I responded that I only loan my tools sometimes. Most of my life, going back to when I was a kid, I kept a tool box with a mix of simple tools nearly impossible to damage and more complex tools which were ready for retirement. When a friend or neighbor needed to borrow a particular tool, that came from the "Loaner" box. It was a beloved grandfather "Apa" who explained bout the need for a "Loaner" box. Friends and neighbors will know you own tools, and they will dislike not being allowed to share.
If I felt Festools were so delicate that they are easily broken, I would not have invested in so many and chances are good I would not share experiences with Festools on websites. Sure, it is possible to knock a Festool out of best calibration. The day I cannot run a check, discover a need to re-calibrate and perform the calibration is the day I stop using my own tools.
I like to use the act of loaning a Festool as a teaching moment. Say a friend who is not an experienced woodworker asks to borrow a TS55 with a rail. I show how I clamp a rail to a piece of scrap plywood and attach clamps. Then I check the bevel and set the depth, all before making the cut. Then I ask my friend to mark a cut, then position the splinter guard on the marks, set the clamps and have at it, with a CT doing its dust extraction thing.
The friend asked to borrow a saw, and leaves with a system. Of course that will not be a brand new rail, TS55 or blade. I know how many and what style clamps went into the Systainer. Blades all eventually need to be re-ground or scrapped. Clamps are hardly free, but the loss of one is hardly the end of the world. If the Systainer is returned short some components, that is probably the last time I will loan anything to that individual.
Since 2006 I have never lost a clamp sent out on loan. I might have left a few behind when I was renting space in various shops. Oh well, my Festool dealer has to make a living!
