FDE, not the visual boldness of blue — gray reads as precise, professional, and context-free. Both the matte stonewash blade and the gray anodized handle share a low-reflectance, understated material register that makes the 7551 the most discreet and carry-neutral configuration in the compact Launch lineup. All assembled in Tualatin, Oregon on Kershaw’s USA production floor.

• Blade: CPM-154 stainless steel, spear point profile, stonewash finish — powder metallurgy stainless with excellent edge retention and corrosion resistance in a 2.79-inch compact format; matte stonewash pairs with gray anodize for a unified low-reflectance carry profile
• Handle: Gray anodized aluminum — the most carry-neutral anodized color in the Launch lineup; reads as professional and context-free in every carry environment; pairs with the matte stonewash blade for a cohesive understated carry piece
• Deployment: Side-button automatic — press the button on the spine; KVT ball-bearing pivot delivers fast, smooth, one-hand deployment; liner lock retention
• Carry: Sub-3-inch compact automatic, USA made (confirm clip configuration)

Buyers who want a compact USA-made automatic in the 2.79-inch range — larger and more capable than the Launch 4’s 1.9-inch ultra-compact format, smaller and more discrete than the full-size 3.45-inch Launch variants. Professional, business, and dress carry buyers who want automatic deployment in a blade length and profile that doesn’t draw attention in formal or professional settings. Gray EDC carry buyers who want a precision-carry automatic in a neutral, professional-tone handle rather than a tactical or colored anodize. Buyers completing the compact Launch family who want the 7551 gray alongside the 7500RAW (Launch 4, 1.9″) as the two compact automatic options in the Launch lineup.

CPM-154, stonewash spear point, gray anodized aluminum, USA-made side-button automatic, and Kershaw Lifetime Warranty — the Kershaw Launch 18 7551 is the compact professional-carry automatic in the Launch lineup.

Specifications