Do You Say LeatherMAN or LeatherMUN?

I'm not talking about Leatherman today because the company asked me to.  I'm just going to tell you what I think of their tools and show you some pictures because they are a company that is true to their word.  And that is so rare.

If you Leatherman people want me to do actual reviews, I'd be happy to receive your free products, find people to beat the snot out of them and get back to you!

My father has been a big fan of the Leatherman tool for a long, long time.  So, it should not surprise you that I found a boy that also has had a fascination with Leatherman for a long, long time.

K-ster first owned a Leatherman about 10 years ago when we found one on the ground.  We got it repaired and BINGO, he was hooked.

K-ster assumes the position.  All you need to do is show the slightest sign that you might be struggling to open something and out comes the Leatherman to save the day.

There is not a circumstance where he can't find a reason to whip that bad boy out to help you out.

Did someone say they need a knife?

Pliers?

A saw?  Yes, this blade can cut through wood!

So what is a Leatherman?  It's a multi tool that has so many amazing tools on it, once you start using it, you can't be without it.  Ever.  Not. Ever.  It has a saw, a knife, a screwdriver, scissors(some models), a bottle opener(some models), pliers, a 1 foot measure and the list goes on and on.

Yep, it's like a Swiss army knife.  But it's not red.  Or Swiss.

It is NOT like this mutli tool that I got for free when I joined a garden club.

Mine is super cheapo depot and it's not comfortable to use.  The best asset it has is this pruning tool.  Leatherman makes one of those if you need that.

Perfect example of why mine is a piece of crap:  the plastic pops off.  And the pieces are stiff and don't move well.

And while it does have knives and things, there is vacant space around them so your fingers press inside the slots when you use it and it's not nice.

And it looks cheesy, like I got it at the Dollar Store.

Leatherman makes many different models and k-ster has had a few.  When he worked on boats, he used that thing every single day and could not live without it.

For Christmas this past year, my father got all 3 boys Leathermans (LEathermen?).  K-ster could not have been happier.  It immediately took its place in the Leatherman slot on his waist.  The other one ended up in the laundry room (?) where I kept seeing it and wanted to return it for repair but never got around to it.

Did I mention that for like 5 years, k-ster worked on boats and used his Leatherman EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.?  Did I mention that those boats were most often in the water?  And that he would often be precariously dangling from some tuna tower, holding on to a radar while trying to screw in something? 

And did I mention that in all that time, he never ever lost that Leatherman?  Never dropped it in the drink?

Guess what he did with the one my father gave him? (I can say this now because he recently  confessed)  He lost it because of his OWN BOAT!

He refurbished his dad's boat and he was so excited to take it down to the water, after hooking up the lights, he thinks he left his Leatherman on the tongue of the trailer.

And it was gone.

He was pretty sad.  Probably more sad that I made him walk all .7 miles to the beach, in the dark, with flashlights to see if maybe it fell off and we could find it.

Because losing a Leatherman is like losing your wallet.  Or your small child.

We looked everywhere.  I can't even imagine it really hung on long enough to get lost outside of the driveway, but we still haven't found it.

TA-DAH I saved the day by resurrecting his old one from the laundry room, the one that hadn't yet been repaired.

Then, when we were all working on the water and electric for the greenhouse a few weeks ago (I know, the damned thing went up in March and I'm still talking about how I dont' have water or electric out there), he confessed to my father that he lost it.

I.COULD.NOT.BELIEVE.HE.TOLD.HIM.

Never fear, he told my father, I still have my old one.

A few days later, my father handed me one of his Leathermans that looked like it had been through the mill and back.  Here, he said, give this to k-ster.  Send it back if you want and they'll give you a new one.

So I thought I'd surprise k-ster with a new one.  But, he saw it on the counter and thought I had found his missing one and was messing with him.  One does not mess with men and Leathermen.  I explained the plan, and off he went to the post office the next day.

A week later, a new one came to us, clean and whistle and sharper than, well, whatever is really sharp.

So, here's Leatherman's deal.  They guarantee their tools for 25 years.  That is one HELL of a long time for a tool.

If you know anything about me, the words guarantee, warranty, free, replacement are all music to my ears.  Hell yes, I'll pay to ship you my nasty, broken Leatherman if you'll replace it!

They take what you send, no receipt necessary, just fill out a form.  They have no idea if you bought it or not and don't seem to care.  They look at the problem and will either fix yours, give you a refurbished version of your model or send you the next closest thing if they don't make your style anymore.

And these things are not chintzy.  They are not cheesy.  They are super strong workhorses made of stainless steel and they can take a beating and then some.

And this company stands by their word.

They sent a letter with the new one explaining that they think the best thing is to send a refurbished version of what we sent back.  This is not brand spanking new but we certainly can't tell the difference.  All of the blades are really sharp and not bent.  Everything is where it should be.  It's not rusty or marked up.

This is not the first time we've made use of their return policy.  We have not been disappointed any of the times we've sent one back.

I also have to add that we aren't sending them back because they bent or broke when were using them to open the mail or tighten a screw.  These things take a severe beating around here, because they use them every.single.day.

This is one of those rare companies that still stands by their word and doesn't make it difficult to let them honor their guarantee.

And I'm one of those rare people who has come to expect that a man standing near me will, at all times, have a Leatherman on his belt.  I cannot tell you how often I realize that a Leatherman would truly make this easier.

And I cannot tell you how much I resent a man for NOT having one on him when I need it most.

I recently did a jewelry party where someone had a broken necklace.  All that needed to be done was to squeeze one of the wire things.  I didn't have anything with me.  The husband wouldn't leave, so I figured, hey, I'll make him useful.

I examined him for signs of a Leatherman but no luck.  So I asked him if he had a pair of pliers (or balls, because he clearly had neither).

It took an act of Congress to get him to let me hold them in my very own hand to do the very simple 3.2 second repair.

God I have no use for men like that.

Give me your Leatherman, toss it across the room if you have to (that's what Christmas morning is all about dodging the flying Leatherman), let me do it myownself and then I'll give it back.

Maybe.