We’ve learned many lessons since we started in 1818. Everything from remembering to watch our fingers to how to perfectly balance our knives and tools. One thing we’ve known from jump street, though: There are many knives out there. Our customers choose our knives, and because they do, we honor the responsibility that comes with it.
Accordingly, we obsess over details. Despite knives being our bread and butter, we don’t tolerate shortcuts. Our proprietary American steel blades meet the demands of professional kitchens as well as home kitchens—even those with notoriously picky eaters.
The vast majority of our knives and tools—including more than 1,000 unique styles—are made by about 250 craftspeople in Massachusetts. Some of them blush when we call them that, but it’s exactly what they are. And the craft of knifemaking is one that our family has darn-near perfected by combining tradition with technique and modern technology. Oh, and over 200 years of fine-tuning.
Like in most aspects of life, doing things right makes for the highest quality. The concept is simpler to adhere to than the practice, but we insist on both. The only folks who care more about the quality we craft are our customers. Because in hour-two of prepping for the dinner shift, it doesn’t matter to them that we’re the largest manufacturer of professional cutlery in the world. They just want to be sure their mince isn’t drifting toward a dice. A great knife helps.
Drag the yellow line to see our product evolution
Henry Harrington starts the first American cutlery company in Southbridge MA.
John Russell establishes the John Russell Cutlery company, ultimately replacing European brands and becoming the leading American cutlery company of the post-Civil War era.
The two companies come together and eventually become Dexter-Russell.
The first SANI-DEXTER knives are introduced, eventually evolving into the SANI-SAFE series that remains the gold standard in foodservice today.
The iconic Ted Williams fishing knife launches, receiving instant acclaim from outdoor enthusiasts.
The new Offset Bread Knife launches, and delis are forever changed.
The ROSS-1™ robotic sharpening system, which sharpens thousands of knives a day, revolutionizes the processing industry.
