Battle Harness Armor vs Disembodied Hand familiar vs Avalanche Hurler U12

Question

The wording on these is slightly different but I don't know if it's lazy writing or if they're actually meant to do different things.

The Battle Harness Armor property reads: “As a free action, you can draw a sheathed weapon or retrieve a stowed item.” Does that mean that you can't stow the items away again as a free action? That you must drop them or spend a minor action to do so?

The Avalanche Hurler U12, Quick Draw Trick reads: “You draw or stow one or two weapons.” Does that mean that you can only draw weapons as a free action but not other items?

The Disembodied Hand reads: “You can retrieve or stow an item as a free action instead of as a minor action.” I'd think that weapons are items but since the Battle Harness Armor specifically mentions both then perhaps this doesn't work with weapons? Is an implement a weapon?

Answer 1

The Battle Harness Armor property reads: “As a free action, you can draw a sheathed weapon or retrieve a stowed item.” Does that mean that you can't stow the items away again as a free action? That you must drop them or spend a minor action to do so?

You can switch items between hands as a free action. But yes, if your hands are occupied, you need to drop an item or otherwise stow/sheath it.

The Avalanche Hurler U12, Quick Draw Trick reads: “You draw or stow one or two weapons.” Does that mean that you can only draw weapons as a free action but not other items?

Only weapons.

The Disembodied Hand reads: “You can retrieve or stow an item as a free action instead of as a minor action.” I'd think that weapons are items but since the Battle Harness Armor specifically mentions both then perhaps this doesn't work with weapons? Is an implement a weapon?

Weapons are definitely items (see, for example, Double Weapons in Adventurer's Vault, page 10). In theory someone could argue that weapons are sheathed rather than stowed, but in that case, there's no reason you couldn't have an unsheathed weapon hanging around on your person, which you would still be able to "retrieve." Implements are not necessarily weapons, but some classes (e.g. Monk, Sorcerer, Swordmage, anything that uses staffs as implements) can use some weapons as implements, and some implements (e.g. Ironscar Rod) can be used as weapons.