Letting other people use your Festools

[nico]

Never, I see no reason why. If they need a tool they can use some of my bosch tools.
Most of my friends use Black & Decker or some ... rubbish cheap tool that they bought in a supermarket, so I don't think that they will treat my tools with respect .

 

[score0matic]

I guess i am the opposite, i have let my buddies (Cabinet and trim carpenters) borrow my saw and rails and my Of 1010 for several days, this has resulted in several sales for Festool 

I am..............By far........the hardest person on tools I know.  I am in the process of switching to systainers for all my on site kit (plumbing, elect, drywall, tile, screw gun, trim nailers......)  one of my buddies was asking about why I was spending so much, I will have 47+ systainers and 6 sortainers,  after I went over how much more efficent having what you need at hand,  the ability to take only the kits that you need, etc he asked if they were durable, my answer was some have lasted 2 years of daily use.

I am happy to let others use them for the same reason others are unwilling -------they preform above the expected.  but notice i will only loan them to those who can appreciate them.

Craig

 

[AlexThePalex]

I will lend my tools to those people I trust with them. I don't make a difference between Festool and other brands. My DeWalt, Metabos and Elu tools are also expensive enough already. But I will judge my friends/acquaintances on their general attitude to and knowledge about tools before I lend them to them. Some may use them, some don't. Most of the time I'll be doing to the job for them myself.

But I got 3 neighbours who are all very good with tools, we lend each other our stuff all the time, I lend things from them like a compressor, a ladder or an SCMS, and they often lend my router and sanders. With the four of us we got more tools than many a business, and I would never say no to them because I trust them.

 

[Alpine WW]

NO!!!!!! And dont EVER ask again!!!!

 

[HappyCamper]

I'm with Alpine.  Don't even ask!  If it's a small job, I will make the cut, otherwise, they can rent at a tool rental place.

 

[ForumMFG]

Man, You guys are mean!!! 

 

[Daniel_n]

Nope...I don't let other people (with the exception of my father who was the one that thaught me how to use and how to be be careful with tools) borrow my tools (no matters if it says festool, fein, mafell, makita or anything else on them)....although I gladly help my friends with whatever it is the need sawed/ router or whatever.

 

[jmbfestool]

Simple! NO!  I am only 22 years old and have ALOT ALOT more tools than most  30-40-50year olds! 

Now if I been able to save up my well earned money to buy - Festool, Stabila, Lacie, Milwueakee, BMI, Bosch, Dewalt, Estwing and many other good quality brands
(most of them german brands)

They have had much much longer to save up and properly all their working life have been borrowing peoples tools they should have enough money to buy the tools them selfs.

I have bought to tools to make the job easier, quicker for ME and of a high standered because I am abit of a perfectionist which is my downfall when a job needs doing quick and it doesnt need to be dead on right.

I have not bought it to make it easier for other people.  I have found  in ENGLAND dont know about USA or other places but most blokes who dont own many tools and the tools they do own are like old cheap ryobi or black and decker or works tools. They are all heavy drinkers and often go to their local pub every day just drinking them selfs slowly to death every day waisting their money on BEER! And many other blokes I have worked with who really care about their work and have clean good tools maybe not always new but they can do the jobs with out borrowing just seem to be occasional drinkers.

Thats my conclusion!

 

[ForumMFG]

I would let trusted people use my tools because those same people have let me borrow their tools and have trust in me.  Now if it was someone I didn't know really well or someone that I felt couldn't handle the tool, then no, I wouldn't let them borrow any of my tools.

I have thought about this before often.  Say the person who asked you to borrow your Festools has a lot of tools as well.  He asks you to borrow your TS55 and you tell him no.  Well, a week later you ask this guy to borrow a very odd tool that you don't have, it's expensive and you will only use it once.  First of all, how can you ask this guy to borrow a tool from him after you just told him no and what do you think this guy is going to tell you?

Or you can have the Attitude that "You can borrow any other tool in my shop as long as it's not Festool".

-Dave

 

[Rob Z]

I have a short, short list of people that can use my tools.  One of them is my employee and the other is a good buddy that is a cabinet maker and is like a brother to me. 

If I would have to pause to think about whether someone should be able to borrow a tool then they aren't  someone that I would  trust with it.  ;D

 

[Brice Burrell]

I contract out some painting jobs every summer and I let the guys I hire use my Festool sanders. They love them and are more careful with them than they would be with a cheap sander but I still have to replace the sanding pads at the end of the summer. The Festool sanding pads last a long time on the sanders I don't let them use, only a few months in their hands. While their treatment of the sanders might be viewed as ignorance or even abusive to us, it isn't. They are simply using the sanders to get the job done in an expedient manor. It's worth paying for a few new sanding pads to get that much work done. 

I have loaned my Rotex to my neighbor, he's a great guy but I knew he'd certainly do a number on the sander's pad. I explained to him how to use the tool correctly and still the pad was damaged a little. I looked at like this, he'll cut my grass, he shovels all the neighbors walks and he's happy to deal with our the elderly woman on our block. It's a fair trade.  ;D

 

[score0matic]

While their treatment of the sanders might be viewed as ignorance or even abusive to us, it isn't. They are simply using the sanders to get the job done in an expedient manor. It's worth paying for a few new sanding pads to get that much work done.  

Brice I think you nailed the subtle difference between professional tool and toys.  Professional tools are about making $$$  Toys are Cool, Enjoyable to use, fun to pull out for others to lust after,  but are considerd an end in them selves.   (even though I make $$ with them, most of my Festools are toys under this notion)    Most Pros are all about loaning their tools if it makes them money.  Don't ask to play with their toys.

As to loaning to your neighbor  that just shows that you are a good man.

Craig

 

[woodshopdemos]

For what it is worth, I don't lend things out but Sal, Elena and The Swensons  can use the shop here and no one else.
  I have a bad taste for a loaner that never came back. I lent a Canon Scoopic 16mm camera with batteries and the person who borrowed it claimed I was no longer using it and that he could. Feud went on for a year and a half. I good friendship battered by the loan. Never did get it back. I did the last best thing...I reported it misssing in NYC. I never sxpected any thing to come of it and just wrote him off as an ex friend and the camera I took what tax break I could. Do you know that New Yorks finest had him in custody with the camera. Seems that a large film rental house (yes I used them) and when camera came in for repair they checked the S/N and called the cops who were waiting for him when he came to pickup the camera.
  I was called by the detective. On the phone I told him the whole story and he put friend in the slammer on charges of grand theft. Let him out on bail and he called me and threatened to come up and beat the sh*t out of me. I said, please do and bring the camera. Actually the camera was returned by NYPD to me and I promptly gave it to the rental house for their lender inventory and asked them to set an outlandish high daily rental. They did and he continued to rent it at the high price.

 

[Peter Hamilton-Scott]

I stopped lending my tools when they started coming back to me dirty, covered in dust or other woodworking detritis. I keep my tools clean but other people don't always respect that. Now, I have a universal "no" policy. I'll help do the work, cuts, whatever, but my tools come back with me and I look after them like a proud father would cherish the memories of a much loved daughter. Mean, perhaps. But my tools must last me a long time and when people started giving them back in a much worse condition when I loaned them then "no" it is. It's hard turning down a good buddy who asks to use them but a good buddy would understand.

 

[score0matic]

It's hard turning down a good buddy who asks to use them but a good buddy would understand.

Xactly......along those same lines ....If you cant get your friends to pay for your services why are they your friends  ;D

 

[Mac]

Well, as pretty as they are they're only tools, you know? We're not talking about the fruit of our loins..! I'd happily lend them to people I trust and like; I'm with forum MFG (Dave) on this one...what goes around, comes around.

But then I don't make a living from them.

Rick

 

[Colin Giersberg]

No.

My wife does enough damage to my tools as is. It usually involves grabbing a screwdriver, or a pair of pliers, using it for a purpose it was never meant to be used for, and then leave it outside to get that well used patina called rust. Usually, I find the tool by looking around the yard wherever she was working, and I didn't know she had borrowed it in the first place. If I know she has taken a tool, I have to ask her where she left it, and she can't remember what she did with it. What I need is a locking tool cabinet to keep "my tools" safe from her.
Hey, that sounds like a project for me to work on. Uhhh, honey, where did you put my saw? Well, let's go look for it.

While I did embellish the story for your reading pleasure, most of it is true when small tools are used by her.

Regards, Colin

 

[mhoy]

I've loaned out my saw and dust collector. Might as well let friends see what they are like. After all, he loaned me his chop saw...  They are tools and they are for use.

Mark