Do you loan out tools?

[4ruinner]

Usually happens at junkyards where someone wants to borrow a socket or screwdriver.

I once let somebody use a deep 12mm socket, after a while I had to look for him all over the place just to get my socket back. After that, it is a "no" or "I don't have one" I don't need to be chasing anyone just to get my stuff back.

 

[mudflap]

Dang....u guys have had alot of bad tool loaning experiences...Guess i have been lucky...

 

[PJNJ]

NO - not anymore. 'Nuff said.

 

[2oolhound]

The people I loan to know I'm eccentric and they have to bring them back as soon as their job is done.

I don't use my own tools at work except for contract work where I charge for them but when I see others at work struggling when the right tool would save a lot of time and frustration I'll loan the tool more or less to blow their mind and convince them to get the top brass to buy one. I get a chuckle out of seeing their reactions when they've been busting their butts making do and then a tool they didn't think of or know about makes the job simple and takes 1/4 of the time.

 

[ecotec]

I PREFER to never a borrower or lender be...

There are always exceptions. On my last job I borrowed a coworker's clamp meter. I was pretty worried about it getting stolen, so I kept it on my person the whole time I had it. I even took it with me to break.

A coworker borrowed a very expensive laser level from a vendor and it got stolen. It was a brutal lesson.

I try to make it a habit to borrow and lend tools as rarely as possible, though. Sometimes because of fear of it getting stolen, sometimes because I do not want to set a precedent, and sometimes because **** you...

Once, many years ago, a coworker who had previously told me that I brought too many tools to work asked to borrow a tool. That was not ever going to happen. So a while later, I was coming back from break and the guy was cutting the lock off my tool box. I was totally in the right to yell at this guy, but I took it waaaay too far. I said such heinous things to this guy... I should be sorry about it. I am not sorry about it, though. I made it clear that he could lose his job or even die before I help him.

 

[Moose97]

Depends on what it is. Hand tools generally not, but will to some. Daughters boyfriend (full body shiver just typing that) asked to borrow a 22m socket. I didn't think twice about it. Just handed it to him. I figure if a kid is interested in fixing his own stuff I'll help with that. He brought it back the next day. Mostly I'll tell them to come over and I'll loan you a shop and all the tools and I'll even help you with whatever it is.

I've bought stuff like tile saws and cement mixers that I will absolutely loan out to friends. I can't get enough uses out of that kind of stuff to justify the cost a lot of times. I'd say overall I've had generally good luck loaning tools out although to be fair I haven't had a ton of folks even ask. Guess there are fewer and fewer DIY'ers left.

 

[Moose97]

Once, many years ago, a coworker who had previously told me that I brought too many tools to work asked to borrow a tool. That was not ever going to happen. So a while later, I was coming back from break and the guy was cutting the lock off my tool box. I was totally in the right to yell at this guy, but I took it waaaay too far. I said such heinous things to this guy... I should be sorry about it. I am not sorry about it, though. I made it clear that he could lose his job or even die before I help him.

You catch the guy attempting to steal while vandalizing your personal property and you think saying bad things to him was taking it too far? You're a good man. He could have gotten a beat down...or worse.

 

[vettex2]

When I was working in a shop we'd loan tools to each other but there was a rule.
If you borrowed a tool twice, you had to go and buy that tool.

 

[ecotec]

You catch the guy attempting to steal while vandalizing your personal property and you think saying bad things to him was taking it too far? You're a good man. He could have gotten a beat down...or worse.

You have not heard, nor should I ever repeat, the heinous **** I said to that guy.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I don't normally loan tool, Been burned too many times.
I do have a friend who has a mechanic shop and I had to borrow a pair of cutters from him twice, so the next time I need them I just went and purchased my own, And you know what, I have never needed them sense. But now I do own a set.
I do have a big box of junk hand tools that I will give to people when they ask to borrow.
You borrow, no but here let me give you one.

 

[Carroll B]

I may loan a wrench or a hammer to my neighbor, but only loan my power tools to my son or brother. My brother loaned his chain saw to a friend "who knew how to use one". He returned it with a burned up bar and chain as he ran it dry of chain oil and didn't refill it. I will help a friend or neighbor by using my tools, but not loan them out. I only borrow tools from my son or brother; if they don't have what I need I buy it.

 

[TheGrooveking]

My blood boils reading this thread, I've had a few friends who thought they could hold onto my tools for years and then give me **** when I asked for them back, now ex- friends who fear me. I've had two friends who died and their families absorbed my tools and when I asked they acted like I was a jerk trying to rip them off, of course they never noticed my engraved name on the tools.

TheGrroveking

 

[anndel]

"I Make My Living With Snap On Tools, Please Don't Ask To Borrow"

 

[nes999]

I dont lend tools to anyone. I have never once had a tools come back to me in acceptable shape. Now when someone askes to borrow a tool it's no except for a select few.

I spend far too much on tools for them to not work right when I need them. My father is the worst he will borderline destroy any tool I lend him and then say "well if I had broke it I would have replaced it." I learned the hard way the last time I lent him something when I loaned him a 2,000 dollar pump to empty his pool. He threw a non submersible pump in his pool. Even after I told him how to prime it and it has letters all over it saying "non submersible" Of course when I go to pick it up he tells me how my 2,000 dollar pump was broken and a POS because it didn't pump. The worst part was I never got the chance to use it. Brand spankin new pump trashed.

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[flushcut]

Only to my father in law who is too God da#@ cheap to buy tools. So when he borrows them I call him almost imeadietly saying I need them back maybe he'll get a clue.

 

[Cope]

I will only loan a chainsaw to one person, a guy I grew up with who has sold me my lawn equipment for 40 years. With anyone else, the saw comes attached to my hand. I have lost a few tools over the years, so I rarely loan any tools any more. My son-in-law and one neighbor are the exceptions. Neighbor borrowed my battery booster Saturday evening. His battery was toast, so when he bought an new one, he gifted me a new compact charger.
https://www.batteriesplus.com/charger/car-and-truck/noco/nocgb40

 

[Jarhead0408]

The only tools I loan are the ones I don't care about. Which makes my list very, very small.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Seems that most of Us have our fenced inner circle of People We will loan tools and other things to.. The old saying about good fences make good neighbors somewhat applies.. It helps to maintain the fence and keep the gate locked. I hand out very few keys for the lock, and don't have a listed phone number. I am not currently listed in the yellow pages under: Free Tool Fool ... I have learned to not loan anything out unless I know and approve who will be using it, where and for what, and when it will be returned..

There was one fellow that came over and tried to hang a guilt trip on Me for being so strict.. I asked him if he borrowed the truck from the Local Fire Department for extended days to water his trees and shrubs... I explained that My shop was My Fire Department, and I needed My Fire Fighting tools ready to deal with a flaming rush to get a smoking hot projects done .. The only difference is the fire comes to Me..

His hopes of borrowing tools were somewhat drenched for the day.

 

[Cruzan80]

I guess I am the outlier, as I have loaned tools to friends and neighbors without any issue. Everything comes back quickly, and in good shape. However, I ask them if they know how to use it when it gets loaned, and if I sense any hesitation, I usually go with the tool and keep it safe.

 

[bwringer]

I guess I'm lucky to have an "inner circle" of people I can loan tools to without worrying too much.

Generally, I get people wanting to drop off broken **** so I can fix it for free, just for the sheer joy of it or some ****. Took me some time to learn how to head these off.

 

[jd_1138]

Neighbor guy (bought the house last year) was building a ramp on his front porch for his disabled mother. I went over with a couple of beers and offered him one. I noticed he was using a regular corded old B&D drill and was struggling. He'd put a drill bit in it and pre-drill, then he'd remove the drill bit and put a Phillips drive bit in it to run a screw in it. He had to really lean on it and fight it to get a screw in.

I went home and got my DeWalt impact driver and drill kit and brought it over. Also I gave him a box of torx fasteners. I put a drill bit in the regular drill, and a torx driver bit on the impact. I told him I'd probably pre-drill because I hate cracks in wood, but he quickly found he didn't need/want to pre-drill. He was shooting those torx fasteners in super easily.

"Wow, I need to get one of these!", he said. It's kinda cool to see someone get excited about tools. He brought the tools back the next day along with a case of Heineken. He must have cleaned them before bringing them back because they came back cleaner than they had been. And he bought me a new box of torx fasteners.

 

[gearhead1]

I will loan to certain people, and certain ones I don't. I generally know who I can and can't loan to and you won't get me twice. I have two in my demolition derby group I can loan anything to. The other guys.....not so much. Tools cost a lot of money, so misplacing, losing, and abusing are a no-go for me.

A friend from work asked if we could change the cylinder head on his car. He's the type to put a socket in every drawer, a screwdriver in every drawer, just kind of throws stuff back wherever when it's easy to see where things go especially when I have rails for sockets and labeled drawers. He need to grind a bolt and ground my vise grips so they don't close. It's always something, so when he asks, I'm busy, will be out of town, etc.

 

[gdpolk]

Absolutely NOT. Folks are welcome to bring projects TO ME and I will assist them in whatever they have going on, but my tools never leave my garage for any reason unless they are in my own hands. I don't have duplicates of most stuff and can't afford to constantly be replacing lost/broken tools and simply don't want the hassle of keeping up with them. I also don't believe in owning more than you can use so I'm not one to have multiple sets of the same things to keep as "beater" or "loaner" tools. I just buy the best I can afford of what I need when I need it and then it's there for my use.

 

[moon_tanner]

Saw this the other day at the marina:

 

[Empty Pockets]

Since I'm no longer in the trades, the only people that I lend tools to are my younger son and son-in-law.

When I'm at work, wife and son have keys to my boxes, when wife or kids use tools, they go back in a plastic box on my bench, I return them to the box.

 

[fordnut85]

Being that I am the only shop in town people assume I have thousands of dollars in tools just for their enjoyment. I have actually had people ask to use my lift and a bay for "a couple days" lol. There are a select few that I will loan out tools to like some close friends that return my tools as soon as they are done along with a 12 pack or my son in law who took a weeks vacation to come work in my shop while I was recovering from surgery.

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[crewchief888]

at work i rarely loan anything to anyone, i'm rarely at the shop for more than an hour or so, grabbing parts or doing paperwork.
at the speed they work, i wouldnt get my stuff back before i got ready to leave.

loaning tools to neighbor wont ever happen, ive gone over and fixed stuff for him with my tools, but would never leave anything i owned there.

funny thing is a friend of mine happened to mention he was gonna be doing a tile job at his house. i offered him my tile saw, just told him it needs a new blade. couple days later he came by and picked it up.
couple months go by, i got a call from him one afternoon, "hey i still have your saw, the project got sidetracked, didnt want ya to think i just didnt bring it back."

gezzz i forgot i even loaned it to him

 

[ephotrod]

I do i get a current driver license and cash (3/4 cost to replace) or debit card. Its amazing how many folks will ask me why i want those items and when i tell them to insure a timely return of tool they move on.

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[Roberts210]

Nope. Never. Unless the person wanting to borrow it is cute, female and friendly, cause I know that I won't forget she borrowed it.

 

[rick carpenter]

I have quite a few tools and luckily, I guess, I haven't been asked to lend many out. I have several friends that I would with no hesitation, others I just thank goodness they don't ask. I'll lend tools to my son but if he's not familiar with their use then I'll show him and let him go to town with it.

Things are different when I am out on a church-sponsored demolition or rebuild worktrip. I bring a lot of tools with me every time, mostly hand tools but always some power tools. We'll have people of all skill sets and if they want to use any of my tools I make sure to teach them how first if necessary. Regardless, selfishness has no place there and potential loss of/damage to tools is something I understand might occur before ever signing on.

 

[ajohno]

I don't lend out tools nor do I borrow anybody's tools.

 

[bsg1]

i own collectible tools that i would not loan out, nor would i use many of them. i do whatever i can to help my son including loaning/giving him tools. regarding others, it's not a firm yes or no answer as to whether or not i would loan out tools and is relative to who the prospective borrower is. to those that know me well enough to ask for a loaner, i would not need to request that a tool be returned when it's service is no longer needed and for it to be returned in the condition it was received in.

 

[jd_1138]

A common consensus is: "I don't loan my tools out; they can come to me and I will fix their broken machine." But then you have to do work -- for free.

A friend asked me if I could repair his steps. One of the 2x8's broke and it was hard for them to get into their house. He has zero tools and zero skills. I brought over a replacement board, some torx fasteners, my DeWalt drills, tape measure and circular saw so I could cut it to size. I pre-drilled the holes to prevent splits/cracks, and I carefully screwed the board onto the steps.

I said: "oh the board was only $5 at Home Depot." So he hands me a $10 and asks if I have change. He is quite broke and went through hell to get his daughter back (in an abusive situation with his ex), so I don't judge. I had to fish $2.50 in change out of my cupholder in the CRV to give him along with a dollar I had. I only had a $20 and a dollar bill.

I thought it was pretty silly and funny, actually. But I do enjoy working with my hands and fixing things, so that's why you guys don't mind helping the relative/friend for free instead of just giving them your tools. I can dig it.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

I lend tools to my parents, grandparents, and 3 or 4 select friends. My willingness to lend/loan depends on the tool.

If it's something I use all the time like drills, saws, or sanders, they do not get loaned unless in an emergency. Stuff that gets some use but infrequently I have no problem with, like chainsaw, rototiller, etc. Some of my larger stuff that rarely gets used I actively try to loan out so I don't have to store it somewhere here, haha. Stuff like my drywall lift, 24' extension ladder, and cement mixer.


On the opposite end, I hate borrowing tools unless I absolutely need to.

 

[MO-Iron]

Where I live Farmers still help Farmers and the help or favors I have received from a tool loan has always been good. I have a few things like torque multipliers and 1" drive tools that can really save someones day.
I will not loan portable welders, oxy-fuel equipment, or big chainsaws (70cc or more).

There are a few people that I will turn down, but most of them are too lazy to need any tools anyway.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

I remember a fish house building project that went sour. I furnished the garage space, the material, tow vehicle, and tools. His part was to build the fish house and choose the lake.
When I checked the progress one afternoon, I noticed that all the ground pins had been ripped out of the plugs on My power tools.. I don't use them like that, and don't like the cobbled look of aftermarket repair ends.. So being those power tools were not usable for Me; I cut all the cords off even with the handles, turned off the lights, and left.. The project was **** canned, and I later installed new cord assemblies. When buying new cords, I also replaced a 3/8" x 14' chain that was never returned. I heard it fell in the hole when he was ice fishing.

 

[Derek420]

I use to have to borrow tools after all my tools got stolen twice and got so sick of it now I got more than ever and all I could ever need to the most part and keep them locked up like fort Knox. I don't have a single person to even ask to borrow anything and I even bought my wife her own pink and purple truck brand tools so she haves her own and as far as neighbors I've never even talked to either guy on either side of me and what I can see since I can see in thier garages don't look like they even own à tool, I guess because I live in a middle upper class subdivision of 200k-400k homes seems like everyone must pay to fix their things it's a shame really I enjoy building and fixing things myself and learning how to do all I can must not be much diyers anymore even my father has gave up on fixing his own cars and he use to be the guy I went to for knowldge on how to do something. I do have 2 brothers ,1 is worthless and has never even owned his own tools not a single 1 I'd say and he's 40 and the other is about like me so we must have got the good genes lol. I would loan my father or brother a tool any time and wouldn't worry Im sure had to borrow a tool from them before at some point. My friends and i haved moved away but I would trust them to use my tools but in my garage only so they'd have to come use them under my watch but I'd say I'd be doing all the work as they are not good at fixing anything only breaking it and asking me to help.

 

[drink]

Loaning tools to people is something I try to avoid doing if I can. There have been times when I grabbed a field service set of hand tools and helped some people repair their riding mower that had quit running while they were mowing. As the repair work was in progress they reached for a tool of some sort but they all went back into the tool box.

 

[jd_1138]

I use to have to borrow tools after all my tools got stolen twice and got so sick of it now I got more than ever and all I could ever need to the most part and keep them locked up like fort Knox. I don't have a single person to even ask to borrow anything and I even bought my wife her own pink and purple truck brand tools so she haves her own and as far as neighbors I've never even talked to either guy on either side of me ..................

Wow, you live in a nice neighborhood and never talked to either neighbor? Not even a quick "hi, how are ya?"

I guess that's how a lot of neighbors are these days. When we moved here, the neighbor lady brought us over a casserole. Nice people, and her husband's a diesel technician/mechanic. So if I ever need assistance with something mechanical if it's outside of my abilities, he loves to help. I help him too on projects.

 

[covert]

I used to, but don't unless they are family.

Last summer, I lent my chainsaw to my next door neighbour. He was doing some yard maintenance and wanted to prune some trees back. Showed him how to use it, and brought over a spare can of gas to use with it since he had a fair amount to do. I got it back the next day, covered in wood chips, and empty, with him saying "I think it ran out of gas because it stopped working". Figuring he'd destroyed it, I tested it but it was actually just out of gas. He won't be getting any more tools. He's also the guy who around the same time decided his lawn mower needed service; he disassembled it and it's now sitting where it was last summer, along with the tools he used; it's now got over a foot of snow on everything. This guy is also a roofer, and makes a living with tools (his roofing stuff also sits outdoors, exposed to the elements). I would not be using him to do my roof, that's for sure.

Family usually get the tool but with me there also. I usually use the adage above. If you need to borrow the same tool more than twice, you need to go buy it. I have no problem telling them that too.