What would be a decent set of 'loaner-tools'?

[capnrob97]

I moved into my house a year or so ago, and the neighbors are starting to notice the tools on the peg-board, tool chests, etc in the garage.

So one comes over a few days ago to borrow an 8mm wrench, the first one I could find was a nice Kobalt (the kind made by a company owned by Snap-On Williams?), now made by ????)...

Well, you know the story, he can't remember where he put it, yada, yada, yada...

So my question is, what would be a half-way decent (non-dangerous, don't want to get sued if the tool breaks) set of 'loaner' tools? Or should I be a pri$k, and not loan out tools period?

My Dad is a 'Craftsman' man, and I will inherit a sweet set of '40s-'50s Craftsman tools someday, but for the least amount of outlay, what would be a safe and decent set of 'no-tears' tools if they get borrowed or lost? Can I trust a Harbor Freight set, or should I snatch up a Craftsman set on sale?

I will get a cheap tool chest to put them in, keep that ONE unlocked, and pretty much let the neighbors help themselves when they ask to borrow a tool...

[George]

Why would you be "cheap" (or anything for that matter) if you decide not to loan stuff to irresponsible people? If the neighbors behave like clueless 4 year olds and can't be trusted with stuff then do what you do with a 4 year old. Lock the stuff up.

[Dr. Hardcrab]

You want to BUY some tools to loan out???

Can I borrow your car??

[vferdman]

Harbor Freight is fine for lender tools. If you are thinking you may get sued for helping someone, well then don't help them. There is always a risk in helping people. I heard of this case where the guy gave another person CPR after they collapsed from heart attack and accidently broke a rib. The person lived and sued the guy for breaking the rib. Well, if that person is your neighbor, move or don't associate with them. Also, if you want to have a brand on hand to loan out, go to Sears and have a look at what they have. It used to be Craftsman is Craftsman, but now you have something like 3 different Craftsman types. The cheapest being a Chineese made number and the cost is similar to Harbor Freight.

Another thing is eBay. I have gotten many used Snap-On tools in very good shape for fraction of the price of new. Just take a look. I keep them for myself, but if I lost one, I would not be too heartbroken since I did not pay an arm for it. So there are options. You can also tell the borrower that this particular tool is valuable and you want it back as it means a lot to you. There is no shame in stating that and the borrower will more than likely respond well to something like that. In many cases people who are not that handy (and that is why they need to borrow tools in the first place) have no idea that a wrench or a screwdriver can be different from one another. This does not mean they are idiots or anything, just ignorant. I am sure they are knoweledgeable in something that you are ignorant about and will be surprised that you don't know that one 37 stamp may be worth a lot more than other, for example. So, ploitely educating the borrower usually works, but not always.

Good luck, Vladimir

[upand_at_them]

I'm sure if you keep asking the guy, "Can you look again for my 8mm wrench?", he'll stop asking to borrow your tools.

I just don't understand some people. If I would have lost someone's wrench I would have bought them a new one. They didn't give it to me, they were loaning it and those are the rules.

Mike

[capnrob97]

I will get repaid, like when I need one to walk my dog, or pick up the papers while on vacation, etc...

You give a little, and (hopefully) get a little..

I grew up in an era when you lived in a neighborhood, not a house on a street surrounded by anonymous neighbors...

[Gazoo]

Ummm ......did you ask him to replace it!!!

[Dr. Hardcrab]

wrote in

Yeah. Same here. But I also grew up with neighbors that respected your property.

I understand your point, but I still don't see why YOU have to buy tools so your NEIGHBORS can "borrow" them. Maybe find what type of tools they really want and give them to them as a gift???

OR

How about having a "check out tag" where they would fill in there name and date and hang it on the peg board?

Oh. I still need to borrow your car....

;-]

[SQLit]

First keep your garage door closed. When I traveled frequently below the border I would visit Harbor Freight and get a set of tools including a tool box. More than once I was "man-handled" into giving them the tools. My boss was pretty miffed at the concept but when he found out what my SK or Snap On stuff cost he was elated.

We had to do an ugly transformer job a couple of year ago. The only 13/16 inch wrench that did not break was from HF. Granted the craftsman was replaced, but when your 150 miles into the desert at a mine, broke is broke.

[capnrob97]

Well, like I said, I will need favors from them sometimes too...

I tell you, it is priceless to have a neighbor you trust, walk your dog while away, keep an eye on your house, etc...

I figure losing a few 'cheaper' tools along the way is probably a cheap price to pay in the long run.

We will see, I am still not sure of most of the neighbors, but the guy who lost my 8mm wrench did let me borrow his lawn-mower once when mine was in the shop (I shoulda told him I can't remember where I put it :-)

[Dr. Hardcrab]

"SQLit" wrote

I've had a lot of people say that Harbor Freight has "throw away tools" and aren't very good for anything except light duty jobs. But I'll tell you what:

I first heard of HF about 25 years ago and I bought a set of 16(?) screwdrivers from them. I think back then they were less than $15 including S&H. I have bought dozens of them since then (Stanley, Snap On, Craftsmen) but I STILL have all of the HF ones and they are all in good shape except for one: The set came with a big straight slot with a big handle called a "two fister". I used it one time to bust up concrete and the handle broke in half. Blade is still intact......

[capnrob97]

I 'putter-around in the garage alot, and it gets awfully hot in there in a FL summer with the garage door closed ;-)

I will see if I can find a Harbor Freight around locally. I have heard horror stories about them, but if I can fondle the tools before I buy, I might feel better about buying them.

Thanks all!

[RicodJour]

Well, I appreciate the generosity, but you're just setting yourself up by buying "throwaway" loaner tools. What happens when your loaner 1/2" socket wrench goes missing? Ar you going to replace it with another one so someone can borrow it? That's a fun merry-go-round to ride on. Say your 1/2" loaner socket is MIA, and you haven't gotten around to replacing it yet - do you think the guy who's looking to borrow it, and not finding it in the loaner set, isn't going to ask to borrow the good one? That would imply a conscience, and guys who steal...errrr....borrow tools and don't return them don't have a conscience you can rely on.

Lots of luck with it. You'll need it.

R

[capnrob97]

If the tools started disappearing regularly, I would shut the operation down and start being the a$$hole who doesn't help out a neighbor.

I figure over 15-20 years, a few tools will evaporate... I wouldn't let the same neighbor keep borrowing if they keep losing them...

We will see, perhaps neighbors aren't worth the trouble anymore, and I should just be a hermit.

[Dr. Hardcrab]

Quite a few stores in Florida:

[Jim Yanik]

[e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

If you want to loan out your tools,ask for something like their driver's license,major credit card,or auto title first. Something they are not going to want to do without. They get it back when the tool is returned,*in good condition*.

(I know guys who can ruin a drill bit in one use,and can overheat a corded drill to the point it stops working)

Buying an extra set of tools for loaning out is nuts. If you don't trust them with your tools,don't loan them out.

[Jim Yanik]

[e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Jacksonville,Orlando,Casselberry(Orlo suburb) are Florida ones I know of.

[PipeDown]

Stick to tools without moving parts. HF wrenches are fine (drop forged hardened steel but not precision machined) but things like channel locks and wire cutters are junk.

[badgolferman]

Your neighbor misplaced one tool and now you want to buy a set of tools so you can loan those out? Does this neighbor have a history of not giving back tools? If so, then he cannot be trusted with your dog or mail either. If this is a rare occassion then you are being awfully tough on this fellow. Why not just forgive him and let it go this time? The next time he wants to borrow a tool joke with him about giving his car keys to you for collateral. He'll get the message and will either change his mind or be extra careful with it.

[James "Cubby" Culbertson]

The HF tools will be fine (Pittsburgh brand I believe, lifetime warranty). That's what I get for tool rolls for my vehicles. Cheap when I lose them in the mud and snow (I do a lot of 4 wheeling) and I have yet to break one. My philosophy on HF is this: If it's got a plug on it, don't buy it (although their Central Machinery stuff is pretty decent....stay away from Chicago Electric). I've found their pneumatics to work just fine and be a fraction of the cost of the Senco's, etc.... For $30, you could come up with a pretty good set of "loaner" handtools.... Cheers, cc