I have four by Barry Dawson, from the late 80s/early 90s, when he was in Durango CO. Inherited them from my brother. I'll post pics at some point. At the time, they only went by their blade numbers. Now they're known as Sheffield bowie, American bowie, Defender, and a one-off job that is a small reenforced/chisel-point tanto (not the proper soft round tantos he makes now which are a more traditional Japanese shape). I once wanted to sell them all as I thought they were unwieldy, not useful, hard to sharpen, or too collector-like for me. But I realized they were the prizes of my brother's collection and then I had the Sheffield Bowie professionally sharpened with a Scandinavian grind. Now it's a spectacular performer for single blade backcountry trips and bushcraft, but as my practice of bushcraft calls for a shorter, narrower blade like a puukko combined with an axe or tomahawk, I reserve it for backcountry trail rides. They are all early models with hardwood scales (except the Defender, which is cord-wrapped, and maybe micarta on the tanto), no lanyard holes, no mosaic pins, no climbing vine engraving/jimping, no thumb ridges, and very heavy leather sheaths only. The little tanto, neck-knife-sized, makes a good patch knife, parer, piercer, last ditch defender (it it ever came to that, heaven forbid), letter opener, twine cutter, utility blade, and so on. But the blade is mirror polished and I hate to bring any scratches to it, so I seldom use it. The American bowie is unused, original edge only, and sits in the collection. Maybe someday I'll sell it. The Defender is really a thrower. It's a double-edged model and isn't much good for anything other than piercing chain mail, nailing bullseyes, or opening envelopes. It's seen some play but also just sits in the collection.
Original Dawson blades are robust, utilitarian, and strong performers. Recent models, especially the East-Asian and Persian styles that have have appeared, are striking and beautiful as well as strong workers, no doubt. They are all practical, but with so many knives in my collection, it's hard for me to grab the beast of the Sheffield bowie or the smooth and polished little custom tanto and head out for a day of work of horse training, riding instruction, and barn chores when a Buck 112 or a Roselli Grandfather's knife will do the job quicker, stay out of the way, and not end up with a gut-wrenching blemish from use.
To sum it up, I love my Dawsons, but I just don't use them much. When I make that cross-the-continent trail ride someday, I'll carry my big Dawson on my hip. I know I can pop some kindling, trim stakes, cut rope, and gut anything on the planet. Until then, I'm afraid it's a curio.
Zieg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/06p5ykjsp6az5c3/Picture 005.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/u8acucxkblmd607/Picture 001.jpg
