New From Upstate SC

Keys

I'm just gearing up for Phase Two of a home upgrade project such as tiling a kitchen backsplash as well as two bathroom upgrades to include more tiling. The quotes I received were outrageous. I can buy good quality tools as opposed to enduring the ticking clock pressure of renting power tools, I will still save lots of money, and I'll own the tools for future projects. It may take me a while, but it's well worth the effort. I still have much to learn, but the DIY Network has been a fantastic place to start.

sdsester

Yup, and you will use a high end, safe, tile saw again how soon? And will be storing it where? I do agree with you to a point though.

Not to say you should take advantage of those down on their luck but definitely check Craigs List, eBay, classifieds and so forth for really nice used tools before you go plunking money on box store lookalikes with plastic housings and things. You might really help somebody out by grabbing some tools someone needs to sell to feed a family. Some nice ones were showing up in pawn shops in my area too.

Tool rental places are more negotiable than you might think in these days too by the way so don't let them nail you with time bombs without a bit of a fight.

And think about forming some sort of tool club. Those of doing restoration in my former hood were part of a preservation organization that actually does really well ripping things out of antique properties and selling them in a warehouse. The non profit organization buys specialty tools a person might only need once in awhile and lends them out by reservation as part of the dues or in return for volunteer work. There is a tool monger that checks to make sure they come back on time and in good shape with sharpened or new blades and so forth.

Three friends and I shared a storage shed rental and went in on major tools too. I know this can be risky but we all knew how we treated tools and we were able to get better ones we didn't use all the time then if we had tried to purchase on our own. It worked out great. I just moved away so handed over my key to someone else they approved and charged him a few bucks for my interest in the tools. Of course we had are own basic tools.

Keys

The idea of a tool co-op is a good one. In my case, I'm going to build one more house in 2-3 years, so I will get much more use out of them in the future. However, my friend has now found himself in the situation you described with all of his DIY projects completed and his tools just sitting in his garage. Again, in my case, I guess I would equate the purchased tools to having a cord of firewood outside all nice and dry even if you don't need it to heat your house. It just feels warm .... HA!