Letter to Leatherman Tool Group Inc.

I sent the following email to Leatherman Tool Group Inc. regarding their warranty repair service and a suggestion that I thought could make their warranty service better for some of their customers

Hi Leatherman!
I want to say you guys make excellent tools; they are among the best made pieces of equipment I've used.  I've used competitor's tools but Leatherman always comes out on top!  I've never had a tool last as long as my Leatherman wave!

I bought a S2 Juice model for daily carry a while back because I wanted something lighter and I must give you kudos for making a tool with all the tools I like to see on a Multitool in a lightweight basic package!

I did have a problem a while back where the back spacer popped out and it needed to be sent in for warranty service.  I am very grateful for the 25 year warranty; it's just long enough for any factory issues to come to light!  Now I contacted you guys and you gave me the address for Eastern Outdoor Sales and I sent it in for replacement.  I sent it off and then called after a couple weeks to find out how much longer it would be.  They informed me that they haven't got to it yet but through conversation I found out that the Juice line is replaced not repaired. 

I'd like to suggest a change to your procedure for warranty replacement tools.  It took about 3 weeks to get my new tool and I don't think that was necessary.  If my tool was being repaired I'd see the logic of using something like a cue to decide who's tool gets fixed next, that is only fair. (A cue like when you get put on hold calling your cable company where they get to you in the order of when the call was received) I don't think putting a tool that is by default replaced and not repaired into that cue just to get mailed out is a good practice.  Since the Juice line is replaced without any thought to it being repaired I'd think when the repair facility sees the Juice (or other models that may be replaced and not repaired) it would be nice to your customers just to mail out a new one upon arrival of the tool.  There really is no need for someone to wait 3 weeks to get a tool that is replaced and never even considered repairable.

I'd like to close with this, despite this little disagreement with your protocol I am committed to buying Leatherman tools in the future.  The very fact that I didn't have to go out and buy a new tool for $40+ dollars and instead just paid $6 in shipping is reason enough for me to stay committed to your excellent tools!

God bless you and thank you for your top notch tools!
--
Frazer

 

I'll be sure to post any follow up emails that they send me. I can't stress enough how Leatherman makes some of the best Multitool out there and I probably barring a major melt down in quality with never buy anything but Leatherman Multitools!

 

[What is your 2010 preparedness plan?]

 

Frazer,

 

Feel free to follow me on Twitter and check out my Youtube videos.

 

EDC Update - July 22, 2010

This is a video of my recent EDC Update.




Items I carry on a daily basis, some things change depending on the planned task however my daily carry is usually a variation of this. For example I might carry my full size Leatherman Wave Multi-tool if I plan on doing heavier tasks and I might carry my Streamlight Scorpion LED if I need a brighter light with more through from the beam and more power from the flashlight.

Contents of my Everyday Carry:
* Maxpedition Spartan Wallet (tough as nails)
* Moleskine Notepad (some of the best notepads out there)
* Fisher Space Pen (excellent pen for Canadian Winters, will right in frigid cold)
* Zebra Telescopic Pen (used as a back-up)
* Leatherman Juice Model S2 (great little knife, light weight and good quality)
* 16oz hand sanitizer
* 3'x3' 100% Cotton Bandanna (great for wiping sweat or tears from eyes, even can be used as a crude first aid implement purchased from Canteenshop.com)
* Microfiber cloth (for cleaning my glasses)
* House and Vehicle Keys (self explanatory)
* Streamlight Stylus Pro Flashlight (perfect Size for EDC, might upgrade eventually to the 4Sevens Preon 2 for more power out of a similar light)
* Motorola V9x RAZR cellular phone (simple is better, yeah I'd love an Android smart phone but this thing has served me well)

Frazer,

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A reason to be ready for anything!

I watched a video of my friend from Church Bill's story of being rescued at sea. At the time of writing this there is no media on the website in the hyperlink but it says there will be soon. I saw the discovery channel video on his facebook page. It is an amazing story of God's grace and a story of a miracle only God could provide. While I trust God fully, I believe he gave us the ability to have options. I often get people bugging me for what I call my EDC or Everyday Carry items. Which tend to include at least a flashlight and a Leatherman Multitool. My current EDC items include my cell phone, a pen, notepad, Streamlight Stylus Pro, Leatherman Wave, Spyderco Delica 4 and my keys which includes a micro Fox40 whistle.

It is times like what happened to Bill and his friends that spark the reason for my EDC system. In his story the boat they were on capsized in the sea and it took several days to get rescued, praise God that they all are okay now! That being said, while everyone has an EDC not everyone makes one that gives them as many options as mine does. And you know what? that's fine, it's what they are comfortable with. If I was on the boat with Bill and his friend and father I would have built a special kit of items to have on my body in case of emergency. On the high seas it would have probably been kept in a waist rig (or what is often called a fanny pack) and consisted of a waterproof seaworthy marine LED flashlight, a small marine LED strobe light, a Signal Mirror, Rite-in-the-rain notepad, a pencil, a Spyderco Pacific Salt folding knife, about 10 feet of 550 para cord at least one glow stick and a flare. I might have sprung for renting a marine Personal Locator Beacon on a lanyard around my neck or strapped to the waist rig. These items would have been affixed to my body in the waist rig so that if I fell overboard or anything separated me from the boat and alone I would still have all this gear. While there is definitely more gear on the boat it can't hurt to have some stuff on your body.

Now why would I have these items on me? well because like I said, I like to have options! Imagine if I didn't have this stuff and was to fall overboard and no one noticed right away...I wouldn't have had time when falling off the boat to grab some gear! This stuff could save my life! here are just a few uses for the items I listed...

Marine LED Flashlight

• Signaling
  
• light source (if the boat died but didn't capsize)

Marine Strobe Light

• Signaling

Signal Mirror

• Signaling

Rite-in-the-rain notepad and pencil

• take notes without worry of water damage

Spyderco Pacific Salt Folding Knife

• It's always good to have a knife on you
• This model wouldn't rust from the salt with it's H1 steel
• Defense against sharks (I don't like to be unable to protect myself)
• cut rope, wetsuits or anything that might need cutting

10 feet of 550 Para Cord

• Well for one 550 para cord is able to hold up to 550lbs without a problem so it's strong
• To keep the crew together in case the boat capsized (Just like the guys did)

Glow Stick

• Gives 12 hours of light so it could be a good signal device for at night for air rescue

Flare

• Anyone who has been at sea knows a flair is a great way to get help
• Again a signaling device

Personal Locator Beacon

• These devices are used all the time to locate lost people in mountains, on the high seas etc. It would have alerted officials immediately of their distress and given their exact GPS location for a quick rescue.

You'll notice a lot of this stuff was aimed at signaling. I think one of the most pressing issues when lost at sea is being found. That and the biggest risk I could see of being at sea is getting lost. In addition I'd make sure there was a good first aid kit on the boat.

Some people make fun of my EDC items, that usually ends when they need to open a package and my knife saves the day or when the power goes out and they need to find something my flashlight comes into action. It's just giving me more options for any situation that may come up.


Watch Bill and team's story HERE