Spyderco / Jot Singh Khalsa Sprint run

[jotkhalsa]

Hello All,
Thought I'd share a few thoughts around this knife and myself. I grew up a pretty normal white kid in Medford, MA USA outside of Boston. When I was 19 and at university studying jewelry making and art, I started taking classes in Kundalini yoga. The process took me deep inside of myself - a place I'd never ventured - after playing soccer, basketball and baseball and being an average student in grade school. The insights I received began to guide my life. Yogi Bhajan was a Sikh man who brought this technology of yoga and meditation out of India to the West. He became my role model for over 30 years and guided me personally and professionally, a lot. He was the coolest guy I'd ever met. Humble, wise, fearless and kind - many more adjectives too really. He said: "Human is a blend of saint and soldier; this is a complete person. If you are not a soldier your sainthood will be kicked around. If you are only a soldier, not a saint, you will start kicking others around." My last year in university was spent working at making several knives. Since I wasn't a hunter, I began making weapons for personal defense. The Spyderco/JSK was designed to be something that would be practical to use, as a means of personal protection. Jim Keating creating a system back in the late 90's which you can see and download at this link http://www.khalsakirpans.com/products/s ... ding-knife
I trained in varied martial arts for over 30 years, which I always enjoyed as something that deeply relaxed me and afforded confidence. I adopted the Sikh religion way before the 9/11 tragedy and Osama Bin Ladens face was everywhere. From my research, study and living example in my teacher, it was a noble, inspired, and exemplary approach to life. After 9/11 many thought I was Osamas cousin, because in the West we have little exposure to turbans and many tend to be fearful of what they do not know about. I'm a pretty happy guy and tend to smile a lot. This helped some. As a rule, I also carry a very sharp knife and I've never had any kind of confrontation, where I had to protect myself or anyone else. I continue to see my role as one to encourage folks around tolerance, and educate about religions and Sikhs some.
I've taught several workshops around the spiritual warrior here in the US, Canada and in Europe. I'm reflecting, that in addition to the yoga intro that I do at Blade Show annually in Atlanta - I should also offer an intro to the spiritual warrior there. Any thoughts about that or anything else are welcome? Thanks for reading! I'm not on forums much. Try me at info@khalsakirpans.com - if you don't hear from me here please.

[Blerv]

Thank you for dropping by and sharing your background and thoughts, Jot .

The sprint looks terrific. Best wishes for sales and to all your future endeavors.

[K1W1]

I just got home from SFO. I got a chance to look at and handle the Jot Singh Khalsa Sprint. Love the organic flow of the design. I also got to handle the new Szabo. Although the two knives are worlds apart in their design, I really marveled at how they both represented the philosophies of their respective designers.

[araneae]

Hi Jot. Thanks for the background. I was at the Spyderco both at Blade when you were talking with Eric. I look forward to seeing what else you may have in the pipeline with Spyderco.

[Invective]

"Human is a blend of saint and soldier; this is a complete person. If you are not a soldier your sainthood will be kicked around. If you are only a soldier, not a saint, you will start kicking others around."

This is an amazing quote like, whoa.

Also thanks for your insight into the design, it's not my cup of tea but I am still drawn to it for some strange reason.

[SpyderNut]

Nice to see you here, Mr. Khalsa. I thank you for your contributions to the cutlery industry. Many years ago, the original Spyderco Jot Singh Khalsa was one of the first Spyderco custom collaborations that really piqued my interest. After missing out on purchasing this model years ago, I fortunately had an opportunity to purchase one of the original Spyderco Khalsa’s in near mint condition about two years ago. I did not need much prodding on this purchase. I consider this knife to be one of the flagship models of my collection. Thanks again, and I hope to see you around!

[jotkhalsa]

Thank you all for your thoughts and good wishes. Hoping to meet some of you maybe at Blade Show. All the very best, to all of you! My wise teacher met with popes and presidents - check him out if the spirit moves you -http://www.yogibhajan.org

[bengaiser]

The original Khalsa is an incredibly beautiful knife and one of the most unique out there. It's actually one of several models that got me really interested in Spyderco in the first place back in the 90s. I haven't had a chance to handle the sprint yet, but I'm definitely looking for ward to it. It's always nice to hear about the people and ideas behind the Spyderco's, thanks for sharing!

[CrazyKorean13]

Sir,
I just got the Khalsa from Spyderco and love it. I have to say it is a very unique knife that has eye appeal and ergonomics. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and the knife too.

-Tony T.

[sal]

Hi Jot,

Thanx much for visiting. I'm sure our forumites are interested. It's always an pleasure to hear the "why's" of a designer's work.

sal

[VWTattoo]

Threads like this which provide both enlightenment into the minds of designers and their goals intended by their design(s) are the kind of thread that make this forum special. I feel privileged to have gained just that small glimpse of Mr. Khalsa and his philosophies of life. Thank you for sharing with us!

[Cheddarnut]

I occasionally have actual dreams with this knife in it, there is something more to it than is immediately understood...

[Ardy555]

Hi Jot, thanks for your post. The design of your knife has always been very interesting, i didnt realize it was specifically designed for self defense. Is there more you can tell us about the design of the knife as it relates to self defense?

[M2P]

Hello dear Jot,
I could not read this thread without reply. I love your old JSK Spyderco, and have 3 of them ! I was really excited when Eric told me in 2011 at IWA that they may propose a new one ! It is already ordered, and I can't wait receiving it in France !
Btw, am I alone to think about Orca (Killer Whale) when I look at it ?
Thanks again to you and Spyderco.

[gbelleh]

Thank you for the insight into this knife. I just received my Jot Singh Khalsa a few days ago. What an interesting knife! I'm very glad to have this sprint, since I never managed to acquire an original.

[NeverEnough]

...have had the sprint run khalsa for less than a week now...ergonomically,first impressions were W.T.F!?!...five days in now and the genius of this design is starting to dawn on me.a similar experience to first handling the shabaria...you gotta take a little time to 'find' the sweet spots.a 'grower' for sure-making alot more sense after spending a little time with the knife in hand.many thanx crew and Jot Singh Khalsa.

would be awseome to read some more insight into the design of this model...

[gijoe945]

Jot, I have met you several times through the years and always enjoy looking at your knife designs. I owned the original but never used it. That is my problem with knives that are of a truly different and elegant design. Just from reading your words, I plan on purchasing this knife and putting it into use as well as looking into my inner self and trying to figure out my real purpose in life. Thank you for sharing.

[EarthDog]

Hi Jot,

Your original Spyderco Khalsa was my very first Spyderco. The design intrigued me and led me to see that Spyderco is open to a profound variation in knife design.

I've enjoyed meeting you at the Guild show on a couple of occasions.

Good to see that your worthy design is being made available for a new generation of knife enthusiasts.

[ginsuwarrior]

Thank you for making one of the most awesome knife adds I've ever seen.

[eric m.]