Launch 13

I just got my hands on Kershaw’s Launch 13.  It’s a very icey knife.  But then, I’ve always liked Kershaw knives.

Kershaw Launch 13

Pete Kershaw started the company in 1979 when he left Gerber Blades.  At the time, Ichiro Hattori made most of Kershaw’s knives in Japan.  Constantly evolving, Kershaw has introduced many innovative knives designed by people like Ken Onion, Ernest Emerson, Frank Centofante, and Rick Hinderer, to name a few.

The internet claims Kershaw makes over a million knives a year.  Impressive.

Pete retired from Kershaw on June 1, 1998, and by that time, Kershaw was connected with KAI and is now wholly owned by the KAI Group. 

I really like the blade and dark green handle.  CMP 154 is a nice knife steel.

The Launch series was introduced in the 2015 catalog with the Launch 1, 2, and 3 knives.  It was a bold move.  It was at a time when many states still had restrictions on automatic knives.  More of these interesting automatic knives were released over the years, constantly exciting knife fanciers.  In 2019, the Launch 13 Auto was released.

Here are some Launch 13 stats:

The blade is made from CPM 154 powdered metal and hardened to HRc of 58-60.  This is hard enough to retain an edge and not be brittle. The blade is a little over 0.1 inches thick and has a tapered false edge, giving the blade a jazzy look.

If a knife doesn't feel good in your hand, it's the wrong knife for you.  This one feels great!

Crucible 154CM is a martensitic stainless steel similar to type 440C but fortified with molybdenum.  Like many knife steels, it was initially developed for challenging industrial applications.  Those properties made it a desirable material for knife makers.  

The blade is a high saber grind Wharncliffe mounted in a strikingly attractive sculpted aluminum handle.  The low-profile button helps prevent accidental opening, and the deep carry pocket clip is reversible. 

The knife arrived set up for right-hand and tip-up carry, which is perfect, as I carry folding blades against the back edge of my pant's right pocket.

The knife weighs in at 2.4 oz.  Surprisingly, the balance point puts the weight chiefly on the handle.  I like this as it makes the blade feel lively.

The clip can be reversed for left or right pocket carry

This one is a special edition in a dark olive green that I find attractive.  The Launch 13 has been out for a while, but this is the first dark green one I’ve seen.

SMOCK!

 

“Hey, you got my knife!”

That's different from what I hear very often at my sales table.  Often, I hear, "You got the knife I’m looking for!’ or the slightly different version, ‘You got the knife I lost!’  Neither of these states assures you of a sale.

“You’re Mr. Smock?” I ask.  He was pointing at Spyderco’s Smock in carbon fiber.

You must understand I grew up with Steve Allen's late-night TV show, Tonight.   Allan launched the careers of people like Don Knotts, Lewis Nye, Bill Dana, and many more.  But it was his catch phrase that always fascinated me:  'Smock, Smock."

So, when Mr. Smock walked up to my table and introduced himself, I was, without a doubt, at a loss for words and very confused.

Kevin Smock 
He's holding a flier for the WRCA Knife show in April 6 and 7th at MAPS

                                                           near the Akron-Canton Airport

“Yes, I am, and you," he said, pointing at the Smock on my table, "have the new pivot.  I didn’t like the old one.”  It turns out he is Kevin Smock, the designer of Spyderco’s Smock.  The previous one was a simple screw head inset in the carbon fiber handle.  The new one is a polished metal head with an aerospace look. 

I like the look, that button release is totally icey

I've met other famous knife designers, but usually at the SHOT Show or Blade.  But never at the Medina Community Center until today. 

Kevin started as a knife modifier.  He would take other factory knives and modify them, creating unique, one-of-a-kind knives.  This is a bigger knife hobby than you might think.  Facebook is filled with postings of 'patina-ized’ blades, replaced grips, and altered grinds.  I met a fellow who shortened the blades and sometimes the grip of factory knives.  Finally, Kevin’s friends told him, ‘Look, you got the skill and the knowledge; you should be making your own knives.'

That did it.  Kevin wanted to use Spyderco's top compression lock, so he approached them and got permission.  The result is the SK23.

 

Notice the flipper, it's very easy to use and doesn't distract from the streamline profile.  

Later, Kevin showed Eric Glesser his creation and Eric was impressed.  He gave Kevin his card and told him we should talk.  The rest is history.

You can look up Spyderco’s Smock for yourself.  It’s a very cool knife.  The flipper is uniquely positioned and utilizes a button to disengage the compression lock.  The button lets you close the knife without your fingers coming near the closing blade.  That’s a nice touch.

If you don’t think this is significant, you’re wrong.  I constantly deal with people who want a knife, in some cases need a knife, but worry about cutting themselves while closing the knife.  A lot of effort and time goes into finding a knife they feel comfortable with.  This apprehension is especially common with frame and liner locks.

The Smock weighs in at 3.7 oz, and the blade, incompletely described as a modified Wharncliffe, is ground from CPMS30V steel. 

Kevin still makes his SK23 but also makes custom scales for the Spyderco Smock.  You can check out these and other items at https://www.smockknives.com/

Meeting him made my day.  Here's an entrepreneur creating industry and generating profits.  There's a lot to be said for that.

Two to Show

As luck would have it, I had a chance to pick up two new knives. 

The first is the OSS Dagger by WE K’nife.  I've always been interested in the small ‘James Bond secret agent’ knives.   I have heard about a replicate kit of special knives made for the OSS, but I have never seen one.  Perhaps it is just urban legend.  In any case, a small concealable dagger would be part of that kit.

Whenever I think of the OSS, I remember "You're Stepping on My Cloak and Dagger" by Roger Hall

The WE OSS dagger is a tribute to those days.  The knife is made from CPM 20CV steel.  CPM20CV is considered one of the super steels with amazing edge retention.  The formula is 1.9% carbon, 20% chromium, 4% vanadium, 1% molybdenum, and 0.6% tungsten.  But this only tells part of the story.  Heat treatment and edge geometry can make or break any steel.  In this case, vanadium and chromium help create fine-grain carbides and allow for sufficient chromium for stain resistance.  The downside is that 20CV can be extremely challenging to properly sharpen.

A lot of bulky Kydex for a secret concealed tool

The OSS Dagger has a flat back, making the knife less than 1/8 inch thick.  This allows the knife to sit snuggly in tight places.  The two-inch blade is sharpened on both sides, as fitting a dagger.  The flat grind slopes upward to a groove in the knife's spine.  The edges flow to a thin, sharp point. 

Face it, it's a weapon

A depression for the thumb has ridges of G10 to improve grip.  There isn’t a guard on this knife.  I have to remind myself this is a soft target weapon.  The handle has a lanyard hole, and if it is in use, I'd suggest a short lanyard.  The cord, or leather ribbon, can then be threaded between your fingers for additional grip.  A flexible cord could aid you in drawing the knife, depending on your hiding place.

The OSS Dagger comes with a Kydex sheath.  The sheath has a very nice spring-loaded clip to secure your weapon.  It is removable, and WE provides a ball chain to convert it to a neck knife.  You could also sew the sheath in to a pocket or jacket sleeve.  The knife weighs less than ¾ of an ounce.  The sheath, unfortunately, weighs more.

Let's stop kidding each other.  This isn't wartime.  This knife isn’t being issued to people dropping behind enemy lines.  It’s just a paean to one specific tool used by the OSS during WWII.

But I’d find some thinner Kydex and make a smaller, lighter sheath if I needed this last-resort weapon.

Olight is best known for their flash and weapon lights.  They are a relatively new company, founded in China in 2007.  They are not without their fans and critics, with some justification.  In November 2017, a man was killed by an Olight flashlight that exploded due to improper use after placing it in his mouth.  Late in March 2022, Olight recalled 215,000 flashlights because of a defect that caused the lights to accidentally turn on and sometimes burn the owners.

Not my first zombie knife
https://knifesearch.blogspot.com/2023/12/zombies.html 

Despite this, I snatched up one of their Nettle 2 Zombie knives.  The blood-splattered (really, just red coloration) green handle speaks to me.

The 2.8-inch blackened blade is a high-shoulder flat grind.  It is fashioned from  154CM  steel.  Crucible Industries 154CM is a modification of 440C, a martensitic-type stainless steel to which molybdenum has been added to improve its physical properties.  However, this is not the powder metal form. 

The challenge coin was a suprise!

The handle is an aluminum alloy, which lets the knife weigh in at 2.5 ounces.  The handle is set up with a reversible clip and comes out of the box, right-hand tip-up, my favorite way of carrying a knife.

The knife has a button lock, which allows two ways of opening the knife, actually three.  The first is the blade flipper, which rotates to become part of a finger guard when the blade locks open.  The second is using the lock button and allowing gravity to open the blade.  You can also flick your wrist if you want that tactical click.  The last way is using the tiny opening depression in the blade to pinch the blade open.  That’s the polite society way; it doesn't alarm anyone.  Ask me how I discovered the need to open a knife this way, and I'll tell you about a pizza party at work.

Mettle 2 Zombie

 

I don't think I'll be carrying either knife.  Both knives will become part of my collection.