Leatherman Returns

Remember how Hick found a Leatherman tool in one of his storage units? A broken Leatherman, granted, but still, a Leatherman. Which has a 25-year warranty.

Here's the one Hick found. All gadgets were in working order except the pliers, which were broken. I sent it back to Leatherman in a small flat rate box on April 12. On April 19, I got an email saying that either the repaired or replaced Leatherman was on its way, due to arrive on April 24.

IT GOT HERE A DAY EARLY!

As luck would have it, the mail was late that day, and Hick is the one who picked it up. So I'm the one who did all the work, filling out the online return form, going to the post office for a box and label, bubble-wrapping Leatherman within an inch of his life, and taking him back to the post office and paying over $7 for his trip. Yet Hick enjoyed the unveiling. Could he drive 1 mile up a gravel road with the mail, to allow me to share in welcoming Leatherman home?

No. He could not.

Hick got the key out of EmBee, and the package out of one of the four lock-boxes next to our mailbox row. He opened that up before he even got back in his truck, I bet. By the time he got home, he had Replacement Leatherman in his velcro case, with mud already clinging to one side of it.

I don't think Hick had any intention of showing me Replacement Leatherman! He DID take a picture, but when I saw it, I know that he did not do Replacement Leatherman justice. I asked to see him for myself, and took my own picture.

Replacement Leatherman is an upgrade! He's a Leatherman Super Tool 300. The one Hick found didn't even have a case. Hick says he thinks he'll KEEP this Replacement Leatherman, although he prefers his own smaller Leatherman to carry around in its worn leather case on his belt.

Hick said he would not sell his own Leatherman, because it has sentimental value. Some guy he used to work for gave it to him, a long, long time ago before Hick even met me. So it's at least 30 years old. It's a little smaller, with only one saw blade.

Poor Hick. He'd given me the regular mail, which included a catalog from some company that sells knives. On the back cover was a LEATHERMAN! I showed it to Hick. "Isn't THAT a coincidence!"

"Yeah. It's just like my old one!"

Hick got to looking at it, reading the description. He seemed a bit crestfallen. I couldn't imagine why. His sentimental Leatherman was still going strong. No flaws. Had the case. Maybe he was just taking a sweave down memory lane, feeling melancholy.

"Huh. I woulda thought mine cost more than $25."

"What?"

"Look. At this one in the catalog that's just like mine. It's $25."

"Oh. Well. It's the thought that counts! That guy didn't HAVE to give you ANYTHING! An now you have that Leatherman to remember him."

I looked at the catalog. That darn Hick! He was reading the price UNDER that Leatherman. The one that went with some brightly-colored, one-blade knives. Not the price BESIDE that Leatherman, describing it, with a price of $200.

"You are looking at the wrong price! Your Leatherman is now $200! So I imagine it cost more than $25, even back then."

Granted, that catalog has a pretty high markup on their items. The Replacement Leatherman itself goes for around $79 on most websites. Still.

Hick didn't say anything. His face lit up. I think he's pretty proud that he was worth more than $25.