Chinese tariffs, does this mean Reate, WE, Kizer prices are all going to skyrocket?

ErocSD

ErocSD

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Jan 21, 2019
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This may have been asked but I didn't see it anywhere.

Just curious for the premium Chinese made blades, or even the cheap Kershaw Chinese blades, are we going to see a huge spike in pricing? And if so what will that do to the USA knife market?

I could see myself deciding to buy an American made $500 CRK or Spartan harsey instead of paying $500 for a knife that was $375 last week. Maybe that's just me.

I haven't seen the prices jump yet but the tariff war isn't settled soon I assume we will.
 
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Kizer are not a premium brand. Not sure why you've grouped them up with 2 companies that make marginally better knives in general. I think they make decent budget knives in better materials. But not premium.

In anycase, they are all imported from China and the prices already went up when vendors pushed for map pricing. I would hope the price changes would stay the same and come out of map. But I doubt those vendors would like that. It likely will go up, but I haven't heard an official word on it yet.

They say 25% increases, so yea your Chinese knives may go up to around 460$

But then again, they may manufacturer them cheaper to hit a price point more in line.
 
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Mo2 said:
Kizer are not a premium brand. Not sure why you've grouped them up with 2 companies that make marginally better knives in general. I think they make decent budget knives in better materials. But not premium.

In anycase, they are all imported from China and the prices already went up when vendors pushed for map pricing. I would hope the price changes would stay the same and come out of map. But I doubt those vendors would like that. It likely will go up, but I haven't heard an official word on it yet.
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I don't own any Kizer knives so I guess I am not familiar on their quality but they do sell knives over the $200 range so I guess I just assumed they were some what premium. I personally don't think WE knives are on the same level as Reate but that's just me. I was trying to just give examples of some higher end knives from China.

Edit: can't change my title so I can't remove Kizer out of there, sorry for any confusion.
 
There may be some that would pay a higher price just to have what they want but the broad range of consumer acceptance will have the greatest effect. I also think a large percentage of consumers would not pay an extra charge for imported knives. I know I won’t. So I think it would be detrimental for the Chinese to raise already high prices for the premium grade knives or even the low priced knives. It could be better for USA makers but you never know how everything will pan out. I think the biggest problem will be with raw materials that come from the east Asia but knife materials come from sources around the globe except some exotic materials.
 
ErocSD said:
I don't own any Kizer knives so I guess I am not familiar on their quality but they do sell knives over the $200 range so I guess I just assumed they were some what premium. I personally don't think WE knives are on the same level as Reate but that's just me. I was trying to just give examples of some higher end knives from China.

Edit: can't change my title so I can't remove Kizer out of there, sorry for any confusion.
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No real need to change the title. But there is a link at the top right that says thread tools. Press that and select edit title.

They are all Chinese and the topic is more or less about the import tax than what brand. The higher end knives could be hiked up to USA prices, making them the idea purchase if so.

Reate imho is far more premium than we knives. But that's not to say we doesn't make nice knives for the prices. But if rather have the reate knife that's ground thin behind the edge like most we knives. Lol. But yea I agree with you basically.

The reates may still be worth it at those higher prices. I don't see many usa made knives made as well. Except the low production quantity cnc houses like Millet, konieg etc. They make some good quality stuff at around those costs. But not in large numbers.
 
ErocSD said:
I don't own any Kizer knives so I guess I am not familiar on their quality but they do sell knives over the $200 range so I guess I just assumed they were some what premium. I personally don't think WE knives are on the same level as Reate but that's just me. I was trying to just give examples of some higher end knives from China.

Edit: can't change my title so I can't remove Kizer out of there, sorry for any confusion.
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There's really no confusion, because whether or not one thinks Kizer is a "quality" knife is irrelevant.

The question is "will the tariffs make the prices of knives from China go up?"

Honestly 1) I don't know; and 2) I don't want to get into politics.

But it would be informative to hear from someone who 1) knows and 2) can avoid it. :thumbsup:
 
Im not sure why Reate has such a great name. My kizer Ti Gemini was just as well built as my Reate Wave. Mind you, other offerings from Kizer have been pretty terrible. And i have only owned the one Reate. I sold the Wave and only own the T1 and Gemini. Both excellently excecuted, just as my Reate Wave was. Maybe Reate is just more consistent in their builds.
Not trying to start anything. Just stating my opinion.
And ya, you should see the prices of Reates and WE’s in Canada now! Ya right. Not gonna be putting my money there. Lol.
Expl...a WE Pleroma for over $500Can!
 
Sharp & Fiery said:
Im not sure why Reate has such a great name. My kizer Ti Gemini was just as well built as my Reate Wave. Mind you, other offerings from Kizer have been pretty terrible. And i have only owned the one Reate. I sold the Wave and only own the T1 and Gemini. Both excellently excecuted, just as my Reate Wave was. Maybe Reate is just more consistent in their builds.
Not trying to start anything. Just stating my opinion.
And ya, you should see the prices of Reates and WE’s in Canada now! Ya right. Not gonna be putting my money there. Lol.
Expl...a WE Pleroma for over $500Can!
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I felt the wave was superior to the T1 I have. The T1 had shitty qc, pivot that backed out constantly, lockbar was poorly designed or executed, plunge lines off uneven grinds, and just felt a little cheaper overall. 58hrc steel. I like it but don't like the quality compared to the wave. The wave is a bit older a model though. So not as much is put into it than the newer knives.

Reate is exceptional because of Todd Begg who effortlessly worked with reates cnc team to make the higher end knives. Without Beggs involvement they probably wouldn't be where they are today. And that's the truth. He demanded quality and premium knives and they provided in troves.
 
Mo2 said:
I felt the wave was superior to the T1 I have. The T1 had shitty qc, pivot that backed out constantly, lockbar was poorly designed or executed, plunge lines off uneven grinds, and just felt a little cheaper overall. 58hrc steel. I like it but don't like the quality compared to the wave. The wave is a bit older a model though. So not as much is put into it than the newer knives.

Reate is exceptional because of Todd Begg who effortlessly worked with reates cnc team to make the higher end knives. Without Beggs involvement they probably wouldn't be where they are today. And that's the truth. He demanded quality and premium knives and they provided in troves.
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Hmmm. That’s weird. My T1 has none of those issues. Sucks when companies have hit and miss QC.
Maybe ill have to try another newer reate soon! Check out what all the hype is about.
 
Mo2 said:
I felt the wave was superior to the T1 I have. The T1 had shitty qc, pivot that backed out constantly, lockbar was poorly designed or executed, plunge lines off uneven grinds, and just felt a little cheaper overall. 58hrc steel. I like it but don't like the quality compared to the wave. The wave is a bit older a model though. So not as much is put into it than the newer knives.

Reate is exceptional because of Todd Begg who effortlessly worked with reates cnc team to make the higher end knives. Without Beggs involvement they probably wouldn't be where they are today. And that's the truth. He demanded quality and premium knives and they provided in troves.
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Both my lambert Crossroads and Liong Mah Warrior 2 V2 are exceptional builds, both from Reate. I also have an Augustus that is just beautiful. The micarta and carbon fiber scales meet the titanium perfectly and you can't even feel the transition on the handles. Blade grinds are perfect and action is smooth. I am glad I got them before hand, I actually wish I had bought a few more Reates before any potential price hikes. I wish I had an extra $800 laying around but I need a new Duck gun before hunting season.
 
Yes costs will go up a lot. No one knows if the folks importing the knives will eat that cost or pass it on.

Who is affected? US based dealers and knife companies that import knives from China. They'll get hit hard enough that small guys will go under and big guys will get hurt hard enough to notice; they'll have to drop particular models or make other adjustments to compensate.

Who won't be affected? Consumers that order knives on Amazon, Alibada, eBay, etc. won't be affected as long as they keep the amount under $800.00.
 
Danke42 said:
Yes costs will go up a lot. No one knows if the folks importing the knives will eat that cost or pass it on.

Who is affected? US based dealers and knife companies that import knives from China. They'll get hit hard enough that small guys will go under and big guys will get hurt hard enough to notice; they'll have to drop particular models or make other adjustments to compensate.

Who won't be affected? Consumers that order knives on Amazon, Alibada, eBay, etc. won't be affected as long as they keep the amount under $800.00.
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Good point, it's always the little guy that gets hurt the most. I have no problem supporting American made companies but the Reate work is impeccable. I'm not sure I'd spend $800 for any of their current offerings though. I meant $800 up above for two more knives Haha. I paid $440 for the warrior and as much I love it the $375 crossroads is just as much knife for 20% less.... both M390, same Titanium, same factory.

To each their own I guess but I feel like my threshold would be about $500. I also don't own any full customs so the warrior is my highest investment knife I guess. Then again at $500 you are in a whole another arena of American knife makers. Crk, Spartan, RHK, CPK..... it all boils down to value I guess and what your definition of that is.
 
Prices will go up on affected imports. Existing stock should be unaffected unless dealers/distributors just want to gouge. So, if there's a Chinese made knife that you want to buy, buy it now.
 
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People saying WE knives are far below Reate are just fooling themselves to be honest.

But as for the topic, i really hope this doesnt affect them. The nicer We knives are already near my price ceiling, so i may have to lay off if they get too high.
 
If prices go up 25%, most likely these Chinese brands will lose the USA market. Their current prices already made most of them not a good value if they are to be re-sold in the secondary market.
 
Remember that the 25% tariff will be based on the wholesale import cost. So the additional cost added to the sale price will not have to be 25% of the previous sale price in order to break even.

Say a knife is imported for $100 and sold for $200. Then a 25% tariff is imposed. The import cost is now $125. If that extra $25 is added to the retail price it becomes $225, an increase of 12.5%. Any more than that and someone’s trying to take advantage.

And yes, expect prices to go up when the old stock is gone.
 
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Pretty sure they don’t use US materials and Chinese cutlery isn’t on da list of products coming here
 
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