What should I do with my low quality tools?

[ToolGlutton]

Since I came to this forum, I have been upgrading my tool collection. As a result, now I have lots of tools with brands like Stanley, Task Force, Craftsman, etc that I want to get rid of.

Is there a Charitable organization that accept tools?

Thanks.

 

[Homoudont]

well u can build a spare set for your car(s) or junk yard sets. Or you can give them to family/friends that just need a set around the house to put stuff together. I assume you can donate to some local salvation army or something of that nature.

 

[Diesel-Mech]

Give them to a friend/kid that needs them, most of the chartable organizations that take donations like the salvation army will just resale them.

 

[mtwaterguy]

I know of one here in Montana. It's the GMAH Foundation. "Give Mike a handout foundation" Give me a PM and I'll give you the address. I'll be sure to spread the wealth.

 

[Bull]

I know of one here in Montana. It's the GMAH Foundation. "Give Mike a handout foundation" Give me a PM and I'll give you the address. I'll be sure to spread the wealth.

lol!

 

[64merc]

I usually give them to family or sell them at a yard sale. Cheaper tools (especially Craftsman) sell well at yard sales.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Since I came to this forum, I have been upgrading my tool collection. As a result, now I have lots of tools with brands like Stanley, Task Force, Craftsman, etc that I want to get rid of.

Is there a Charitable organization that accept tools?

Thanks.

As already mentioned I will gladly pay the freight for any tools you might want to donate to my cause. In particular the junky Craftsman tools. In fact, just donate those to me and share the wealth of those other klunkers with someone else! I would not want to be a little tool piggy!

 

[krusty the clown]

NEVER get rid of tools........PERIOD. as mentioned above they are great for a road box.

 

[tpolley]

Since I came to this forum, I have been upgrading my tool collection. As a result, now I have lots of tools with brands like Stanley, Task Force, Craftsman, etc that I want to get rid of.

Is there a Charitable organization that accept tools?

Thanks.

i am now accepting charritable tool donations 24hrs a day 7 days a week for your convenience.

 

[jdcompman]

I would find a local school and donate them to their shop program.

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

Depends on the tools.

Loaner box or box for someone who helps you.
School, habitat restore type organization, first time homeowner or young friend getting married.

Wrenches I would see how many you have. I have found having tighter fitting ones is good, but sometimes (rust) looser fitting ones are great. Also they are good to have to be those cut down wrenches.



EDIT: FORGOT maybe the best one. Make a set (at least the basics) of stuff for your wife/girlfriend to use, so she doesn't screw up the good stuff (screwdriver/prybar/scraper, etc)

 

[boiler7904]

Your extras would make a good set of loaner tools. Good enough to get a job done but you won't miss them if not immediately returned.

Having an extra set of basic stuff (channellocks, small socket set, adjustable wrench, 10 in 1 screwdriver, 12' tape measure, utility knife, etc.) in the house keeps me from making a lot of trips to the garage when my asks me to do this or that.

Another idea is to talk to local vocational schools or high school shop class instructors and see if they might have a need for the tools. I would think that you could get a receipt for them (depreciated value) as a charitable donation to help offset this year's income taxes.

 

[Danglerb]

Loaner tools, project tools. Nothing like a cheap wrench and a hammer when you need a special tool.

Donating stuff, NEVER do it without knowing what the joint does with donations. Many have goofy rules like never using donations directly, only to sell and then buy what is needed from some selected provider.

 

[paramudduck]

Krusty has it right. Never get rid of tools, you always end up buying more to replace them.
Beides I'd much rather modify a Task Force then a Snap On.

 

[Stuey]

I've given tools away before, to friends and colleagues who needed them. When I replace a junky tool with a good one, the junk one goes into a "spares" or "willing to be destroyed" box, or into my roadbag.

I've considered donating to habitat for humanity but never had anything worthwhile to send their way.

I'm sure that good tools can also be donated to the local firehouse or similar.

You can always donate to your local high school's robotics team, or similar.

 

[Uncle Buck]

NEVER get rid of tools........PERIOD. as mentioned above they are great for a road box.

Krusty has it right. Never get rid of tools, you always end up buying more to replace them.
Beides I'd much rather modify a Task Force then a Snap On.

Fine, do gooders! Here I am out paddling about fishing for freebies and along come you two giving him the striaght skinny!

 

[krusty the clown]

Fine, do gooders! Here I am out paddling about fishing for freebies and along come you two giving him the striaght skinny!

bwahahahaha..........

 

[Titus]

I have 3 categories of tools.

1) The good stuff / stuff that I have no duplicates- (Craftsman Professional, Truck brands, some old made in USA stuff, plus Craftsman sockets and a few Chinese tools that I have not gotten around to upgrading) This stuff stays in the shop, and is used mostly for car projects.

2) The Fair stuff / duplicates- (Mostly Craftsman) This stuff goes in an old Craftsman Home center box that I keep in the house garage. When the wife needs a tool, she goes here, and if I need a screwdriver, hammer, wrench, etc to do a quick around the house project, I go here.

3) The **** / triplicates- (Chinese / Taiwan stuff) Traveling bag.

 

[john w]

I give stuff I don't want to the car buffs across the street - a family with three

brothers in their late teens to mid twenties. Then when I need a little muscle

to do a job, I don't mind asking them for help. The oldest one saved the day f

one day when I was replacing the pcv valve on my v-6 Toyota - I have arthritis

in my left hand and my right isn't much better.

 

[paramudduck]

Sorry UB I'm just feeling evil today. Besides did I mention that my Appalachian church will accept any and all tool donations?

 

[Uncle Buck]

Sorry UB I'm just feeling evil today. Besides did I mention that my Appalachian church will accept any and all tool donations?

Totally jokin man.........I agree with you guys!

 

[speed bump]

I know of one here in Montana. It's the GMAH Foundation. "Give Mike a handout foundation" Give me a PM and I'll give you the address. I'll be sure to spread the wealth.

I heard it was the GJAH foundation and I think you probably have the wrong address so if he PMS me i'll give him the correct address. Otherwise keep them and if you spend time using your tools they will come in very useful.

 

[heelsroll]

I agree with donations to a worthy group who will use the tools. I would add to the list a shelter for women and families recovering from domestic abuse -- everybody needs tools.

I'm also a big fan of sets of tools -- I have my main cabinets at work, a dedicated bag for the car, and a dedicated toolbox in the house. The last thing i want to have to do is go searching for a good screwdriver OR use the wrong tool for the job.

I'll differ a little bit though -- if it's a low-quality tool, don't put it in your travel kit. If you break a wrench or strip a bolt or cause some other grief at home, that's one thing, but if you're under the car on the side of the road and you need access to a tool, you'd better have the right one there!

I know this has changed with cell phones, AAA, and computer controlled cars, but I've more than once fixed my vehicle 'on the fly' and made a big deal into a little one.

Or, say, a friend asks you for help, you come riding in on your white horse to assemble that Ikea desk, and, bingo, first try you strip out your chinese screwdriver, and your 'good ones' are in the locked shop 10 miles away. Oops.

So grade that tool, and if it's not a good one, don't put it in the travel kit. Put it in the 'modify' box, the duplicate box, or the 'loan to the other guy box."

Just my thoughts on it.

Peace!
J

 

[Titus]

I'll differ a little bit though -- if it's a low-quality tool, don't put it in your travel kit. If you break a wrench or strip a bolt or cause some other grief at home, that's one thing, but if you're under the car on the side of the road and you need access to a tool, you'd better have the right one there!

I guess it is a little different for me. My "Travel" kit only seems to get used in settings where tools get lost or walk off, such as the junk yard, or at the track. The Track/Autocross is a big frustration. While I have never had anything get taken, I always stress when I have to take everything out of my car that isn't bolted down and leave it in a pile in the parking lot for 30 minutes while I am on the track or autocross course. That isn't the place for expensive tools. I even bought a Harbor Freight Torque Wrench for torquing lug nuts out there.

 

[heelsroll]

I guess it is a little different for me. My "Travel" kit only seems to get used in settings where tools get lost or walk off, such as the junk yard, or at the track. The Track/Autocross is a big frustration. While I have never had anything get taken, I always stress when I have to take everything out of my car that isn't bolted down and leave it in a pile in the parking lot for 30 minutes while I am on the track or autocross course. That isn't the place for expensive tools. I even bought a Harbor Freight Torque Wrench for torquing lug nuts out there.

Titus, I can understand that. But if the tools are ones that we're considering donating, maybe we can get to the point where we don't worry about them walking away -- I know it feels different to give away than to have taken away!

For that situation, I can see not wanting to bring Snap-On Gold Plated stuff. I just realized a week or two ago that when I was loaning tools to visiting crews, I was handing over a nice Blue Point ratchet with the rotating handle, when all they needed was a Craftsman raised panel.

But i know that for the box i control and use, I'd rather have a better ratchet in there. I carry my snap-on ratcheting screwdriver in my car bag, because everywhere else I'm more likely to use a drill-driver, but on the road, it always seems the batteries to those are dead.

I guess every autocross site is different, so it'd be hard to come up with a good hardened solution for your stuff. So I totally hear you on that! For a junkyard, I might have a set of good tools stay locked in my car and a 'throwaway' set that walks around with me. I can always go get the one good tool I need if the cheaper ones can't get it done.

Best,
J

 

[jim m]

NEVER get rid of tools........PERIOD. as mentioned above they are great for a road box.

that says it right there have kids I have a 4 yeat old son so I bouhgt a beat up used craftsman home owner set up for 25.00 and put every thing I dont want in it for him keeps him out of my boxes as well gives me tools to cut or bend when needed

Jim

 

[alex71]

Giving away tools? For the most part rare, but I have given some stuff to friends who are tool deprived (biggest thing that comes to mind was a craftsman oilless air compressor. god how I hated that loud thing, but it did work...)

Good stuff stays in the boxes in the garage (mainly tool truck brands). OK stuff (craftsman, etc.) is in the trail rig, some more in the tow rig, along with the china and india stuff. The quadruplicates and quintuplicates (are those even words?) are in my box at work. Some other common stuff is scattered in strategic places throughout the house. The rest goes on craigslist or gets sold at garage sales.

 

[dougcoug]

I was in the same boat awhile back when I started buying better tools. Fortunately I kept them all and they really came in handy when I got into riding quads. Now I have a spare set of tools for the toy hauler so I can work on my quads out in the desert without emptying my tool box every trip.

 

[old salvage]

If its a good tool then I keep it, even if I have 9 other identical tools.
My neighbors kid gets the junkers or I sell them at spring yard sale.

 

[Skyline]

My son and I probably gave away 1000 lbs of tools in the last year. We have two categories:

a] Usable, high quality, but not "pro" tools. Not worth selling on eBay, but too good to throw out. These get donated to our local volunteer fire department. My son even donated a large craftsman top chest for them to keep the tools in, (it was in pretty scaped up condition...not worth selling). A few tools end up on the rigs, but most end up being used around the firehouse.

b] Junk tools. Chinese or Japanese made ****. Stuff you would not pick up even in desperation....guaranteed to break. This stuff just goes to the curb on heavy refuse day. But I have a real problem throwing out a trash barel full of tools....it seems that our trash men can't bear to dump the barel into the truck, so they take the whole thing home. Earther that or someone who scours the curbs on refuse day. I lost two $45 trash barrels like this last year....

As far as the Craftsman stuff, it's almost not worth selling on eBay, but so far we have done so. Mostly, we bundle it into bulk lots to sell.