20 Tools You Should Borrow Instead of Buying
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Americans spend $41 billion on tools every year. A significant chunk of that money buys things that get used once and then sit in a garage for a decade. An aerator runs for two hours per year. A drywall lift comes out for one weekend per room. A concrete mixer pours three pads in a lifetime. These tools are worth owning collectively, not individually. This list covers 20 tools where borrowing makes more financial and practical sense than buying.
The Once-a-Year Tools
1. Aerator ($200 to $400) — Used for two hours every fall. Plug aerators are heavy, bulky, and impossible to store neatly. Split the cost with a neighbor or borrow one from your FriendsWithTools group. 2. Pressure washer ($200 to $500) — Most homeowners pressure wash their driveway and deck once or twice a year. That's 4 hours of use for a tool that takes up 6 square feet of garage space year-round. 3. Dethatcher ($150 to $300) — Even more seasonal than the aerator. Run it once in spring, store it for 364 days.
4. Spreader ($30 to $200) — The cheap broadcast spreader is fine to own. The $200 tow-behind spreader for large lots should be shared. 5. Snow blower ($300 to $2,000) — If you live somewhere that gets three storms per winter, a snow blower costs more per use than you think. Split ownership or borrowing arrangements are common in snowy neighborhoods.
The One-Project Tools
6. Drywall lift ($150 to $300) — Holds 4x8 and 4x12 sheets against the ceiling. Used for maybe 2 days per room. Nobody should own this unless they hang drywall for a living. 7. Concrete mixer ($200 to $600) — The average homeowner pours concrete once or twice in their life. Borrow the mixer, keep the wheelbarrow. 8. Tile wet saw ($100 to $500) — Tile work is a one-project tool for most people. Borrow the wet saw, buy the trowels and spacers.
9. Floor sander ($50 to $100 rental, $800+ to buy) — Refinishing hardwood floors happens once per decade. 10. Rebar cutter ($100 to $400) — You need this for one phase of one concrete project. 11. Post hole auger ($200 to $500 powered) — Building a fence involves 20 to 50 holes, then the auger goes away forever. 12. Stump grinder ($200 to $400 rental) — One stump, one day, done.
The Expensive Specialists
13. Table saw ($300 to $3,000) — For a dedicated woodworker, this is essential. For someone building one set of shelves, a circular saw does the job. Borrow the table saw for the weekend project. 14. Miter saw ($200 to $800) — Same logic. A circular saw with a guide makes the same cuts, just slower. If you need to make 200 trim cuts for a room, borrow the miter saw for the day.
15. Paint sprayer ($150 to $600) — Faster than rolling, but the cleanup takes an hour and the learning curve wastes paint. Borrow one when you're painting the exterior or an entire room. 16. Band saw ($200 to $1,500) — Resawing and curve cutting. Unless you're doing it monthly, borrow. 17. Planer ($300 to $600) — Flattens rough lumber. Serious woodworking tool that sits idle in casual shops.
The Ones You Think You Need but Don't
18. Laser level ($50 to $300) — For one tiling job or one shelf installation, borrow. If you find yourself reaching for it monthly, buy. 19. Brake bleeder kit ($30 to $100) — Used once every two years per vehicle at most. Borrow from the friend who does their own brake work. 20. Fish tape ($20 to $80) — Running one new electrical circuit requires a fish tape for an hour. Your electrician friend has one.
The common thread: high purchase price relative to time spent using the tool, plus storage cost (every tool in your garage displaces something else). The math almost always favors borrowing for tools used less than 10 hours per year.
When Borrowing Doesn't Work
Some tools aren't worth borrowing because the coordination cost exceeds the purchase price. A $15 basin wrench, a $8 caulk gun, and a $25 drain snake are all cheap enough to buy and keep. If the tool costs less than $30 and you'll use it more than once, just buy it.
Safety-critical tools that need to be in calibration (torque wrenches) or in good condition (jack stands) are better to own so you know their history. Consumable tools that wear out with use (saw blades, sanding discs, drill bits) obviously can't be borrowed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I should borrow or buy a tool?
Multiply the purchase price by your expected uses per year. If the cost per use is over $20 and the tool is available to borrow, borrow it. If it's under $5 per use, buy it. Between $5 and $20, consider how easy it is to borrow and how urgently you typically need it.
What if nobody in my area has the tool I need?
Then you've found an opportunity. Buy it, use it for your project, and list it on FriendsWithTools. You'll be the first person in your group to own it, and everyone who needs one next will come to you. Your cost per use drops every time someone borrows it.
Won't borrowed tools be in worse condition?
They can be, which is why condition photos and the tool condition reporting feature exist. Set expectations when you borrow, inspect the tool before you use it, and return it cleaner than you received it. The community works because people take care of each other's things.