EverydayCommentary: Tariffs and EDC

H. Clay Aalders
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WARNING: I have attempted to keep this post as apolitical as possible, but given the facts, I think some more sensitive people might be upset by conclusions I have drawn here from the facts, law, history, economics, and logic. If you might be one of those people, I posted two posts this week to cater to you. Here is the other post. Feel free to skip this one.

WARNING II: I guess this is why I have never covered current events here. As I was finishing up the article, all of the tariffs on countries but China were suspended for 90 days. I am still posting this because the tariff that matters to us the most, the steel one, seems to still be in place. While some may view this as a negotiation tactic, I think it is more likely a reaction to the strong negative financial news that will be spun as a negotiation tactic. It just might be that no one in charge knows what they are doing. Maybe. Possibly. SECOND UPDATE: While China has been hit with more tariffs even as the original 57 are suspended, tariffs that target smartphones, laptops, and computer chips were just announced as being exempt from tariffs. At this point, I am fairly certain that the tariff announcements are not part of a thought out plan.

As a lawyer and someone that writes about gear I have been asked this question about two dozen times since the start of the year:

Will tariffs be good for EDC market?

Simple answer: No. They will be terrible.

Longer answer: Buckle up, this is a mess of law, economics, steel, and logic.

Good for Anthony for tacking a controversial subject. I am sure someone will complain, but he is the owner of his blog.

Read the whole thing at EverydayCommentary.com

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H. Clay Aalders

H. Clay Aalders is a lifelong edged tool user. He spent the past 20 years as a woodworker and fishing guide in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Idaho, and Tennessee. While guiding in Idaho, Clay worked part-time writing for a local newspaper, and upon moving to Tennessee began writing for the blog The Truth About Knives - spending his last 5 years there as Managing Editor. His background is in fixed-blade hunting and bushcraft knives, but has jumped into the world of vintage slipjoint collecting with both feet since coming to work at Knife Magazine. Clay’s primary role is as Digital Editor, curating and creating new content for our website and blog, as well as maintaining the Knife Magazine social media accounts (FB/IG: @theknifemag, Twitter: @knifemagazine). He is also a contributor and Associate Editor of the print magazine.

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3 Responses

  1. I will not “complain” about the content of this article. There are quite a number of valid talking points regarding the impact of tariffs on the American economy. Laying in the grassy roots of the American knife industry, my view is usually focused on the custom knifemaking arena. Tariffs should not, or minimally, impact those men and women who create custom knives across the United States of America. Sculimbrene mentions the demise of “Crucible”. He asks, “Where will American-based knife manufacturers buy ZDP189 and 14C28N Elmax, CPM154, 20CV, et al?”. Hell’s bells, “Spyderco”, “Benchmade”, “Bear & Son” and “Protech” and many other USA knife manufacturers likely “stocked up” on their steel inventories! “What if Reate’s latest PRC-import rises to $300? “Protech” should hold their price at $300, or drop it to $299.99! “Made in the USA” does persuade folks!
    Recently, I had some (not a lot of) “Kershaw” knives; and, I had some “KAI” with an “American flag etch” knives at a local community yard sale. (Note: “KAI” is the parent company of “Kershaw”). “KAI” manufactures knives in Portland, Oregon. “Kershaw” knives are commonly made in “China” or “somewhere in Asia” with blades of “2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 . . . 20CrMoV50” steel proprietary to the communist-regime landmass manufacturers, e.g. Yangjiang. My point is that the people who cruised my “knife table” bought the “KAI” knives over the “Kershaw”. I was amused by a Hagerstown police officer who showed me his “KAI” EDC . . . He told me that a friend gifted it to him. Another customer showed me his “Benchmade” folder, I think it was “747” or something like that. I had two “Benchmade” knives, “NIB” on my table: “Onslaught” and “Mini-Assist”. I got some decent offers on my asking price, but did not sell them.
    My advice to those American retailers who buy PRC-imported knives, e.g. Walmart, . . . do not buy them. Period. Clearance your Chinese knives!

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  2. my scintillating commentary never succeeds in making it past the moderation system over there. we have lots of domestic production steels and knives, hopefully moreso as this unravels. steels and knives from germany, austria, sweden, italy and japan (+ others) are going to be affected, depending on what adjustments they make to their taxes on our goods.
    the ccp is satan and should be made to suffer.
    and wwll is over. let those rebuilt recovered nations fund themselves. it’s time.
    the sky is not falling, the southern oceans aren’t cooling (they are) because of glacial melt (thanks stanford). carbon this.

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