JSP prices and VALUE

[Colin Thompson]

As I mentioned in an earlier post I got a package from JSP today. You already know it included a CKB Alpha. Also included was a second V-Gar system with the larger teardrop on the Manrikigarotte and a slick tricolor Arch Angel 2 that James absolutely forced me to buy

. For the last year I have always had a Credit Card Blade and V-Gar system with me. I have also fiddled with a Spinal Back Up and EQ bag. The kids at my girlfriend's son's Dojo are fascinated with, and always want to see my "James Bond Stuff". Those kids are right. This is the real James Bond stuff.

What makes James' products special is the attention to detail. Today's package hammered that home. While everything in it was way cool and gets better the more you become familiar with it, the simple looking five dollar pinch cord was what blew me away. I'm sure may of us have surfed the JSP Web Site and probably duplicated some of the ideas. It's not the same unless you have done it a whole bunch. I've had a home made pinch cord on my Sebenza for over a year. It's great, I consider it indispensable for IWB carry, but I am making a new one with what I learned today. Everything that James sells is produced with the idea of seamless integration into daily life and a rapid, effective presentation when needed. The experience necessary to design and build such systems does not come cheap. The point I am trying to make is that while the initial cost may seem high, when you really need it, JSP gear is a bargain. I call that value.

Will I still make my own pinch cords? Yes but I will be happy to pay for one if I am ordering a product from JSP. Will I tell you the secret I learned? NO! Call James', buy a little value and learn the lesson yourself.

Please note that this post was unsolicited and my own idea. Over the last year the major negative complaint about JSP was about prices. How much is your life or those of your loved ones worth? If just one person has the tools available to protect what is precious, this post is worth the effort. Any of you slobbering knife nuts or gadget freaks that this post influences, enjoy!


[This message has been edited by Colin Thompson (edited 22 September 1999).]

 

[Don Rearic]

Colin,

Funny you should mention "sticker shock" when it comes to JSP Equipment. I too, have suffered from this common phenomenon in the past. However....

I was talking to James yesterday on the phone, and I think he was kind of shocked at something I said...I will share it with you.

Even my JSP Custom Kwaiken is cheaper than a casket my wife would have to purchase if my equipment fails. That might seem a little harsh, and possibly cold, a bit macabre...but isn't that why we carry stuff like this? For self-defense? To preserve our life? To stay out of the aforementioned casket...there are collectors and that is a fine pasttime as well...but I rely on my JSP Equipment. I know you do too.

 

[MrG]

A couple of years ago I sent away for James's catalog, with the intention of just looking at the thing and drooling. Kinda like reading Playboy

Talk about sticker shock when I came to the price list!! And I thought Phill Hartsfield was expensive! (actually, JSP is slightly less) But come on, look at these prices, I cried. No way in hell I can afford this, not on my measly salary. I put the catalog on the bookshelf and brooded for what seemed like weeks. Every time I would pass the bookshelf, the JSP catalog would call out to me...Hey, you KNOW you want something in here, go ahead and order it. Who cares if your wife will kick you out of the house? Who cares that you have to pay the bills and rent?

So I took the 'plunge' and called James. Just for some info, that's all. I had a couple of questions about that beautiful knife...the Jashido Compact. Sexier than any Playboy centerfold I've seen

Thirty minutes later I had a V-Gar system on order, with the deposit for the Jashido Compact. James said that I should try the V-Gar out...give it a couple of days and if you don't like it, send it back. Uh...okay.

I'm wearing the V-Gar right now as I type this, almost a year and a half later. In fact, I don't think I ever took it off! Was it worth it? Considering that I never take it off and that it has the potential to knock someone out with minimum effort from me...and considering that the daily cost is less than a buck...

YES!

It's actually a bargain.

Thanks.