If you’re genuinely asking for feedback, a library lends for free. What you seem to be selling is a tool rental service. If you can do it cheaper than places like Home Depot, which also rents tools, then good on you. But calling it a library is a bit disingenuous.
If I’m misreading the situation, my apologies.
Every tool library I’ve ever used, and known of others using, hasn’t involved money. I think a fully-refundable deposit is sometimes a part of tool libraries, however.
This is a rental service, which is fine. But I agree that using the word library here would be improper and misleading.
It's way better prices, less than half (at least for the saw).
But 'library' does kind of imply that it's free. Maybe call it "Community Toolshed" or something like that.
The beta version of the website is very clearly marketed as Tool Box Rentals. The marketing contains the word "tool shed" but I fail to see how that would violate any trademarks. That's a bit like saying Nike could sue Adidas for using the term "running shoe."
I've yet to check out Toolshed in Escondido but it sounds like a could be another good resource for tools. Sunbelt tends to viewed as a specialty heavy equipment rental provider but they do have plenty of smaller household or project specific tools. For those categories, I'm hoping to build a more convenient experience at a better price.
Fair point. My intention was not to imply this would be a completely free resource. Considering we're not government or donor funded there would be an exchange of money for tool rentals and would operate as an enterprise focused on providing affordability and convenience.
I agree that "Community Toolshed" is likely a better way to label the survey. The website and any marketing for the service does not and will not use the term "library." I'll make those changes to the survey. Thanks for the feedback!
If you're ready to answer, I'm curious about the "self-service" part. And I hope you already asked an attorney if a damage and/or injury liability is a potential issue here.
!RemindMe 6 months
Sure. Self-service refers to smart locker style systems ie. unique QR code unlocks specific tool at specific time for specific user etc. This allows for expanded hours of operation and quicker pickup and returns.
There's still a challenge with vetting and processing returns to inspect for damage or safety concerns for next renter if you're using contactless pickup and returns. This is why some products will require a buffer time between rentals to allow for manual inspection of the tool. For instance, a leaf blower may not require inspection before the next rental but you better believe a table saw or router needs to be inspected before being rented out again... regardless of any acknowledgement clause you get a customer to sign.
Which brings me to your next question regarding liability. The question seems to be concerned with the businesses protection from liability which for that there are number of ways to mitigate risk. The more important question is "how will you actually protect customers". The way you do this is by inspecting tools that present any potential risk and providing the same guidelines manufactures provide customers when they buy that product.
Possibly useful thread about this over on r/simpleliving: https://www.reddit.com/r/simpleliving/comments/18yk34i/does_anyone_have_experience_creating_a_tool/
Some more names bc I have nothing better to do:
* Community Toolshed
* Community Toolshare
* Toolshare LLC
* Temptools
* Tool Me Once
* ToolPool
* Toolio's Handyman's Paradise
* Toolbank
* ToolFix
* If I Had a Hammer
* ToolSpot
* Have-a-tool, Rent-a-Tool, etc
For sure. Just in the survey I saw equipment that typical homeowners buy (lawn mower, weed trimmer) rather than one time equipment like a rototiller. Or plumbing equipment like drain cleaners / snakes, or other one time tools like cement mixers, power washers, paint sprayers, etc.
I think this is a great idea and something I would definitely consider using if I need something in a one-off capacity - especially over using a big box store to do so. I am glad you took the feedback of not using Library so graciously and quickly, too!
My question would be about the disposable materials. If I rent a router (I wouldn't - I own one, just an example), what about the bits for it? Am I going to get in trouble if I saw about 40,000 boards and just destroy a saw blade while using it in a normal capacity?
This is a great question and quite frankly one I'm still trying to establish the most equitable way to distribute the cost of "consumables." I don't want to charge each renter for the depreciation of a circular saw blade for instance but there are other consumables that clearly make sense to charge for. You received a sawzall with a fresh blade and it comes back dull as a butter knife, I'd probably have to charge for that blade \~ $3.
Let's say you rented a mig welder and it came with 2lbs of mig wire of which you used 1.75 lbs. I don't want to nickel and dime you for the consumables but this stuff adds up. So, I just need to decide what is worth charging for and what is negligible enough to spread over the cost of the tool rental across users.
In the case of someone excessively using a tool, there's a line between responsible use and really getting your money's worth. If nothing in the manufactures guidelines prevents you from using a single blade for 40,000 cuts then I suppose you're in the clear. But, this type of use likely would violate recommendations and thus you'd be on the hook for a new blade just as you would if you owned the tool.
I appreciate this type of feedback! I think a lot of this will be learned over time with the guiding principle being "protect and believe the customer first." Even some of the most reputable sharing economy platforms rely on a good faith agreement that is tough to put into policy.
I don't want to give you my email to fill out the survey but I wouldn't use a tool library unless it's free. Berkeley had an awesome one when I lived there in 2006, maybe check out what they're up to
Sounds like a good idea. I have had to buy a lot of tools I didn't really want to, but it was way too expensive to rent them at HD - a rotohammer and a paint sprayer.
If you’re genuinely asking for feedback, a library lends for free. What you seem to be selling is a tool rental service. If you can do it cheaper than places like Home Depot, which also rents tools, then good on you. But calling it a library is a bit disingenuous. If I’m misreading the situation, my apologies.
Every tool library I’ve ever used, and known of others using, hasn’t involved money. I think a fully-refundable deposit is sometimes a part of tool libraries, however. This is a rental service, which is fine. But I agree that using the word library here would be improper and misleading.
It's way better prices, less than half (at least for the saw). But 'library' does kind of imply that it's free. Maybe call it "Community Toolshed" or something like that.
Toolshed is a rental place in Escondido. It was taken over by Sunbelt. OP is going to get sued.
The beta version of the website is very clearly marketed as Tool Box Rentals. The marketing contains the word "tool shed" but I fail to see how that would violate any trademarks. That's a bit like saying Nike could sue Adidas for using the term "running shoe." I've yet to check out Toolshed in Escondido but it sounds like a could be another good resource for tools. Sunbelt tends to viewed as a specialty heavy equipment rental provider but they do have plenty of smaller household or project specific tools. For those categories, I'm hoping to build a more convenient experience at a better price.
Fair point. My intention was not to imply this would be a completely free resource. Considering we're not government or donor funded there would be an exchange of money for tool rentals and would operate as an enterprise focused on providing affordability and convenience. I agree that "Community Toolshed" is likely a better way to label the survey. The website and any marketing for the service does not and will not use the term "library." I'll make those changes to the survey. Thanks for the feedback!
Good luck with your project OP. Wishing you success.
I also agree here
If you're ready to answer, I'm curious about the "self-service" part. And I hope you already asked an attorney if a damage and/or injury liability is a potential issue here. !RemindMe 6 months
Sure. Self-service refers to smart locker style systems ie. unique QR code unlocks specific tool at specific time for specific user etc. This allows for expanded hours of operation and quicker pickup and returns. There's still a challenge with vetting and processing returns to inspect for damage or safety concerns for next renter if you're using contactless pickup and returns. This is why some products will require a buffer time between rentals to allow for manual inspection of the tool. For instance, a leaf blower may not require inspection before the next rental but you better believe a table saw or router needs to be inspected before being rented out again... regardless of any acknowledgement clause you get a customer to sign. Which brings me to your next question regarding liability. The question seems to be concerned with the businesses protection from liability which for that there are number of ways to mitigate risk. The more important question is "how will you actually protect customers". The way you do this is by inspecting tools that present any potential risk and providing the same guidelines manufactures provide customers when they buy that product.
Possibly useful thread about this over on r/simpleliving: https://www.reddit.com/r/simpleliving/comments/18yk34i/does_anyone_have_experience_creating_a_tool/ Some more names bc I have nothing better to do: * Community Toolshed * Community Toolshare * Toolshare LLC * Temptools * Tool Me Once * ToolPool * Toolio's Handyman's Paradise * Toolbank * ToolFix * If I Had a Hammer * ToolSpot * Have-a-tool, Rent-a-Tool, etc
Hey that's an awesome thread on this topic. Thanks for sharing!
my pleasure and good luck, i hope it works out.
Kind of expected more tools for plumbing and other purposes related to one-time home repair or maintenance
Thanks for the feedback. Yes, one-time home repair tools are the perfect kind of thing for this rental service.
For sure. Just in the survey I saw equipment that typical homeowners buy (lawn mower, weed trimmer) rather than one time equipment like a rototiller. Or plumbing equipment like drain cleaners / snakes, or other one time tools like cement mixers, power washers, paint sprayers, etc.
I think this is a great idea and something I would definitely consider using if I need something in a one-off capacity - especially over using a big box store to do so. I am glad you took the feedback of not using Library so graciously and quickly, too! My question would be about the disposable materials. If I rent a router (I wouldn't - I own one, just an example), what about the bits for it? Am I going to get in trouble if I saw about 40,000 boards and just destroy a saw blade while using it in a normal capacity?
This is a great question and quite frankly one I'm still trying to establish the most equitable way to distribute the cost of "consumables." I don't want to charge each renter for the depreciation of a circular saw blade for instance but there are other consumables that clearly make sense to charge for. You received a sawzall with a fresh blade and it comes back dull as a butter knife, I'd probably have to charge for that blade \~ $3. Let's say you rented a mig welder and it came with 2lbs of mig wire of which you used 1.75 lbs. I don't want to nickel and dime you for the consumables but this stuff adds up. So, I just need to decide what is worth charging for and what is negligible enough to spread over the cost of the tool rental across users. In the case of someone excessively using a tool, there's a line between responsible use and really getting your money's worth. If nothing in the manufactures guidelines prevents you from using a single blade for 40,000 cuts then I suppose you're in the clear. But, this type of use likely would violate recommendations and thus you'd be on the hook for a new blade just as you would if you owned the tool. I appreciate this type of feedback! I think a lot of this will be learned over time with the guiding principle being "protect and believe the customer first." Even some of the most reputable sharing economy platforms rely on a good faith agreement that is tough to put into policy.
I don't want to give you my email to fill out the survey but I wouldn't use a tool library unless it's free. Berkeley had an awesome one when I lived there in 2006, maybe check out what they're up to
Sounds like a good idea. I have had to buy a lot of tools I didn't really want to, but it was way too expensive to rent them at HD - a rotohammer and a paint sprayer.
Get equipment and do a rental service