The first Dawson Knives shop, set up inside a Texas storage unit, 1973

Dawson Knives began in 1973 in a storage unit somewhere in Texas. Tools designed for knifemaking were scarce and money even scarcer, so what was needed we built by hand inside that dusty little room using parts pillaged from the local landfill.

Above: The camper and travel trailer we called home in the early days of Dawson Knives, along with the 1973 Chevy Suburban that carried us to trade shows around the country. Note the railroad tie used to replace the rear bumper after the original rusted away. Below: Some of our first Japanese-inspired swords, dating from the late 80's - early 90's.

Our family understands "the grind" of American blue collar workers in a big way - we spent the first 40 years working late nights and early mornings, 60-80 hours a week, then loading our knives into an old beater of a car and driving cross-country to that weekend's trade show...

Dawson survival knives (bottom) and hunting knives (top) circa the early-mid 1980's

Our first heat treat oven - note the "high tech" brick counterweight at right

...often with just enough gas to get us there and no money in our pocket to cover a night's lodging or even a meal upon arrival. After the show ended Sunday afternoon we packed it in and dragged ourselves home, just to get up Monday morning and do it all over again.

l-r: Dennis checks a blade's straightness after heat treat, our first CNC machine, a plasma cutter, cuts into a sheet of steel, and three retired Backpacking + Survival knives, circa about 2015 

Our new shop location on Liberator in Prescott, AZ, under construction in early 2023

Eventually we moved from that storage unit to a dilapidated barn, then a two-car garage, then a converted automotive bay, and finally, in 2023, to our current location on Liberator in Prescott, AZ. We were even late arrivals to this new-fangled thing called the internet. Along the way we made every shortsighted, pigheaded and just plain dumb mistake you can imagine.

John Roy and Barry (left) and Dennis (right), hard at work at our shop in a converted automotive bay, 2013-2023

John Roy's oldest son, David, during his first foray into CAD design in 2017 (above), and learning to weld in 2021 (below). Today, David works at Dawson Knives while studying for a degree in CNC programing

l-r: Sam Dawson , Barry's great-nephew, began his apprenticeship at blade grinding in 2016. Today, Sam grinds a significant number of the blades Dawson Knives produces.

We're sharing all this because it’s important to us that you know that the past 50 years have not always been easy. We've lost friends that were pulling the same crazy hours as us and fell asleep at the wheel. We've experienced health challenges, business setbacks, economic slowdowns and global pandemics.

l-r: Dawson knives in 2024, John Roy and two of his sons survey the ongoing construction of our Liberator location in 2023, Barry and David look on as John Roy operates the CNC plasma cutter.

There have been difficulties and hardships, some so deep and dark it was hard to find our way through. But no matter how lonely and desperate the road, our Savior has walked it with us, held us through the pain and carried us until the dawn came once more.

"The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and he that delivers me, my God and my strength: in him will I trust, my shield, the horn also of my salvation, and my refuge." Psalm 18:2

The Dawson family, taken in 2024 at our shop in Prescott, AZ. Back row, l-r: Dennis, Sam, David, John Roy. Middle, l-r: Ben, Emma (Dennis' son and daughter). Front, l-r: Isaac and Elijah (John Roy's sons).