Was dead set against the tool library membership fee until I broke my third ladder in two years

I used to think paying $50 a year to borrow tools was a waste when I could just buy my own. Then I snapped the rung on a Werner 8-footer back in March, replaced it with a cheap one from Lowe's that bent by June, and tossed another in the dumpster after a bad fall last month. My neighbor dragged me to the local library open house on Tuesday. They've got a 12-foot fiberglass ladder I can check out any weekend. No storing it in my garage, no worrying about it rusting or cracking. $50 covers the whole year. Already put in my request for a tile saw this Saturday. Anyone else find the math works out better renting versus buying for the stuff you only need once in a while?

2 comments

2 Comments

aaron_gonzalez2d ago

Wait, are you sure that 12-foot ladder is fiberglass? I thought the ones at my local tool library were aluminum, but I could be wrong. Either way, your math is totally spot on. I broke a circular saw blade last year on a Saturday and had to wait until Monday to get a replacement, which was awful. The storage angle is the real kicker for me too, my garage is a mess of half-used paint cans and that one tool I bought for a single project. I signed up for my library in January and have already used their pressure washer three times, saved me from buying a $200 machine I would use once a year. It makes so much sense for the big stuff you only need every so often, especially when you factor in no maintenance or sharpening costs.

walker.alex1d ago

Yeah I read somewhere that most shared tools are fiberglass now because it's safer around electricity and holds up better in the weather. Definitely makes sense for a library where tons of people are grabbing them.