My dad's old 'buy it for life' tools versus my 'rent it for the job' approach

I was cleaning out his garage and found a 1978 Craftsman wrench set he bought with his first paycheck. He told me every tool was an investment you kept forever. Meanwhile, I just rented a $450 tile saw for a weekend bathroom job because buying one made no sense for the two times I'd use it. He thinks I'm throwing money away on rentals, I think he's stuck in a 'own everything' mindset that doesn't fit how people work now. Is this a generational thing with tools, or just a personal choice? What's your take on owning versus renting gear for home projects?

3 comments

3 Comments

ryanh561mo ago

Honestly, your dad's garage sounds like a museum for tools that have seen more action than most action movies. Tbh, renting a tile saw for one weekend is just being smart with money and space. Ngl, I'd love to see his face if you told him you were just gonna "invest" in a cloud subscription for a drill.

the_anthony1mo ago

My grandpa's old drill still works better than any rental junk.

clark.robin1mo ago

Yeah, ryanh56 has a point about the cloud subscription drill, that's the next step honestly. I mean, my dad's whole garage is like a library of stuff he might need someday, but I just don't have the space or the cash for that. Why own a giant drain snake or a concrete mixer that sits for years? Renting the weird, specific tool for the one weird job just makes my life simpler. It's less stuff to store and fix.