Blade Magazine - Letter to the Editor

[Ernest Emerson]

Dear Members,

Many of you know that I gave a lecture at the 2024 BLADE Show in Atlanta titled, “What it Means to be Made in America.” The lecture was quite well received. Here is a follow up “Letter to the Editor” that I wrote to Blade a short time ago. Kudos and a Hell Yeah! to Blade for stepping up and publishing it. For those of you who weren’t there and perhaps don’t get the magazine, I’m posting a scanned version here.

I’ve gotten some great feedback. We all need to speak out and protect our industry, our craft, and our passion. If you agree send an e-mail to Blade Magazine - steve@blademag.com

 

[Crag the Brewer]

Dear Members,

Many of you know that I gave a lecture at the 2024 BLADE Show in Atlanta titled, “What it Means to be Made in America.” The lecture was quite well received. Here is a follow up “Letter to the Editor” that I wrote to Blade a short time ago. Kudos and a Hell Yeah! to Blade for stepping up and publishing it. For those of you who weren’t there and perhaps don’t get the magazine, I’m posting a scanned version here.

I’ve gotten some great feedback. We all need to speak out and protect our industry, our craft, and our passion. If you agree send an e-mail to Blade Magazine - steve@blademag.com

Maybe ask the mods to move this to the General area?
It's good to hear, think about, and know.

Thanks.

 

[David Mary]

Mr. Emerson, I greatly respect your stance, for the most part, and what you have built. But I sure hope people won't follow your suggestion to the letter (i.e. 100% American only); if this Canadian knife maker had no more American customers, he would no longer be able to buy steel from New York, grinding belts from Michigan, and Heat Treatment services from Washington State and Pennsylvania. Just because a knife isn't made in the USA doesn't mean it isn't supporting the US economy. Just my two cents.

 

[EngrSorenson]

Mr. Emerson, I greatly respect your stance, for the most part, and what you have built. But I sure hope people won't follow your suggestion to the letter (i.e. 100% American only); if this Canadian knife maker had no more American customers, he would no longer be able to buy steel from New York, grinding belts from Michigan, and Heat Treatment services from Washington State and Pennsylvania. Just because a knife isn't made in the USA doesn't mean it isn't supporting the US economy. Just my two cents.

I hope you understand- we’re just trying to protect ourselves from Canada taking over an American made industry. Canada: the friendly threat.

 

[David Mary]

Sorry, eh.

 

[SharpBits]

Let's also add a little salt to the stew and remind people that Emerson has knives made in China and sold under the Kershaw brand. A brand owned by a Japanese company. Still, I support his overall message. The threat is real and it applies to every industry in every country outside of China. They want to own all World's manufacturing and are putting forth the effort to do so.

Custom makers are not a threat to industry, so I'm happy to support them!

 

[EngrSorenson]

Let's also add a little salt to the stew and remind people that Emerson has knives made in China and sold under the Kershaw brand.

Thanks for pointing this out.

I also find it really hard to believe that the Chinese Government is aware that the real way to take down America is through the knife industry.

 

[Danke42]

were and always will be 100 percent made in the USA

except for,,,

 

[SharpBits]

Thanks for pointing this out.

I also find it really hard to believe that the Chinese Government is aware that the real way to take down America is through the knife industry.

It is every industry, not just the knife industry. That should be obvious to everyone by now.

 

[EngrSorenson]

It is every industry, not just the knife industry. That should be obvious to everyone by now.

Even if you extend it to all industries.
China can't be blamed for doing to us what we voluntarily do to ourselves.

 

[SharpBits]

Even if you extend it to all industries.
China can't be blamed for doing to us what we voluntarily do to ourselves.

I never said we aren't partially to blame. That doesn't absolve you-know-who. To delve deeper into the issues will ensure this thread gets deep-sixed or buried in Political.

 

[EngrSorenson]

To delve deeper into the issues will ensure this thread gets deep-sixed or buried in Political.

It should already be deep sixed. The entire purpose of this article is, by definition, political.

 

[SharpBits]

Well, it could primarily be considered economic.

 

[Blues]

I have great respect for Ernie. (He may even remember some years ago I mentioned to him at breakfast at the Blade Show that I was mistaken for him by a couple on the elevator. He must be a very handsome man in the eyes of many. )

That said, since we have both an international audience and host makers from various nations around the world, we'll leave this commentary here where it belongs.

Naturally, I, and we as a group, strongly support our homegrown knife makers, both custom and production. But to avoid any conflict, on the "forum" level, we'll keep this in the Emerson Knives sub-forum.

 

[madcap_magician]

I don't have any evidence on the involvement of the CCP in Chinese knife manufacturing, and I'm willing to give some of them the benefit of the doubt in terms of hoping that they are if nothing else fellow knife enthusiasts.

But what Ernie's son said resonated a little bit with me. The best Chinese OEMs are making excellent quality knives. Excellent fit and finish. But... there's a disturbing sameness to them. I'll grant some of this is because they're doing OEM work, so their designs will be those of other people and thus vary widely. But a lot of them have their own designs as well, and they just pump out new designs every week. They're very well made... but soulless. It's actually a lot like Disney. A bunch of folks who have all the pieces of good material to work with but seemingly not much of an idea or independent creative direction, so they just copy the good material and paste it into a random order and then hit publish. They started making content instead of movies.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

Given the EDC Tool (Chinese) and Kershaw made Emersons it's very hard for me not to read this as sour grapes rather than anything else.

 

[David Mary]

Even if you extend it to all industries.
China can't be blamed for doing to us what we voluntarily do to ourselves.

That was Mr. Emerson’s point. He’s saying let’s stop doing it to ourselves by voting with our wallets. And as an (north) American, as I said, I agree to a very large extent.

 

[SharpBits]

Every one is another nail in the coffin. At some point the job lost will be your own.

 

[shinyedges]

I agree with the sentiment, it's hard to not notice how hard manufacturing has been hit in the USA, not just for knives. In cities all over the USA there is monstrous manufacturing facilities that are an empty shell, deserted and abandoned. Ignorance isn't bliss eternally.

 

[EngrSorenson]

Well, it could primarily be considered economic.

It's political, and you'll recognize it by the preamble, which stipulates that China is actively trying to destabilize the United States by nefariously offering the opportunity to have them manufacture goods for us.
It doesn't pass the "why do I care?" test; the claim is that it's a deliberate attack of one nation on another.

Unless you have been living with your head in the sand or are in a state of denial, you are aware of the efforts of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to undermine and destroy American industries and all of our manufacturing capabilities. This has been the CCP's well-known long-term plan for decades and is now greatly accelerated under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is a publicly admitted, avowed enemy of the United States. (The Chinese government and the CCP are essentially one and the same).
The main thrust of this effort is facilitated by creating Chinese manufacturing companies whose sole purpose is to flood the U.S. Market with targeted products that are essentially designed to put U.S. companies out of business. These products are produced by Chinese workers under deplorable conditions, often using forced child labor for little to no wages.