May 2012

Lifetime user

It's an addiction, and there's nothing I can do about it! I started carrying a PST when I was 9. I grew up in the sticks (and loved every minute of it); all my buddies carried pocket knives. We used them to cut hay bale twine to feed stock, gut fish, fix bicycles, and whatever else a boy needs a knife for. Dad had a Leatherman, so I had to get one, right? I put that PST through hell. I pried with it, hammered with it, and just about everything else it was never designed for. Through my own stupidity, I almost cut my finger off with it when I was 10, and learned a valuable lesson about the mechanical limits of pocket tools.

When I lost the PST, I replaced it with the original Supertool. It was everything the PST was, but bigger and better! I lost the Supertool on a snowmobile trip when I was 16. Those things are expensive when you're a kid, so I hiked the trip route in the spring after the snow melted, looking for my Leatherman. For some reason, I couldn't find it. Maybe it was the 10 mile route through the mountains, or maybe somebody wanted me to have a Supertool 200! I carried the 200 for probably the last 15 years. It had some great improvements over the original Supertool, and suited my needs perfectly.

I picked up a Wave for when I didn't need the capability of its big brother, but always found myself going back to the brawny 200. I bought an extra 200, because I knew sooner or later, I was going to lose it again. A couple months ago, a coworker lost his Surge. I loaned him my extra 200 to get him through the day, and he lost that! He paid for my replacement, so of course I picked up a Supertool 300. My regular 200 was getting pretty long in the tooth, and had a few broken bits, so I sent it in for warranty. What showed up in the mail yesterday, but a brand new shiny 300! I'm a firm subscriber to the theory 2 is better than 1 and 1 is none, so now I'm all set up with 2 300s with my Wave for backup.

The last line of the letter that accompanied my warranty return made me laugh. It was where you apologized for me not having my Leatherman while you fixed/replaced it. Yet another reason to have 2 (or 10!) Leatherman's. I can't say enough about Leatherman's customer service and warranty. You guys do business the old fashioned way, and there are not many companies that do that anymore. You have a lifetime customer right here, and that will never change. Being made right here in the USA is very important as well. Most people anymore don't care, but there is still a few of us that realize the full implications of that made in the USA sticker, and buy for that reason.

I carry my 300 with me everywhere, and honestly use it at least 10 times every day. I feel naked without it, and prepared for anything with it.

One more story from when I was a kid, and I'll quit blabbing and leave you alone. I was about 12, and we were at church. I had to go to the bathroom during the service. The door knob malfunctioned, and I was locked it the bathroom. What to do? Whip out your trusty Leatherman, and dismantle the door knob! Mom had some questions about why I was in there so long, and why it no longer had a door knob, but those were easily explained away. Having carried a Leatherman for 20 years, (I'm 29) I have enough stories about it saving the day I could write a book. Everything from being able to fix a dirt bike and save myself a 15 mile hike out, to opening a can of beans when I'm hungry. In conclusion, thanks again for making a great product, making it here, and standing behind it.