You might have heard some of it on the local news. Or read about it online: there is a worldwide shortage of raw materials. Sounds vague, yes. And how much 'material' do you actually need to produce a knife? You are, after all, not building a house.
At the 2022 ShotShow in Vegas we spoke to many suppliers and we kept hearing the same thing: it has become quite the nightmare to receive steel and other materials. Unfortunately, we are not talking about a one or two-week delay. We literally heard a supplier say: within a month I will run out of all my steel with thickness x, and when I do I will have to wait until 2023 for it to be available again. And simply getting it elsewhere is also not an option. After all, everyone is dealing with the same issue. There might be 100 knife brands in the United States, but not 100 steel suppliers.
The problems were are dealing with:
- A shortage of raw materials
- A shortage of steel
- Hardware shortages
- Shortage in staff
Now what?
We do whatever we can to purchase as much as possible for you. But for some brands the following applies: those who thought 2021 was difficult in terms of supplies, are going to be dealing with an even harder 2022. Not only American brands and producers, but worldwide. This has absolutely nothing to do with unwillingness. Not from the brands, not from us. We order like crazy and do whatever we can to fill our stocks and help our suppliers in any way we can. We do, however, sometimes have to ask you to be patient: it cannot be ruled out that delivery times are postponed. For six months, or perhaps even longer. Difficult to hear, but unfortunately unavoidable. We do the best we can. Truly!
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