That small claims scare tactic works more often than people expect, I had a contractor pay me back $300 the same week he got the court notice. But you're right about the cutoff, I now treat anything under $500 as tuition for a lesson in trust rather than a legal fight. If I need to put down a deposit these days, I ask for a receipt with their full legal name and address on it before handing over a cent.

wait your water being too hard can stall the whole drawdown?

Is it just me, or do fancy kitchen tools always show their true colors right when you're already stressed? I bought a $90 pepper grinder once, the kind with the little gears inside, and it worked great for like a week. Then it started spitting out pepper chunks and the adjustment knob just spun free, so I'd have to whack it on the counter to get it to grip again. Ended up using the cheap salt-and-pepper shaker from the dollar store more than that thing. My thumb still hurts reading about your cut, though. Hope it heals up clean.