10 Best-Selling Kershaw Knives at Knife Depot

Since 1974, Kershaw Knives has been making some of the best EDC pocket knives on the market. If you don’t believe me, just look at the numerous awards handed out to Kershaw every year at the BLADE Show.

While some companies have ups and downs in their reputation, Kershaw has been going strong for decades with no sign of stopping.

We first wrote this post way back in August 2014 with the best-selling Kershaw Knives from Knife Depot. The list looks (almost) nothing like it does today. For a quick refresher, the top knives were the Leek, Blur, Amphibian, Clash, and Shuffle. As a sign of the times, two of those knives have been discontinued and another has fallen out of the top-sellers.

To help you see what others are buying, we decided to update this old post with the best-selling Kershaw knives at Knife Depot over the past few years. Quantity sold and gross sales were factored in.

Let us know if any of the knives surprised you.

10. Kershaw Launch 11

We’re going in reverse order to the best-selling Kershaw knife, so coming in at number 10 is the Kershaw Launch 11.

As you’ll notice throughout the list, there are a ton of Launch knives on this list, and the rest are sitting just outside the top 10.

The Launch 11 is a top-notch auto with a smaller 2.75-inch blade and aluminum handle with an open design. It has some nice flourishes like a titanium pivot ring, integrated backspacer, and slim pocket clip.

9. Kershaw Blur

The Kershaw Blur took quite a fall in the past few years in terms of top-selling Kershaw Knives, but this iconic Ken Onion knife is still up there.

The Blur is a robust assisted-opener with curves in all the right places. The blade is 3.4 inches with a modified drop point blade. The handle is aluminum with Trac-Tec inserts that make it comfortable to hold in all types of conditions.

While there are more modern knives that have come after this 2004 knife, it remains a top choice for US-made work knives you can depend on.

8. Kershaw Launch 4

We are somewhat surprised at the longevity and popularity of this tiny folder from Kershaw. The Launch 4 was launched (pardon the pun) as an automatic knife that’s legal to own and carry in California in 2016.

The arbitrary law in California states that auto knives are only allowed as long as the blade is under 2 inches.

You would think this is just a niche category, but the knife has been popular around the whole country. I guess the apocryphal saying “As California goes, so goes the nation” is true. However, Kershaw’s other CA-legal autos like the Launch 9 and Launch 10 were not as popular and were eventually discontinued in 2024.

7. Kershaw Monitor

The Monitor was part of the trio of DuraLock knives Kershaw introduced in 2023, but it offered something a bit different than the Iridium.

The Kershaw Monitor has a tactical design with a flipper tab and smaller 3-inch D2 blade. As brands like SOG realized, crossbar locks pair particularly well with flippers because they’re easy to maneuver and downright fun to fidget with.

The other two 2023 DuraLock knives were the Iridium and Covalent, and they just missed a spot on this list. We’ll see whether these knives stay popular in the future.

6. Kershaw Livewire OTF

This was one of the biggest surprises of 2023. Kershaw had been toying with manual OTF knives like the Kapsule and Interstellar, but finally leapt into the automatic OTF game with the Livewire.

And let’s just say it was a huge success.

This knife was actually released a little farther into the year, so the fact that it’s on this list as one of the top-selling Kershaw knives says something.

It has a 3.3-inch spear point blade made from MagnaCut with an aluminum handle. The biggest shock is the price. Knives of this quality and material often cost more than $400, but the Livewire OTF goes for about $250.

It’s already on our list of best OTF knives.

5. Kershaw Launch 8

The Launch 8 is another automatic knife, but this one looks a lot different than the rest.

It has a modernized stiletto look with a 3.5-inch blade and aluminum handle with carbon fiber insert.

Despite its size, it only weighs 2.3 ounces, so it’s great for everyday carry. This isn’t really a knife designed for hard work, but it does well at daily tasks.

There is also a smaller version of this knife in the Launch 12, but it doesn’t sell quite as well.

4. Kershaw Outlier

This knife is a real outlier (get it?!) on this list because it bucks the trend of simple, hardworking folders and presents something really different.

The Outlier released in 2022 and has been a big seller ever since. This is a tactical karambit with an assisted hawkbill-style blade that flips open lightning fast. It has a glass-filled nylon handle with a BlackWash backspacer and all-black hardware.

It’s safe to say this is one of the coolest knives Kershaw has put out in recent memory.

3. Kershaw Launch 1

Next up is the knife that launched the Launch series (I guess I already used that pun earlier) in 2015. The other knives — Launch 2 and Launch 3 — that released with this one have already been discontinued for years, but the Launch 1 keeps chugging along.

It has has a pretty curvy design with a 3.4-inch blade featuring deep cutting belly. The aluminum handle is pretty straightforward while the recessed button prevents accidental firings.

It’s just an overall good design that’s still a big seller almost a decade later. That’s the mark of a good knife.

2. Kershaw Launch 6

Another Launch? You bet.

The Launch 6 is the second best-selling Kershaw knife here at Knife Depot and has been a top-seller for years. This knife was released in 2016 and continues to claim space in people’s pockets year after year.

To be honest, it’s a little surprising to see this knife so high, but it has a lot of things going in its favor. It’s a solid EDC auto with a 3.75-inch blade. The aluminum handle has texturing and a grip that conforms to the hand.

It has a low-profile button actuator, a slim design, and made-in-the-USA construction. If you want a good automatic for work-related purposes, it’s hard to top this one.

1. Kershaw Leek

Knife Depot’s best-selling Kershaw in the past year (and of all time) should shock no one. The Kershaw Leek is one of the most iconic knives of all time and the standard bearer for quality US-made everyday carry knives for relatively cheap.

Since 2003, the Kershaw Leek has been the knife everyone recommends for everyday carry because it’s super slim, has a good-sized 3-inch assisted blade, uses a flipper, and locks with a frame lock.

The only real negative about the knife is that it has one of the worst pocket clips on a knife, but you get used to it.

At this point, there’s not much more to say about this Ken Onion design that hasn’t already been said. It’s now available in a ton of different variations and remains one of Knife Depot’s top engraved knives too.

If you don’t have one yet, you need to get one.