This article will provide a short review of the Kershaw Launch 4 from my perspective as an admirer, but not a user, of automatic knives. Unfortunately due to ludicrous, unreasonable, impractical, unjust, immoral, and vague laws I’m not willing to carry automatic knives. I could write a whole article on why restrictive knife laws in general, let alone the federal switchblade ban, are wrong and should be repealed. That, however, is not the purpose of this article. This article will give you my thoughts on this particular knife thanks to the generosity of my friend Joe, who loaned me the knife.
Three Pointy Knives: Kershaw Launch 4, Kershaw Decimus, GEC Northfield #65 Ben Hogan
Specifications
The Kershaw Launch 4 is a small out the side automatic knife. It is made by Kershaw in the United States. It has an anodized aluminum handle and CPM 154 blade. It comes with a typical Kershaw pocket clip. This particular model is all blacked out, with black anodization on the handle and a black diamond like coating on the blade. The blade is 1.9″ and the handle is 3.2″. It has a push button lock that both actuates opening and unlocks the blade for closing.
It is not a large knife
Ergonomic in the highly practical pinch grip
Disappears in a hammer grip
Build Qualities
Upon first opening this knife my mind was immediately sent to the “Noisy Cricket” from Men in Black. This thing might be small, but it’s snappy! It opens with a quite audible “THWACK” as quickly as any other automatic knife I’ve ever handled. The centering is pretty much perfect. There’s no blade play to be found. The grind and edge seem to be even. I appreciate the extra machining touches of the swedge and the chamfered edges on the handle. It has an integrated backspacer that is formed by extensions of each handle scale.
Well centered
Integrated backspacer
Not deep carry, but easy to access
Reflections
I just plain like this knife. I like the design and look of it a lot; it has an extremely classic spear point blade shape that would work well for all kinds of small cutting tasks, and it has a nice simple handle shape that (as I often say) lends itself to comfortable ergonomics. The handle and blade shapes put together vaguely remind me of a paleolithic knife, but miniaturized and (obviously) modernized. I think a button lock is a good choice on an out the side automatic, which is evident in how frequently it is used on such knives. I also like mini knives for their ease of carry and simple funness, despite definitely preferring a larger blade on my main carry and use knife. This would be a good option if you want to carry a knife in your watch pocket. Another interesting thing related to its size is that this knife is actually legal in California. As crazy as it seems, automatic knives with blades under 2″ are legal to carry in California (of all places) but not where I live. The clip doesn’t lend itself to deep carry, with a little under an inch showing above the pocket, but it does make it easy to pull out of the pocket. I can’t be sure, but I think the pocket clip for the Zero Tolerance 0560/0561 would fit and Kershaw/ZT (both under KAI) are usually willing to send out a clip.
Conclusions
If you’d like to venture into American made automatic knives the Kershaw Launch series is a great way to go. They’re well made knives with some interesting designs backed by Kershaw’s great service and warranty. The Launch 4 is a small offering, but it packs a lot of style and a whole lot of snap into the small frame. You can find it at several dealers, but Northern Knives has three of the versions at great prices: They have the ALL BLACK, GRAY / BLACK, and BLUE / BLACK versions (respectively linked) each for $79. BladeHQ also has a version with an uncoated blade and TEAL handle linked here on sale for $70.
May 30 2019 is a day to celebrate for the whole knife community! A landmark battle has been won in New York. Today Governor Andrew Cuomo repealed the gravity knife ban.
Even small and totally innocuous knives like these could bring charges of “Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree” under the Gravity Knife Ban
The gravity knife ban, in effect since the 1950s, made it illegal to posses any knife that could be opened by “gravity or centrifugal force” and locked into place. The intentional vagueness allowed this definition to be applied to nearly ANY folding knife. Thousands of people were arrested per year without having committed any act of violence or destruction, but rather only for owning/carrying/using humanity’s most basic and universal tool. Beyond that, statistics indicate that the law was applied unequally with bias against minorites. This sad fact makes the law not only unjust, but also immoral.
Under the Gravity Knife Ban this fixed blade could technically be legal to carry…
Whereas this miniscule knife could land you in jail with hefty fines… (I’m not at all suggesting either should be restricted)
It would be difficult to argue that any aspect of a knife is more important than the blade. The blade is the soul of the knife; it influences how the knife is best used, the cutting style and effectiveness of the knife, the overall aesthetic of the knife, and it can even determine the handle shape and lock style on a folding knife. Knives and knife like tools have been made for well over a million years, but the first tools most people would recognize as knives were probably made around 2,000 bce. Both stone age and early metal knife blades were usually in a dagger or leaf shape, but in the 4,000 years since man began forging metal into blades a myriad of other styles have risen to meet the innumerable cutting needs of humanity. In this article I’ll define and discuss some of the most recognizable blade shapes.
TL;DR? Check out this corresponding video from my YouTube channel!
Curved Edges
Spear Point
An extremely classic and widespread blade shape is the spear point. Spear point blade shapes can differ greatly in overall aesthetics, but they do have some specific hallmarks. The edge and spine should both curve toward the point nearer to the tip than the handle, and not continuously (like on a barong or leaf shaped blade). The curvatures of the edge and spine should be very similar, although either can be slightly more pronounced. The point should sit at or near the center line of the blade. Spear point blades can range from extremely tall or “fat” with an exaggerated curvature of the edge and spine, all the way to being extremely slender with a parallel edge and spine up until an abrupt curve to the point. I personally really enjoy the spear point for its general utility; it usually is ground to slice well but can still pierce effectively, and it offers both straight and curved edge portions. I also appreciate the relative symmetry of spear points and resulting aesthetic.
Lots of slipjoint spear points, from thin and straight to tall and bulbous
The spear point name comes from the shape of a traditional western style spear with a point protruding in line with the handle and an equal curvature of both the edge and spine (or to both edges) to the point, but that specific blade shape has become more commonly known as the dagger blade shape / grind. The dagger blade shape is more of a sub-category of spear points in which the blade is ground toward both the edge and spine (or both edges) from the centerline. Although double edged knives were ubiquitous for most of the history of humanity, they have become less common with restrictive knife laws and therefore the dagger grind has also lessened in popularity. A dagger shaped blade is more often a single edged knife with the spine side only partially ground to a false edge. Another reason for this blade shape’s falling popularity is that its grind is less well suited to the daily needs of the modern knife user, which consists more of slicing cardboard and less of fighting off attackers or wild animals. Still, the dagger blade shape is a timeless design and I find it calls back to the romanticized trappings of knights and the middle ages.
Frank B Stiletto, Cold Steel FGX Balisong, Kershaw Hinderer Decimus
Another sub-category of blade shapes that has regained popularity with the rise of Spyderco is the leaf shaped blade. I say regained because what Spyderco, and now most of the industry, calls a leaf shaped blade is very similar to the traditional barong knife and many of the lithic knives used by humans for tens of thousands of years. The leaf shaped blade differs from the spear point in that it has a continuous curve of the edge and spine, rather than a more abrupt curve toward the tip end of the blade. The leaf blade shape lends itself to many uses and is one that I have used and enjoyed quite a bit, but I don’t currently have any great examples to show.
A final sub-category of spear points is the pen blade shape. The pen blade is basically a spear point as a small secondary blade. A pen blade is always a secondary blade, and can be found on many different kinds of traditional patterns. As a secondary blade the pen blade is always smaller in size than the main blade, but they can vary in size and shape across patterns.
A group of pen blades showing a wide range of variation
Drop Point
The drop point is a blade shape with an edge that curves upward to the point at a much more pronounced angle than that at which the spine curves downward to the point. If you’ve ever heard the term “belly” used in reference to a knife edge, this pronounced curve is that characteristic. The drop point is well suited for hunting and other outdoor tasks, so many traditional American fixed blades have this blade shape. Many modern one hand opening and locking knives are drop points, although in the last few years other blade shapes including those with straight edges have gained popularity, probably because modern one hand opening and locking knives developed in large part as a more convenient replacement for carrying fixed blades. On traditional knives the drop point blade shape is most often a main blade, as on the A.G. Russell Rancher shown in the picture below, or on many of GEC’s larger trapper patterns like the #73 and #23 but it can also be a secondary blade, as on the GEC Northfield #82 stockman shown in the picture below, as well as some other traditional patterns like small jacks and whittlers.
A few drop point blades on slipjoints
A few drop points on modern folding knives (the Kershaw Thistle is a modified drop point / sheepfoot)
A couple drop point fixed blades. A modern, Steel Will Roamer R300, and a traditional, Blind Horse Knives Woodsman Pro.
Clip Point
The clip point is a widely recognized blade shape because it has become the symbol of iconic characters such as Jim Bowie, Crocodile Dundee, and Rambo. It has a curve of the edge toward the tip end of the blade, but it is characterized by a “clipped” section of the blade on the spine side from the tip toward the handle side. The curvature and length of the clipped area of the spine can vary and, along with the degree of curvature of the edge, can make for a wide range of clip point blade shapes. There are classic clip points, slender clip points, and several other variations including saber ground clip points. I like the look of clip points and have several of them. They just look plain classic to me; it’s tough to explain but they just hit me the right way. I also find them to be quite utilitarian. They offer a solid amount of belly, but still have a very useful point due to the clipped portion. However, they’re not for everyone; my fiancee HATES the look of clip points!
A variety of clip point style blades
Hawkbill / Talon / Pruner
Another very traditional blade shape that has several different names and variations is the hawkbill. The hawkbill blade shape is characterized by a concave edge with a downward pointing tip. There are many traditional knife patterns with similar blade shapes such as the pruner, karambit, and talon knives. An interesting aspect of these knives is that they often originated as agricultural tools, with the concave or downward curved edge being suited for pulling cuts commonly used in farming, gardening, etc.. However, they have come to be associated more with self defense due to their use as improvised weapons by those who didn’t have access to implements purposefully designed as weapons, such as farmers who couldn’t afford swords using sickles as weapons.
My only hawkbill blade, the Spyderco Reverse, with its superb DarkStar Gear sheath
Straight Edges
Wharncliffe
A wharncliffe has a straight edge and a spine that curves gradually down to meet the tip. Due to the more gradual curve of the spine to the edge, a wharncliffe tends to have a finer point than the proceeding two straight edged blade shapes. A wharncliffe is often a secondary blade on multi blade knives, but can also be a main blade especially on its own as a single blade. The wharncliffe is a great blade for fine work and pull cuts, and I usually prefer it as a small secondary. I like pen style two blade knives with a straight edged secondary, and a wharncliffe is probably my favorite in that role of the three listed here.
A sheepfoot has a straight edge, but the spine has a straight portion that angles downward to the tip with a rounded area connecting the two spine portions. I’m not sure I have done a great job describing that well enough that you could picture it accurately based on the description alone, but thankfully I have lots of examples to show! The sheepfoot is a well liked blade shape. It is often a secondary blade, especially on stockman patterns, but can be a main blade even on multi bladed knives. My first GEC, the knife that got me back into traditionals, was a #15 TC barlow with a single sheepfoot blade. I’ve found it to be extremely practical, despite its lack of a fine point and lack of a curved edge. I also think it looks great when manufactured with the right proportions. The sheepfoot can also another great option of a straight edged secondary blade, like on the GEC #35 Churchill or the GEC #98 Texas Camp Knife.
A coping blade is very similar to a sheepfoot, but with the connection of the two spine areas that come together having a sharp angle rather than being rounded. Coping blades are almost always secondary blades. Coping blades are often found on whittler and congress patterns. Although they can work well for small fine cuts in whittling and other similar tasks, I have often found that the angled spine of a coping blade can decrease the ergonomic comfortability of a knife, especially on a heavy user. Unfortunately, I don’t currently have a coping blade to take a close up picture but the Queen Railsplitter below has a secondary blade that is on the coping side of a sheepfoot.
Queen Railsplitter with Coping secondary blade
Tanto
The tanto blade shape is essentially the same shape as a coping blade, but with the spine and edge sides switched. A tanto has a long straight edge, sometimes with a slight continuous curve, starting from the handle that meets at an angle with another shorter edge that is angled upward and connects with the spine to form the tip. The tanto blade shape originated in Japan and was slightly different than it is commonly made now, with a less hard angle at the intersection of the two edges and an upward curved spine. The now more well known “Americanized tanto” usually has a straight or downward curved spine and a very hard angle at the intersection of the two edges. A tanto often has a hollow grind on the long edge and a flat grind on the shorter edge, for increased strength at the tip, but this is not universal. I like the tanto blade as a utility knife. It excels at opening boxes, using the angled intersection of the edges, and push cuts like those done while breaking down cardboard.
Cold Steel Micro Recon 1, Kershaw Cathode, Outdoor Edge Chasm 2.5, with varying degrees of “Americanized” tanto blade shapes
Americanized Tanto Fixed Blade, Cold Steel Kobun
Traditional Tanto, DCL Knives Kwaiken
Outliers
There are many traditional blade shapes not discussed in full above, and an endless continuum of variations between and upon the traditional blade shapes. Modern knife makers have also designed many modified versions of traditional blade shapes. A. G. Russell has contributed a great deal to the knife community over the years, and they offer an incredible resource in their Blade Shapes Encyclopedia. Although I don’t use the exact same terminology or definitions as them across the board, their site has a huge amount of helpful information.
Several blade shapes that span more than one traditional pattern or are modified from a traditional pattern
Blade shapes are designated by specific traits and how they relate to each other: edge shape, spine shape, tip height, and sometimes spine and edge angles. However, many of these traits and their relations to discrete blade shapes work more subjectively and on sliding scales, rather than as clear cut absolutes. Some of the most common curved edge blade shapes are the spear point, drop point, and clip point. Some of the most common straight edged blade shapes are the wharncliffe, sheepfoot, and coping blades. Still, sometimes a blade won’t fit these general categories and you’ll have to just look at the knife and categorize it based on its overall design and aesthetic. Yet again, another aspect of the knife hobby comes down to “you know it when you see it”!
Purely by coincidence, this article is being released on the heels of a social media firestorm surrounding Benchmade. Earlier this week, I believe on Wednesday 2/20/19, Benchmade came under heavy scrutiny by the 2a / second amendment online community for its involvement in the destruction of guns for the Oregon City Police Department. Apparently some amount of firearms that were confiscated by and / or given to the department and slated for court ordered destruction were destroyed by Benchmade due to their having “specialty equipment”, through a partnership with the department. I mention this not to involve politics or my own beliefs regarding firearms and knives and their direct relation to the second amendment, but rather the opposite; I want to acknowledge the currently hot topic and assure my readers that this review was written before the issue arose and was in no way affected by it.
The Benchmade 940 in all its green glory
So, what is there to say about the Benchmade 940? It’s one of the most recommended and highly regarded every day carry knives on the market. It’s been one of Benchmade’s top sellers for almost twenty years since its release in 2000. You can find countless videos and articles recommending the 940 with nary a mention of any negative attributes. A knife with such a glowing reputation must really be one of the best, right?
It’s a slender knife as is well represented here
In a word; yes. But that’s not why you’re here. You’re here spending your time reading an article about a knife because you want to know the details. Well here… we… GO:
The Benchmade 940 was designed by Warren Osborne and has several of the features that since have become his signature. It features what Benchmade calls a reverse tanto blade shape, which is basically a drop point with a swedge that has an angle at about 45 degrees going from the spine to the edge. (Benchmade also makes a version of this knife with a clip point blade shape, which you can find on Amazon at this link) The steel is s30v, which was one of the first “super steels” and, although it has fallen out of vogue in the high end knife community, remains a great all around stainless steel that isn’t too difficult to sharpen, holds a working edge well, and is pretty corrosion resistant. The reverse tanto blade shape allows the 940 to retain most of the stock thickness most of the way to the tip, and therefore have more strength than a fully flat ground (or distal tapered) blade. It also makes the tip sit well within the frame of the handle, which is something I really like but isn’t mentioned often. This means that the knife can be sharpened many many times before the tip raises above the handle, requiring a blade replacement. The blade is thinly ground enough to work for most typical utility and edc cutting tasks but thick enough to handle some tougher tasks. It might not slice cardboard as effortlessly as a tall full flat ground Spyderco blade, but I’m also more comfortable cutting zip ties and other things that take more force with the 940 than with a thinner blade.
Lots of edge fit into a small frame
Speaking of the tallness (or lack thereof) of the 940’s blade, it is very slender from edge to spine. That lends itself well to the overall small package that the 940 presents in comparison to the edge and blade length of 3.375″. That’s a solid amount of usable edge fit into a (likewise very slender) 4.75″ handle with 3.5″ of usable grip length. Although that amount of grip space would be crowded if the handle turned up at the butt, because it has a down turn at the end of the handle it actually provides an ample hold. This handle is another example of how a simple design often offers better ergonomics than a more complicated attempt to fit the hand. The handle on the standard 940 is made of aluminum that has been anodized green with a purple backspacer. I personally like the feel of anodized aluminum and the look of the green and purple together but, again, aluminum is a material that has lost the favor of the knife community. For this reason Benchmade later came out with the 940-2 with a black g10 handle with green standoffs, which you can find on Amazon at this link. As an upgrade to both the handle and blade materials, Benchmade also released the 940-1 with a solid carbon fiber handle and s90v steel blade, which makes the knife lighter and (depending on your taste) fancier looking with better edge holding at a more premium price. (You can find the 940-1 on Amazon by following this link)
About a 3.75 finger grip
Green handles with purple backspacer
All of the versions of the 940 have partial steel liners, which are a requirement for any knife with Benchmade’s Axis lock. The Axis lock is an evolved version of the “bolt action” lock, and works by having an “Omega spring” (a sort of constant force spring made of round wire rather than flat steel) push a bar that is suspended by studs on either side of the handle behind the blade tang and therefore wedge it open. The Axis lock is unlocked by pulling both or either of the studs back. It as an easy to use and fully ambidextrous lock, and is one of the big attractions of Benchmade knives. It makes the knives very easy to open and close by simply pulling the lock back, making for a fairly fun fidget factor. Although I think it’s a quite rare issue, Omega springs have been known to fail and break making the lock unreliable. I don’t think this happens often enough to be an issue, and Benchmade will definitely fix it if it does happen to your knife, but I do think it makes it slightly less durable in the very long run than well made examples of other locks (back lock, liner lock, etc.).
Nested partial liners don’t add strength on an aluminum handled knife, but are necessary for the Axis lock
The 940 comes with a classic Benchmade clip, but I highly recommend calling or emailing Benchmade and requesting a deep carry clip as is pictured on my knife. I find that it carries deeper in the pocket and doesn’t significantly affect the ergonomics in use. Benchmade is normally happy to send a free clip upon request.
The deep carry clip reduces the visible handle above the pocket to almost nill
Speaking of Benchmade’s service, it’s one of the great values of this knife. Benchmade offers lifetime sharpening (which they call LifeSharp), cheap blade replacement, a general spa service, and a normally pretty reasonable turn around time. That can’t be said for all knife companies, and it’s something that can weigh heavily in favor of Benchmade if you’re looking for a knife to last you a lifetime. However, I do think it also factors into the price of the knife, so don’t be afraid to use that LifeSharp service!
Over the last few years Benchmade has come under some criticism for a lack of quality control, specifically with uneven grinds and off centered blades. Although my 940 is slightly off center it doesn’t touch the liner and hasn’t worsened since I adjusted the pivot. The grind seems even enough to my eye. I haven’t had any issues with lockup or action on any recent Benchmades. My 940 has no blade play in any directions and opens and closes smoothly with one hand.
Only ever so slightly off center
To come to the point where I might add something new to the 940 conversation, I think this knife’s slenderness is both its best and worst attribute. Its slim handle and blade make the 940 a breeze to carry and allow it to offer a really solid amount of cutting power in a small package. I think this ease of carry combined with the convenience of the Axis lock and security of Benchmade’s warranty are what have made the 940 such a star in the EDC knife world. However, such slenderness also has its downfalls. Because the blade rises so slightly out of the handle the thumb studs are close enough to the handle that it can sometimes be a tad difficult or awkward to open the knife quickly. Also, because the blade is short from edge to spine it does offer less belly and a thicker edge in comparison to some other models. Still, I think these are minor complaints that are far overshadowed by the positive attributes of the 940. You can get the Benchmade 940 for about $180 at this Amazon link. Although relatively pricey for the materials used, like all Benchmade knives it is made in the United States and backed by their highly trusted warranty. If you’re looking for a knife that you can put it your pocket and not notice until you need it, that you can rely on for almost any cutting task you’d run into in your daily life, and that can last you a lifetime the Benchmade 940 is a solid time tested and proven option.
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Pretty similar in size to the Spyderco Native 5, but with more cutting edge
Rough Rider is a brand of knives owned and produced by Smokey Mountain Knife Works, but sold through many dealers both online and at brick and mortar stores. Recently SMKW announced that they would be changing the name back to Rough Ryder knives. Apparently this was the originally trademark, and they’ve decided to switch back to that spelling. Either way, the knife discussed in this article was produced under the “Rough Rider” spelling, so I’ll be using that terminology. Rough Rider is a brand that offers a wide variety of knives and knife related paraphernalia. Although most of their knives fall under the traditional umbrella with classic designs and materials, they also make modern folders and occasional novelty style knives. This knife falls squarely within those latter two categories: it is in no way traditional, and it flaunts the obscure theme of a pastel color palette.
I bought this knife for just that reason; it slaps you right in the face with its weirdness and bold refusal to look like the typical modern knife. It has all the normal features of a low price budget modern knife: spring assisted flipper opening (but still manual, don’t let anyone hassle you into believing this is a “switchblade” or automatic knife), liner lock, steel handles, pocket clip, and stainless steel blade. But instead of sticking with the status quo when it comes to finish and color it leaves behind the typical black plastic/g10 handles, black or silver clip, and plain satin or black coated blade and instead goes with a dazzling combination of a neon pink handle, sky blue blade, and canary yellow clip. You wouldn’t be wrong to call it garish, and that’s exactly what I like about this knife. The coatings seem relatively durable. They’re certainly not cerakote or diamond like coating levels of toughness, and I’m sure if you used this knife hard the coatings would scuff and scratch, but they seem to be about on the level of the blade coating on an Ontario Rat or Cold Steel Micro Recon.
Surprisingly good ergonomics, with a design that lock in your thumb and forefinger for a pinch grip
As for the practical design of this knife, I am pleasantly surprised. The blade is an amalgamation of a drop point, spear point, and leaf shape and seems to work pretty well for general use. It came sharpened evenly but with a burr, so it just needed a one over on a stone and light stropping. The blade is just under 3″ with usable edge right around 2.5″. The handle proved to be well designed. As you can see above the finger scallop and thumb ramp combine for a secure and comfortable pinch grip, and other grips are also comfortable due to the simple handle. If you’ve watched my videos you know I appreciate the ergonomics afforded by a simple handle shape and, although this isn’t a particularly large handle at about 3.375″ overall with 3.25″ of usable grip area, this knife is a good example of how even a small handle can be comfortable with a simple design.
Blade off center to the non clip side, but not rubbing liner
The construction of this knife has to be viewed within the price range it occupies. It came with a significantly off center blade with some play in the closed position, but it doesn’t touch the liner and has no blade play in the open position. The action is fine with consistently solid opening, if not as snappy as the average higher end assisted knife. The detent isn’t super crisp and has a little slop in the closed position, but seems to hold the blade safely within the handle frame. It is only set up for tip down carry, which for me isn’t a deal breaker but I know some have strong preferences in this area. Overall I would consider this slightly less well constructed than the average Chinese made Kershaw or Byrd knife, but still a more than usable knife especially for the price. Remember though that I’m making my conclusions from a sample size of one, so you might get one that’s better or worse than mine.
