Green Tip: Rent Tools, Don’t Buy

Ahh, yes, I remember when I got my first cordless drill – so exciting – free to drill anywhere, anytime. Since then, my BF and I have been slowly gathering a nice hardware and tool collection, but have room for only so much. So we were excited when we received a nice tip on where to rent gadgets in Chicago…

Tipre Hardware will rent customers a variety of tools such as bolt cutters and saws as well as many power tools like sanders, drills, carpet cleaners. Tool rental runs about $20-$25/day.

Not only will renting save space, but it will also save money and decrease the amount of emissions and materials needed to make the additional tools.

Have you opted to rent instead of buy for your home repair projects? How’s your experience been?

Via Ideal Bite, Image via dreamstime

Comments (6)

or at least get some friends together and buy tools that you can trust will work

posted by GreenHomeTherapy.com on February 20th 2009 at 4:32pm
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If it costs just a bit more to buy a tool than rent it, I am always going to buy. Yes, I still have to store that cordless drill somewhere, but it's definitely come in handy at times when it would have been inconvenient to stop a project to rent it.

posted by aftermath on February 20th 2009 at 5:05pm
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The idea of communal tools is a great one -- both Portland and Seattle have tool libraries; Seattle charges a nominal fee for check-out, and Portland's library lets borrowers use tools for free. Definitely beats paying for (and storing) your own hardware.

posted by allisonlindsay on February 20th 2009 at 5:51pm
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I would rent big, expensive tools, but I frequently need tools like electric screw drivers and drills for spur-of-the-moment projects. I think that if I had to go rent all of my tools I would never actually accomplish any projects around the house.

posted by Brandyjane on February 22nd 2009 at 10:31am
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My husband and his father own almost every tool but there are a few he does rent.

I know our Home Depot rents tools.

posted by khrystena on February 23rd 2009 at 9:24am
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The Oakland (CA) Public Library has a tool lending library. Wonderful service.

posted by Propagatrix on March 2nd 2009 at 7:39pm
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