Will Chinese Thermal Get BANNED?

• July 23, 2024
• By Jared Daub

Will Chinese Thermal Get BANNED?

The question: Will Chinese Thermal Get BANNED? Let me give me two cents on this topic.

Why does this topic even matter?

I think most people are likely pretty removed from the weapon industry, especially the government side. Sure, you purchase firearms and gear, but you really never see the darker sides of the “military industrial complex”. It’s a bit of an overused term, but hear me out. Most companies in this space exist to service the government and the government alone. Most of their business occurs through government contracts and, sometimes, back door dealings. This is not unique to this particular industry, but to me it is especially corrupt. Think of most of the firearm and gear manufacturers. Who are they targeting? What does their marketing say about them? How many truly are die hard believers of our undeniable right to bear arms? The hard truth is…not many.

Government contracts offer security, big money, big scaling.

So why do these companies chase government dollars? It’s really quite simple. The government doesn’t run out of money. Sure, we hear every year or so about “impending shut downs”, but at the end of the day they just print more fiat currency whenever they desire. For this reason, there is ALWAYS work in the government sector. I am over simplifying much of this, but the government is a teat the defense industry cannot help but suckle. These companies MAY sell to private citizens, which sometimes gives off the APPEARANCE that they give a rip about you. Typically, this couldn’t be further from the truth. They want government money, and when they need extra revenue and the government spending is lower, they turn to the citizens.

We prop them up, they stab us in the back.

Did you know that there is a collective of night vision companies that work together to lobby congress for legislation that directly impacts YOU? You didn’t? Well you SHOULD. And maybe you should ask your favorite night vision supplier if they are a part of this collective. You want to know why you can’t get the latest tech in thermal or night vision? Don’t think too hard: You aren’t important enough. The second amendment is about the citizens having equal or HIGHER capabilities of engaging in combat against the government. The question is: Can we even do that when companies gate keep the latest gear from citizens only to lock contracts down with the government? The short answer is, thankfully: yes. We DO have solutions, but MOST are coming from Chinese brands and companies. More on that in a bit.

When was the last time you shot an email to your favorite “X,Y,Z” supplier and asked where their loyalty lies? Voting with your money is real. When you are buying night vision or thermal, you SHOULD be asking these questions! You may, in fact, be “voting” with your money against your personal interests. Take this collective for example and how the vast majority of them just voted to lobby congress about banning Chinese thermal and NV tech. You didn’t hear about that? Isn’t that something? The companies YOUR money helps to support funnel that money into lobbying congress to pass laws that directly limit YOUR ability to procure gear. Don’t believe me? Wait about 6 months and check back on this blog. Just because you haven’t heard this yet doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

Chinese companies and tech are superior to US tech.

China and Taiwan (and Japan in some respects) dominate the tech arena. Especially when we are discussing chips, processors, and even software. Even many of the DOD items that are procured from stateside companies utilize Chinese technology. You simply cannot get away from it. Want to test the theory? Go ask your favorite US manufactured red dot companies where they source their chips and emitters from. I’ll sit here, smoke a cigar, and wait for you to hear the bad news. There is a blatant hypocrisy that is occurring. China has dominated the US in terms of technology, and it was largely our own doing. Before you think we are just Chinese apologists, don’t get it twisted: Our PRIMARY objective is to connect YOU with lifesaving gear that allows you to remain free. We focus FIRST on whatever is BEST to serve that role. In the world of thermal, InfiRay outdoors is killing it. No other offerings come close. The cores, the screens and processing power is second to none. How are the American companies comparing? VERY poorly. They aren’t even on the same playing field. And THAT is unfortunate.

We don’t like that China is dominating this market, but it is.

Do we want the US to win? Yes. We would MUCH rather see a US based thermal come to market that can go toe to toe with Chinese offerings. The reality is: WE DO NOT POSESS THE ABILITY TO MANUFACTURE CHIPS AND COMPONENTS TO THE LEVEL OF THE CHINESE COMPANIES! Please read and re-read that as many times as it takes to sink in. Who’s to blame? Frankly, we are. We chased consumerism. A Powerful nation (the USA) ventured down a path of greed and complacency in the world. We relied on cheap labor, we funneled money to China. We supported their economy and outsourced manufacturing that SHOULD be performed here in the states. I know that is a hard pill to swallow, but it is the truth. We put the nail in that coffin, and China is a decade or more ahead of our capabilities.

Why does this pose a problem?

Chinese thermal has dominated the landscape for the last 6 years or so. It has truly exploded in the last 2-3 years. At the time of writing this blog, Chinese analog systems for night vision are still not up to par with US and European offerings. But they are fast approaching the same, or better performance. Give it another year and NNVT tubes (or similar) will be likely surpassing offerings from L3, Elbit, and Photonis. Oh, and the barrier of entry will be much lower. The costs are lower. They mass produce at a scale no US company can compete with.

This creates a problem: Do you support a sub-par US product, or do you go for the less expensive, higher performance unit? For most of us, we can only afford ONE unit. For this reason, you truly must weight which route you go. Most people will lean into Rix, AGM, or iRAY USA. Most people will look through US options and be disappointed when comparing to their foreign competitors. What would you do? Would you buy a lower spec unit for more money, or a higher spec unit that has better performance but is made in china?

We have begged US companies to innovate.

Arkayne sells a lot of thermal. We are one of the larger retailers of thermal monoculars, especially dual band systems. We’ve offered to partner with companies. We’ve offered suggestions. Simple stuff because we truly want to see the US succeed. Each time we are met either with a complete disregard to our input, or we find that the companies simply lack the capabilities of Chinese tech. The flip side of government contracting is it does not drive the innovation you would think it would. Big money simply creates comfort. Keep the specs the same, replicate it 10’s of thousands of times, make the money. If the government is ok with sub-par, why would they push for updates and performance increases? Government contracting is a cesspool of inefficiencies and wasteful spending. Not shocking if you watch the government in general. It does not breed excellence, it does not force innovation. Private sector dollars push innovation, but the US private sector prefers the government over us.

Will Chinese Thermal Be Banned?

We keep asking: Will Chinese thermal be banned? I am extremely confident that in 2024 and 2025 there will be a renewed push to ban Chinese technology stateside. On one hand, the argument makes sense: stop funneling money to CCP. WE AGREE! Let’s start propping up our own economy. Let’s be responsible and keep our money here. 110%. But how do you go from here to there? And what happens if Chinese thermal units are banned from import or subject to massive tariffs? Will the US companies even consider the consumer base? Or will they simply focus their capacity on larger government contracts and orders.

Look, we ALREADY see this with helmets, helmet mounts, and intensifier tubes. This is already a reality! When Ukraine popped off, almost all intensifier tubes states side were pointed to Ukraine. That left many smaller manufacturers and retailers (like us) out to dry. Tubes and units were wildly inconsistent. PO’s we placed that had guaranteed dates kept getting pushed further and further out. Who suffers? YOU DO. Ultimately, the consumer is the one that is punished. The US companies are fat and happy, and the government loves its sub-par, but standard products that make procurement easy.

What can we do right now?

A precedence is set with the Tik Tok bans and talks around DJI drone bans. Think about the standard that this is setting. The government here claims “it’s for our safety” all while they operate the largest data harvesting and spying known to mankind. It is a hypocrisy to yell “LIBERTY” and then turn around and restrict the citizens access to fighting gear and equipment. So what options do we have? For one: If you are in the market, buy the gear now. Don’t wait. Please do not mistake what I am saying: make sure your finances are in order first. Don’t be reckless. But if you’ve been sitting on the money and you’ve been wanting to pull the trigger, please email us.

We would love to help you decide what route is best for your needs. By purchasing, using, and speaking about the gear, we proliferate it to the masses. we are effectively able to control the narratives. We can garner up enough support to simply say “enough”. And even if they end up being successful in banning this technology stateside in the coming years, we will have so many people equipped that it will not matter.

The question is: Where are you at? Are you a die hard believer in American thermal and night vision first? Do you see our arguments for Chinese optics? Genuinely we are here to help you get into whatever gear you desire. We will offer our input, but you spend your money how you’d like. Our company carries  a host of US made products as well as European and Chinese products. We desire to build up communities of modern minutemen, and we believe that thermal and night vision are a component of that mission.

For now, we equip.

Will Chinese Thermal Get Banned? For now, we have this technology and gear. There is amply supply and lead times are reasonable, even during peak seasons. For this season, our focus is education, building a network, building a community, and equipping as many people as possible. While most companies in this space are faceless and operate with questionable intentions, we are here to serve YOU! We are your advocate and equipment supplier. We’re here to fight against unjust orders, to prepare you and your tribe for whatever may come.

Carpe Noctem.