Kershaw Launch 18 Auto – 2.79″ Damascus Steel Spear Point Blade, Gray Anodized Aluminum Handle USA Made – 7551DAM

The Kershaw Launch 18 7551DAM is a USA-made side-button automatic folder with a 2.79-inch Damascus spear point blade on a gray anodized aluminum handle — the compact Damascus automatic on the Launch 18 platform, delivering pattern-per-blade Damascus in a sub-3-inch footprint sized for professional, dress, and discrete carry contexts where a full-size automatic is not the right tool.

The Launch series represents Kershaw’s highest-tier USA-made automatic folder production — side-button deployment, KVT ball-bearing pivot, liner lock retention. The Launch 18 7551DAM 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 7551DAM you receive is the only one with that exact pattern in existence. At 2.79 inches, the Launch 18 7551DAM is the compact Damascus automatic that bridges the ultra-compact Launch 9 7250DAM (2-inch drop point Damascus) and the full-size Launch Damascus variants (3.3–3.5 inches), offering the most everyday-capable compact Damascus automatic in the Launch lineup. The spear point geometry delivers a symmetrical centered tip — balanced for everyday utility tasks from its 2.79-inch blade in a compact carry format. The gray anodized aluminum handle carries the same neutral professional aesthetic as the CPM-154 7551 — no tactical color signal, no bold statement, just a clean neutral gray that reads as precise and professional in any carry context. The contrast between that neutral gray handle and the warm caramel and dark brown tones of acid-etched Damascus creates a specific visual pairing: the warmer Damascus pattern reads as the visual accent against the cool-neutral gray surround. Damascus requires active moisture management regardless of blade length — wipe dry after moisture exposure and oil regularly. All assembled in Tualatin, Oregon on Kershaw’s USA production floor.

• Blade: Damascus steel, spear point profile — layered forge-welded construction with a pattern unique to each blade; compact 2.79-inch format in the most everyday-versatile Damascus geometry; the warm etched pattern reads as a deliberate accent against the cool neutral gray handle; requires active moisture management
• Handle: Gray anodized aluminum — the same neutral professional carry aesthetic as the CPM-154 7551 variant; cool-neutral gray creates a warm-accent contrast with the Damascus etch tones
• 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 Damascus automatic, USA made (confirm clip configuration)

Buyers who want Damascus steel in a compact everyday automatic — the 7551DAM is the most everyday-capable compact Damascus automatic in the Launch lineup, sized between the ultra-compact 2-inch Launch 9 7250DAM and the full-size Damascus variants. Professional, business, and dress carry buyers who want Damascus’s pattern-per-blade uniqueness in a compact blade length and neutral gray handle that carries without drawing attention. Collectors completing the compact Launch Damascus family who want the 7551DAM alongside the 7250DAM (Launch 9, 2-inch) as the two-knife compact Damascus automatic set, and alongside the full-size Launch Damascus family.

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

Specifications