Tariff talk: I just returned from the AXPONA audio show in Chicago and was able to talk to many industry executives there, who represented a wide range of companies from big to small. Tariffs were the unofficial story of AXPONA, with many conversations going on publicly and behind the scenes regarding what the industry plans to do going forward. A common refrain was no one wants to raise prices, and they were holding the line as long as they could with current inventory and doing their best to keep price increases to a minimum. Another common concern was the constantly shifting landscape, with tariff rates changing regularly as well as the differing levies based on country of origin. Many electronics manufacturers and distributors source their products from multiple nations, so these differences complicate product planning given they may source their products, even within a category, from two or three countries. (For example, one manufacturer I spoke with sells turntables made in China, Japan and the Philippines, depending on the model.) Something else I heard more than once was that some companies are just going to hold shipments and not import anything at all, avoiding the tariffs until the situation changes and they have some certainty going forward. These stoppages have already started in some cases and could lead to shortages if they go on for very long.

The takeaway from the show is if you are looking to buy electronics, if you can it is better to buy now rather than later. Prices will not be going down but are very likely to go up, perhaps dramatically, if you can get what you want at all. Hopefully everything will resolve to everyone's satisfaction soon.

Q. I’ve purchased several products based on your recommendations, with great success! The Spin-Clean Record Washer was my latest purchase and I’m so happy with it. How often do you recommend using the Spin-Clean to wash each record? Before playing it each time? Would using my record cleaning brushes between washes be good practice?

—D.H., Savage, Minnesota

A. The Spin-Clean performs a very effective deep clean of your records. I think if you clean them once and put them in a high-quality protective sleeve you probably won't need to clean them again for years, if ever. I would gauge recleanings based on whether they look or sound dirty. You are correct that using a record brush to remove surface dust before playing is a good practice. Mobile Fidelity Original Master Record Inner Sleeves are $20 for a pack of 50 and are far nicer than any sleeve that comes with a vinyl album. They are perfect for storing your records once you run them through your Spin-Clean, and even if you don't have a Spin-Clean. mofi.com

Q. I saw the reader question about using the Pragatism electric warming tray for proofing dough. I am a home baker and use it for this. I use a potholder placed under bowl and monitor it. It works great!

—S.R.

A. Thank you for this tip! I expected that it could be used to proof dough, but had not tried it myself just yet. I received a lot of good reader feedback about this product, including a suggestion to go back and buy the midcentury fondue set that I passed up months ago. (I might have to stop by that store again next week to see if it is still there.) Readers, if you have discovered any other useful applications for this product, please drop me a line so I can share them with everyone.

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