Should I swap for a Refurb?

[JZ*]

First post from a long time "lurker"...My 3 month old crappy holster velcro gave up the ghost and my TP went flying went I got out of my car and dented and scratched the frame; the phone and all funtions appear to be working fine...but this is the first damage to my phone and it pisses me off!
I decided to go to Sprint to see if they would replace it...I explained exactly what happened and to my surprise, the manager offered to get me another phone, but said it would be a refurb. I told him to order it, and he said I can look it over before I swap. He also gave me a new oem case to replace my worn out one (nice jesture), I appreciate Sprint stepping up like this, BUT...my question:
Should I swap the phone out? Anything I need to look for to make sure it is a good one (build date, etc)? Any problems with refurbs? Should I take the phone if it look ok?

thanks in advance for your insight