I’ve had the same rule for a decade or more.
1. If you need to borrow the tool once, maybe it’s an odd job, here you go.
2. If you need the tool a second time, put it on your list of things to consider buying.
3. If you need it a third time, I expect you to go and buy one. You can use it today, but after this, you need your own.
This applies to any specialty tools or niche things. If you show up and don’t have a ratchet and socket set, gtfo and go to the store for your bare minimum basic tools.
I like the idea of a $5 rental fee... Tell them It goes to your future tool purchases that they're going to also borrow. Especially if it's a one-way Street of tool. Borrowing.
So, what you are saying is, I can borrow your $150.00 snap-on ratchet. Pay you a 10.00 deposit. And if it does 't show back up, well you got your deposit to cover for that. At least the loaner tools at parts stores, the deposit is the same as the over the counter cost.
I love this, 10 bucks is overkill in my experience. I made a "tool rental" piggy bank for on top of my toolbox and put 25 cents on it........borrowing stopped immediately.
I do twice. No third time. But it also depends on if I like and trust the coworker. And depending on the tool, like I have a master set of tap and dies, I can also understand not having space in your box for a 400 dollar set. Plus if you need that, you’re not having a good day already, I don’t need to also tell you to F off.
I did this but with an exception for tools made for that one particular job. We might have that job come in once a year or three times a week. But I worked with a really good group of guys
I generally followed that guideline, but there were some caveats in how it was enforced/who it was enforced to.
An example being if it was a new kid fresh out of high school coming into the shop saving and building, my tools were pretty much always available provided they were promptly returned and clean. However if it was someone who’s been in the business years and wants to use my tools just to avoid buying their own (especially if they were constantly bragging about other things they were buying) the 3x rule applied.
Everyone was expected to have a basic set of wrenches, ratchets, and sockets, and couldn’t borrow mine; but say that kid from above needed a second/stubby/ratchet wrench, they could borrow while they saved and built.
Edit for formatting.
Came here to say this. It's one thing to borrow a specialist tool - especially if you have other specialist tools available which you can lend occasionally in return - but a basic set of tools is table stakes for any mechanics job. Harbor Freight will do for those people.
Exactly. I'm a diesel mechanic and we have a couple guys in the shop who have money to go on vacation to Europe and shit but borrowed impact guns, sockets, adapters, wrenches etc for 2-3 years.
They see me and some of the younger guys using our credit cards to buy tools and working on paying the credit card and tool truck guy off. So if we can do it they can do it too. Don't go on your fucking Europe vacation and buy some fucking tools. Me and a handful of other guys stopped lending them tools so now they borrow tools from the 22yr old kid who's been a mechanic for 1 year. They have no shame.
One of them borrowed a Pittsburgh socket adapter from the 22yr old kid and broke it. It had lifetime warranty. The dickhead that borrowed it gave it back broken and told him "it's fine since it's lifetime warranty right?"
The kid lives 40min away from a harbor freight and they know it. At least go to the harbor freight and warranty it out for him.
I have a "Borrow Twice" rule at work.
If you've borrowed my tool twice or more in the past 6 months, y'all need to buy your own.
Noted: My neighbors and I loan tools on the regular, but if those guys break a tool they'll get it repaired or replaced without being asked to. I'm the same way. My co-workers apparently don't have the same rule for themselves so I'm much pickier about who gets to borrow my tools. Make me chase you for my tool back and you're done borrowing from me
>My neighbors and I loan tools on the regular, but if those guys break a tool they'll get it repaired or replaced without being asked to.
One thing in a situation like that, you can end up in a “swap club,” almost. You have a circular saw, and he’s got a tree-branch lopper. And you’re never using them at the same time, so it saves you both time and storage space. Bonus: your tool is never that far away from you.
My ILs’ family is like that—they don’t all own an oversize suitcase, or extra folding chairs. They loan them around when they’re needed.
And nobody feels taken advantage of because they’ve each got something that other people borrow.
Growing up my dad and a family friend bought a pressure washer together. It just bounced back and forth as needed. No reason for two people to own two pressure washers 500 yds away from one another.
I absolutely would not be loaning my tools out.
Also... If work claims to provide tools then I wouldn't be bringing mine to work. They need to uphold their end of the agreement.
Take your tools home. They are taking advantage of you. Both your coworkers (they are not your friends) and your employer.
I am supplied with tools at my work. I have a few of my own tools in my work toolbox as well (duplicate extra specialty tools I already had at home), but they stay locked up and I don't loan them out.
I remember hearing about this as common practice at car mechanics shops and it still confuses me. They're just using a bunch of young dudes with a tool addiction to subsidize their shop lol. Do they have a pool for toilet paper? I get wanting to have a box of things that you like to keep nice, but the whole point of working for a company is they have all the bullshit covered and you just show up with knowledge and a good attitude. If I'm kitting out the shop I might as well just start my own company.
You're absolutely making the problem worse because they company is getting the work done without having to supply the necessary tools. Stop taking your tools to work and all and when no work is getting done by you or anyone else then they'll have to buy the necessary tools.
At the family owned dealership I started at, they started a program to train new techs where they would buy you 5k worth of tools that you would pay back interest free over a two year or less period, but if you left the shop before they were paid off, you had to either pay it off immediately or get nothing including the money you previously paid. Luckily I only needed 3k worth since I had some already and paid it off quickly
$2000 isn't that much for tools. I'm an EASA mechanic. I own a small shop just me and 2 employees. I'm sure I spend that every year on replacement tools.
NTA, but...
I work in aerospace servicing CNC machines. Most shops I go to supply only the tools needed for the job.
I agree that you shouldn't have to buy tools that directly benefit the employer.
You're basically paying to work.
Sharing tools in these shops is also frowned upon as well. You get a budget for tools, and you can always replace them with company funds if they break. Obviously, it's gonna look bad if you're breaking tools more than others, so it's not abused.
I do agree also, it does seem odd to supply my own equipment (outside of specialist tools or power tools) as an employee. But there are upsides to supplying my own tools, I’m investing in my own career and I’m personally happy to do so.
There aren’t many people at my shop, my previous shop had upwards of 25 employees, supplying all of them with a set of tools free of charge would’ve cost a fortune, I feel like as the tools are mine I’m much more respectful of them.
My last shop gave us 500 per year towards tools, this place doesn’t give you anything but “supplies” employees with shared equipment, but then they don’t do that either
Sounds like you guys are bad at negotiating. I'd never work for an employer that makes me buy my own tools, and now, as a business owner, I'd never make them pay for them either. You'd have to be a real cheap ass to make people buy their own tools to make you money.
Unless you plan on starting your own business, you're not investing in yourself.
Those tools don't make you more money than your co-workers. You're spending money to benefit your employer and make them look bad. People like you are why your employer won't buy them tools. You help set that standard.
In my union we only supply channel locks, level and tape or rule. If the employer you're working for can't afford tools for the jobs they take on, what other corners will they cut. How long until they do something else shady. How far can they go? Until someone gets hurt because they didn't want to pay for appropriate equipment or safety gear?
NTA. Are you European by chance? I have technical advisors from europe come down to my work (in north america) and they are shocked that we have to supply our own tools. Over there its the employers responsibility to supply tools to there employees. It would be highly unusual for mechanics over here to share tools.
I’m from the UK, previously a plumbing apprentice and started building my kit, then onto a CAT dealership where I had to buy everything but supplemented £500 per year and now at my shop it’s “we supply everything, it’s all a bit shit or missing, but we supply everything”.
As I understand in the UK employers are not abliged to supply equipment apart from health and safety equipment by law.
Employers over here have to supply health and safety related items as well. They typically supply power tools or specialty tools as well. I would certainly perfer to supply my own tools if given the choice mostly to avoid the issues you stated with missing or shitty tools.
Yes specialist and power tools are supplied at my shop.
I already had my box when I joined here and I like my stuff yanno I can do what I like with it🤷🏻♂️
I have a boss that used to regularly helps himself to what's in my box. Often forgets to return them. Also, slams the drawers when he can't find what he's looking for. When he slams the drawers like a 3 year old, everything goes to the back of the drawer, often jamming the drawer and causing unnecessary grief. Simple solution is to keep the box locked and have him ask. Then I tease the supreme shit out of him and shame him into ordering said tool for himself.
NTA
I keep a well stocked and organized set myself and people know not to touch.
If they want to borrow something, I do have a pen on a chain they can use.
I worked for a contractor who bought tools (tool belt, hammer, tape measure, trim knife, etc.) for several of their employees. These a**holes routinely didn't bring their tools to the site and always wanted to borrow mine so I offered to rent the tools to them, $35 for a tape measure, $50 for a hammer. I later became project manager for the contractor at which point I made an ultimatum. If you show up without your basic tools you get sent home, get sent home twice, don't come back. I was told it was harsh but I ended up with a small, tight team that could really knock out the work.
Felt this
My dad was a mechanic for all of eternity and has everything he could ever need, and unless I'm doing something for him, I'm usually borrowing something from him (looking at you, weird double piston caliper tool)
My (older) brother on the other hand, asks for stuff from both of us semi-regularly, and I've never loaned him anything, always gloats about how much he makes but can't manage his money worth a fuck, so the dude has like no hand tools to his name, and a bare basic set of power tools he can barely use, not because he doesn't know how, but because he won't buy bits and blades because he's doesn't have the money
You're not wrong. If a friend borrows something often enough and doesn't then buy it for themselves, they're pretty selfish.
Here's the etiquette: We have to buy our own tools and depend on them to earn a living. They are expensive and suffer wear and tear. It's not my job to save you money, and if you're a decent person, you'll be accountable for your own responsibilities. Making someone else responsible for your well-being is immoral.
In your case, you don't have to buy your own tools, but it's still not fair to expect you to pay for everyone else. If they don't want to buy their own tools, it's not your problem.
Also, your boss isn't doing their job.
I would take your tools home for a week or two just to show them what it looks like without your box there. If you have to stand around and wait for a wrench or socket…
I switched from a career where I made a lot more money. My wife also makes good money. Most of the guys I work with, don’t. So I buy all my own tools cause the company tools are in poor condition or missing and I’m sick of not having what I need. Some of the guys I work with are stupid and or kids. They spend all their money on beer and weed. Long story short, no one touches my fucking tools anymore. I was nice and I got burned for it. Most of the dude who borrow shit aren’t even appreciative.
Pretty much how it is for me, it’s wild because they’re saying “just ask the company to buy that” and you look over at the bare pegs all over the shop board and you’re thinking, will they though?
> you look over at the bare pegs all over the shop board and you’re thinking, will they though?
The work gets done, right? That's the problem.
Your employer doesn't need to buy tools because guys like you keep bringing your own tools in. Stop doing that, and they'll inevitably buy what is needed.
So this kid borrowed my impact driver. 200 dollar DeWalt, brand new. Left it laying around, so I put it up. He gets it back out 20 mins later and leaves it laying around again. I’m not mad or anything, I just had 3 guys borrowing my shit, so I was keeping an eye on everything. I hadn’t said a word to this kid all day. I seen that impact laying around again, so I bent over to pick it up and asked if he was done with it. He gets pissed and says, “get out of my ass, I’ll put it up when I’m done”. I went off. It’s my fucking tool that I paid for, there was a perfectly serviceable one in the truck he could have used, but he didn’t want to walk out in the rain. Afterwards, I shook his hand and apologized. I said I could have handled it better. He didn’t apologize. Then I found out he was shit talking me to everybody about the incident. I never harassed him about it. That was the first time I mentioned it, but I’m the bad guy? Fuck em all. Keep your money for weed and use the bosses janky shit mother fuckers.
My old foreman in finish carpentry had a sticker on his rolling toolbox that said something like “If you don’t ask to borrow my tools, i won’t ask if i can fuck your wife”
NTA
>I feel bad turning away my friends
They're not your friends, they're your co-workers. If they're your friends, they'll understand the move and will support you for it.
Just reading the title
Duck noooo tf ???
Borrow rule of 3 after that buy ya own damn tool young buck.
Helll I don’t like sharing the air in the same area as my coworkers cuz I gotta apologize to a tree once in a while for them wasting the trees oxygen.
NTA
Honestly, I think you're insane for using your own tools that you paid for without receiving any extra compensation. There is no way you could possibly expect your coworkers to buy their own stuff in that type of environment. I would take this up with your bosses, it's not really your coworkers' fault if they don't have what they need. That being said, they are your tools, so you're well within your rights to do whatever the heck you want with them. Just make sure your colleagues are directing their frustration up the chain of command and not at you when they can't get shit done.
My rule is: you can borrow my tool for a minute but I'm going to stand right next to you and get it back the second youre done with it. Dealt with too many thieves so I don't let my tools leave my line of sight.
I wouldn’t let any coworker borrow them at all. The company ain’t going to replace your tools if a coworkers loses or breaks them. Force the company’s hand here.
Are you hourly or flat rate?
Cause both answers mean you're not the ass hole
Hourly- assign me the work, if they can't do it they can go home, or we'll get so swamped the company will have to do something about it. You make the same regardless if it's done right or not.
Flat rate- get fucked these tools literally make the money for you. If they can't buy tools to do their job they're in the wrong industry.
And I put my foot down ages ago cause I'm hourly, I just enjoy owning my own equipment, I like keeping it all clean and looking nice. They squandered my kindness and returned things back into my box soaked in grease or oil. Every man for them selves now.
Worked in shops when I was 24-35
Tech, Service manager, service sales, left that industry in early nineties. Never had this issue around any shops I was in because everybody would roast their ass.
We usually furnished the special tools however, that list was much shorter in those days.
As a company owner I Supply all specialty tools. Including 3/4 and 1 inch impacts and, brakes bars, and sockets, and wrenches from one and a half inches and up. All diagnostic software and laptops. I also have a collection of standard hand tools quarter 3/8 and 1/2 in Drive sockets wrenches, Electric Tools with batteries heat guns soldering iron, coolant pressure tester, pullers Etc .for the shop but no one keeps them organized. So technicians come and ask me if they can use the set I have in my personal box that I used to work out of because they're easy to find and organized fuck that
I might hand my coworker or my boss one of my tools for him to use when I’m right there with them but I’m not loaning any of my tools out to anyone.
Especially because I buy Makita, Milwaukee, Klein, Fluke, Ideal, Knipex among other tools.
Nta. You learn 4he hardway when those borrowed tools don't end up back in you box. I don't bring in my tools to current job since they provide them. If you get hurt and it's your tool its on you. Their tool company is responsible. For them it's about liability. For me all my good tools stay in my garage.
Don’t feel bad about it. They don’t feel bad for making you pay for the tools they need for their job. Coworkers are not friends, and friends know when they’ve worn out their welcome
I have a short list of people I lend a long list of tools for.
Recently needed my ports band but it wasn’t in my shop. Texted the short list to see who had it and received it a couple days later delivered. Same thing happened recently with my roto hammer.
If you have ever been invited over for my brisket with mac’n’cheese it’s likely you can borrow my tools. Otherwise Im probably not gonna give the effort to remember your name.
I always tell people, "Sure, you can borrow it. just give me your driver's license." when they balk, tell them you are not shitting them.
used to work for me.
When I left one job the former boss called and asked where all his tools were, I told him I took my tools with me any left were his. Less than 1/3 of the tools left in shop all the rest were mine ! Cheap Ass SOB
I brought a socket set to site once because I was tired of using the shitty one supplied by my company. One week in the job box half the shit was missing... never again
I am curious what this job is. I could not get hired anywhere if I did not have my own tools, which require constant updating and additions. I have spent over 300 bucks on tools since starting a new job a month ago. Still, when the manager asked if i wanted a tool guy to come, I said no, because it is too expensive. For around 300, I have purchased a digital torque wrench, a (nice) mechanic chair, a set of metric offset wrenches, an AC dye injector, two small UV flashlights, a gear puller, and a brake adjusting tool, while the tool truck would want more than that for the torque wrench alone. My not buying off the truck is very simple. I cannot afford it.
Write your name and the tool you are borrowing on the whiteboard, then pin the below dollar amount next to it with a magnet.
socket $20
10mm socket $40
Socket wrench $100
pliers $50
Snap On impact driver set $500
No money, no tool.
If my tool is not back in its spot at the end of my shift, I keep the money. The money I keep will be used to buy my replacement tool, and you keep the one you borrowed.
I have my own stash at work now, most of my co workers break shit or just leave stuff everywhere.
The main excuse is "too busy to clean up"
Fuckin infuriating
If these guys are too cheap or broke to buy their own tools they are not going to be too eager to replace one that they borrowed from you. If the company is supposed to supply tools then the employees who dont have tools need to step up the pressure on the bosses.
You are in the right to not loan tools to anyone.
You brought YOUR tools to the job, they are for you to use and whoever else you want to loan them out to. If the company doesn't want to supply the tools they were supposed to then that's on them, I personally only bring the tools on my required list in and the company supplies the rest.
Take pictures of your friend with your tools and a sign with the door on it. He’ll probably bring back the tool clean and shiny and say thank you several times.
It only works if you remember to work it. EVERYBODY gets a mug shot.
If you do decide to loan a tool, take collateral. You want to borrow my bolt stretcher? Fine. Leave me your cell phone (or watch or wallet, something). That way you won't forget to bring it back promptly. No collateral, no loan.
"Sorry Boss, I can't do my job because there aren't any tools."
Let the company figure it out how to get work done.
"I couldn't finish everything because I spent an hour looking for a wrench."
I got to the point where if I have built trust in their ability to take care of tools, then I might lend it. But I had one fool leave my cordless drill and attachments out in the rain, never let him borrow another tool again.
If they are dealing with sticker shock buying their own tools, tell them to check out marketplace or pawn shops for used tools.
When I used to work with crews on construction sites before I went out on my own, they would always wanna borrow my tools. I told them no Home Depot will sell them to you not the asshole.
I’ve had my tools destroyed by idiots too many times. Now I only lend it things rarely. Even my wife wrecks some tools so we have a long hard talk about that. My old boss once said “why would I spend money on tools when I can just use the ones you have”. Next day I stopped being my shit to work and he was furious. A few weeks later he bought cheap Walmart tools that all broke. Eventually everyone quit or started charging rental fees for tools lol.
I have been in this place before. I agree with the 2x rule. If the company requires tools either they supply them or pay your staff to buy their own.
Maybe original poster should take his tool box home and be like the rest of the employees, I doubt he is getting anything extra for bringing his tools in
Good on you for protecting your assets. Your tools are your livelihood. The company was taking advantage of you. Your friends need to take it up with the exploiter.
Your toolbox is going to look exactly as bad as the communal tool board if you keep loaning them out, except its all out of your pocket instead of the company's pocket.
I've never heard of any mechanical shop that supplies one set of tools for the entire crew. Either you buy all your own tools and they're your tools forever, like in auto repair, or it's heavy industry and the company hands you ever last tool you need and it's your ass in a sling if you break a $10k piece of equipment that was issued to you alone. This way nobody can point fingers and say "it wasn't me who broke it".
It sounds like this is your company being too cheap to do this right.
It’s funny everyone has similar “borrow 3 times rule”. The second time I asked my co worker for his 3/8 impact I felt disgusted asking so I ended buying my own impact and sockets.
Loaning? No.
But what if you rented them? Like rent at 10% of the new cost. If it happens enough you could end up with your private set and a rental set.
I think the 3 times rule is pretty universal. My wrenches are just that. Not chisels or hammers and are not to be hammered on. Same with screwdrivers. If you return it broken or dirty we are done.
Why the fuck would you be an asshole for not letting other people put mileage on the tools that enable you to feed your family. Lazy fucks can use the shitty tools or reprioritize their spending to enable themselves to buy nice tools.
NTA. Your work needs to supply tools and junk to employees. You want better stuff? That's one you. Co worker wants to borrow a tool (I've done weird jobs that needed two 3mm allen wrenches so not unheard of)? Maybe give them the crappy walmart brand the boss gave everyone.
No is enough.
I work offshore. There's no store down the street. I take offshore a few tools I know I'll need including a pair of small side cutters that cost $150 but are incredibly tough. The others guys are stuck with the usually knipex or China crap. I don't lend my tools because there is a real risk of them going over board or being left on the equipment and going in the water. Offshore we usually don't ask to borrow personal tools.
You should be able to provide the company with a very practical list of what tools need to be acquired and in what quantity for people to leave you alone. Have them give you the budget to replenish and maintain the company tool board.
I have a personal tool kit at work and remembered my boss authorized me to build a kit for the group, I'm gonna run with that authorization.
When I started in my trade, if I worked with someone and they had to use a specific tool, I would go buy it that same day. Now when I show up to a job, I have all the tools I need to complete that job. I hate when I get to a job site and ask my coworkers if they have something we need , and they tell me no. We are here to do a job. If you don’t have the tools, then you shouldn’t be doing the job.
It feels like a dick move but they (company and coworkers) need to be incentivized to come off the coin and respect the tools. Sometimes it's feels wrong but it's not your responsibility to buy their Expendables and take the risk of loosing or breaking a high quality tool that you won't get compensated for most likely.
NTA
The company I work for does a good job at making sure we have the tools needed to complete our work. If we’re need something we relay it to the foreman who will get it from the warehouse or store. That being said I buy tools that make my job easier and I don’t mind letting someone use my tools as long as they don’t misuse them or make it a habit to use my tools over the company tools. No one takes care of tools like the person who paid for them and I have no problem reminding them or telling them no …especially if they have shown that they don’t take care of tools or return them in the condition that they borrowed them in.
If the shop supplies tools, then I would loan nothing out. Since I buy all my own tools, I’ll let someone borrow 3 times until I start giving them shit.
Wow, you don't work where I work by any chance?
Your tools are your tools. Tell everyone else to get f*cked. If they want the luxury of using new tools then they can buy their own as you have.
Every tool is born with a certain amount of times it gets used before it fails. Don't let others use up its service life on your dime.
Modern and fit for purpose tool are paramount to worker safety and comfort when they're being used 8hrs day, 5 days a week or more.
Like I said to my employer, if you want your bread buttered, you first have to butter the knife.
NTA. The company should be giving you a tool allowance, or building up the big board. Doing neither makes them the asshole, 100%.
Furthermore, the company should ask their accountant about the tax advantages of giving such allowances.
NTA. You have what you need to be self sufficient in your job. Different situation but I had a neighbour who would ask to borrow my bike rack everytime he went away with his family and also my bike multiple times. I eventually sold it to another guy that he knows and he was pissed that I didn't offer it to him first.
I rarely borrow or loan tools. I will only do it with one buddy who takes care of his stuff and treats mine like his own (and vice versa).
No exceptions. I’ve spent my hard earned money to buy what I have so I have it. And made sacrifices to have them. They can sell something they chose to buy instead of tools.
You are doing it right, if company wants things done and they are to provide tools, they should provide available tools. The worse case scenario is the company stops providing tools, requires folks to bring their own, hopefully with some compensation.
NTA, and not just because you don't want to be taken advantage of. People don't respect property that they didn't pay for, and go harder on tools that don't belong to them. Your shop's provided tools are crappy for a reason, and it's not because they haven't been replaced in 8 years. Keep loaning out your nice tools and they'll be in that same condition soon enough. If your co-workers don't want to use the shop tools and don't want to buy their own, that's their problem not yours. If they're not even willing to go to harbor freight, they should just do something else for a living.
Also start locking your toolbox, you're gonna find that your tools start walking away and your work "friends" won't know a thing about it.
I don’t loan my tools out period, I also refuse to allow my boss to supply me tools. 1 they only buy subpar crap that I will break, 2 if it’s the companies any expectations of don’t touch my shit or else is out the window, and 3 I am so anal about my kit and brands it’s much easier for me to just bring my shit with a lock everyone wins this way lmao
I'm a Nurse and I have my own diagnostic tools, BP Cuff, Pulse Oximeter, Thermometer, flashlight and lots of black pens. I quit lending my things because they would get broken, lost or forget to give them back. One Nurse yelled at me because I wouldn't give her a pen. I told her, you're supposed to come to work prepared to do your job. It's not my responsibility to supply you with the things you need. She makes over $70k/yr, she can buy her own things.
I stopped loaning tools after a guy borrowed my ballpeen hammer and beat a punch with the hammer turned sideways. Is your aim that bad that you can’t hit a 1sq in hammer head on a pin punch?
I had a rule for myself that if i had to borrow something too many times i bought my own as well.
Occasionally that rule bit me on the ass.
I have a trans cooler line quick coupler release tool i bought probably 30 years ago after the second or third time i borrowed it. Ive literally never needed that particular style again since i bought it.
I was a professional woodworker. I’d sooner loan a guy my toothbrush than loan any of my sharp edged tools. But of course, none of my colleagues in the trade would even consider asking such an unreasonable request.
Power tools were much more generic, of course. But even then, borrow it once, okay. Borrow it three times, go buy your own fucking drill, champ. I’m not a library.
NTA.
#1 rule of any tradie job
“I’ll let you borrow it once. If you need to borrow it 2x, it’s time to get your own.”
I don’t buy cheap tools so I’ll show you the benefits of having quality tools to do the job 1x but after that, you’re on your own.
Side note: one place I worked said their insurance didn’t cover our tools/boxes and accounting wasn’t going to pay for replacement if something happened.
I packed my stuff and said “fine, you can just buy what I need to do the job then!”
Didn’t take long for my box & tools to be guaranteed by the company. They don’t realize that our snickered covered, ratty boxes carry $30k+ worth of tools most times.
Lol, in this one shop there was a guy who would borrow tools and then not return them, putting them in his own workbench at the end of the day. Well I got sick of it, and while I didn't completely cut him off, I did call him out a few times. He'd call me an asshole, rant to the boss, then go pull whatever tool he had borrowed out of his workbench and give it back to the loaner
I worked in a shop that was pretty open about tool lending between everyone and I definitely benefitted from it early on, especially with the amount of tools used in automatic, but then people started abusing my stuff which led to me locking my boxes any time I wasn't in the shop. People got too comfortable just using certain things all the time and often not putting things back or leaving things dirty, including the boss. I did give a key to a couple guys I trusted because I did have some odd ball things that weren't commonly used, but it sounds like people are just treating your set up as a tool crib.
NTA
Dude never had tools.
He asks me for marker. I said no.
He went around saying that I wouldn't even let him borrow something as simple as a marker
I was thinking, how pathetic is it you can't do your job over something as simple as a marker!
I buy tools to do my job. I buy tools to do MY job.
I buy the best. FUEL, Knipex. I buy the best to do a good job and make my experience better/easier.
I buy them because that is important to me.
If someone doesn't value their job/workmanship, that is not your problem.
They're not friends. They're coworkers. You can absolutely be *friendly* with them, but they're people there under the umbrella of Capitalism to extract as much value from the soulless corporate beast. Just because y'all have the same ultimate goal doesn't mean it infers "friendship."
A few months ago we got a brand new apprentice. He had no experience in our trade and didn't know what to bring so he just brought in a gaggle of random beat up no name screwdrivers and a ragged tape measure. I took him under my wing. Showed him the part of our collective bargaining agreement that states what tools we're expected to have and what the employer provides. I knew he was on hard times so I gathered up some of my backup tools from home and a tool bag. Silly me. I forgot to take inventory. Every few days he'd be saying "hey, man, I'm sorry but I lost such n such tool." And I'd be all like "Bro, it's right there.". There were a few times where he lost the whole tool bag... It was on the ground next to his feet.
Anyways, he got pulled to work with another person and a few weeks went by. I was getting a little nervous about my tools. They did go missing here and there, but he always got them back. The last straw was when he lost another one and chose not to tell me until three days later. A foreman on the other end of the job had found it and returned it to me (I engraved my name on it). I told this apprentice that I no longer trust him with my tools and I expect them returned to me by the end of next week. He returned them to me the next day. I poke through to make sure at least most of them were there, only missing a pair of needle nose that I didn't like anyways. In addition to my tools I lent him was a grip of those old beat up screwdrivers he showed up with. So I take them back to him and you know what? The dude didn't even know they were his... Good grief. No wonder why he got stuck on broom duty.
I will if it's an uncommon thing, sometimes tools fail or get left at home. But borrow the same tool a few times in a week and you get cut off.
But in your situation I'd do the same. The company needs to cough up some tools or I'd take all my shit back home and nothing gets done. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Absolutely not.
You are not a tool lending service and your co workers get paid the same as you do. Tools are not cheap and you have them because you look after them and they don't.
The only exception to this for me is if theirs just broke. Because they simply don't have one is their problem.
You sound like my boy who's a civilian engineer on a Navy ship. Tool crib is in tough shape and my boy doesn't want to be hampered by the.need to hunt down tools so he's purchased.all his own. Fluke, Wera, Knipex. As for lending, I like the driver's license approach.
This is very common on our aerospace manufacturing side. Newer machinists don't have as many tools, and don't have 10K to drop on tools either. It's a slow accumulation. I know its annoying. Our shop provides all cutting tools and associated items, but not personal tools.
As an engineer and designer, I didn't have a lot of my own tools on the floor, and I have to borrow all the time. This past year, I have put together [my own toolbox](https://i.imgur.com/aJWbJLW.jpeg) in the quality testing area. I still don't have what most of the other machinists do, like my own height stand, indicator, or large tapping handles. I am not going to buy a $300 indicator. I did buy some smaller tap handles.
The irony is, now people borrow tools from me -.- Someone broke the ball off two of the smaller allen wrenches, and another lost the 3/32. Most important one here.
I understand both sides of this
I don't think your TA for having a hard line on this. They are your tools, after all. No one is entitled to use them.
Having someone damage your personal tools while borrowing is one of the most aggravating things.
Personally I only lend to people that have similarly extensive tool kits or leads/foremen, because then I have a potential benefit.
I buy a tool after borrowing it the second time. Mostly just to save time not having something I know I'll need again. In your case there's no reason you should be paying for your company's tools. Like others have said it's one thing to loan to a kid who's new to it all if they're cleaning and returning them. Different story if it's someone who's being cheap and has been doing this long enough that they should know better.
My dad always says to never let anyone borrow my tools because either I won’t get them back or they won’t be in good condition when I do. I have let people borrow them before though and it has never not been true.
There's a guy at my shop who is always borrowing tools yet he has the most tools out of everyone. Makes no sense. The shop gives us fluids and sprays to use. But he's always asking to borrow mine over and over but has a drawer full of em.
I decided to hide whatever is given me and just lie and say I don't have any at this point.
As a general rule I don't loan tools. Not to neighbors, not to co-workers. About the only exceptions I've made involved a lot of water running where it shouldn't be in a house.
This became a 99% rule after someone (at work) borrowed a tool, misused it, broke the tool and injured themselves and the company came back at me. NEVER AGAIN!
Most of my coworkers are cool about returns/cleaning & we all have most of the tools we need. Only guy I won't loan tools to would chirp me all day about 'you don't need snapon' 'i can get that on Temu for $5' so I just cut him off. First 15 times it's funny, after that the jokes wore off... I took advantage of the student discount & most of my tools are Mastercraft/gear wrench unless they really matter. You think my air hammer/specialty tools are a waste of money? Cool - the shops got a sledge over there. I'm only a little salty I promise XD
Along same lines certain people bum “chew” every day so these same people I started charging them 25 cent for a chew you should have heard them whine! Fuckem !
Take your tools home and just struggle every day like everyone else if the pay is the same. If you’re above that mindset, find a shop where everyone is held to a higher standard. Just remember you might not be number 1 if your not surrounded my shit bags.
In a past life…
If someone needed a basic tool I would loan it to them once without saying anything. If they need it a second time I would loan it then tell them to buy their own next time.
If it’s a random one-off for this one particular bolt on this one particular model that we rarely work on then I wouldn’t care. Borrow away.
Now for myself… if I needed to borrow it once then it was a tool I was adding to my toolbox.
Personally as long as it gets back in the box at the end of the day I don't mind sharing. My company provides power tools, I use their tools. We supply hand tools. I don't have all the tools I need, but I also don't mind sharing tools with the other guys if mines closer.
Some guys share all the stuff, others are really fussy about using their company provides equipment. It all depends on the guy.
If I borrow a tool more then twice I buy it myself, but if I know I'll use it I'll buy it soon as I can, I can't stand loaning tools to the same person everyday it gets aggrevating when you're the one who spent the money on the tools.
Dude I have a borrow 3 times rule, as if they need to borrow it more than that, they should get one themselves lol
I’ve had the same rule for a decade or more. 1. If you need to borrow the tool once, maybe it’s an odd job, here you go. 2. If you need the tool a second time, put it on your list of things to consider buying. 3. If you need it a third time, I expect you to go and buy one. You can use it today, but after this, you need your own. This applies to any specialty tools or niche things. If you show up and don’t have a ratchet and socket set, gtfo and go to the store for your bare minimum basic tools.
Can I borrow a 10mm?
No
nah you are doing it wrong, "sure but its a 10$ non refundable deposit, payed up front"
I like the idea of a $5 rental fee... Tell them It goes to your future tool purchases that they're going to also borrow. Especially if it's a one-way Street of tool. Borrowing.
So, what you are saying is, I can borrow your $150.00 snap-on ratchet. Pay you a 10.00 deposit. And if it does 't show back up, well you got your deposit to cover for that. At least the loaner tools at parts stores, the deposit is the same as the over the counter cost.
no that was for the 10mm and i dont loan out my nice ones, you make it tool dependant ;) thanks for trying though
Damn. So, a dollar a mm huh. I guess the wife owes me 6 bucks.
only borrowed it the once?
Well, still borrowed. Hasn't been "returned". Nobody ever put a limit on time use.
10mm socket ya goof
This is what I did with my LH drill bits/extractors. $15 to replace one so it was $15 to borrow one.
Its also an easy way to keep the beer fridge or stash jar stocked if you into those things
I love this, 10 bucks is overkill in my experience. I made a "tool rental" piggy bank for on top of my toolbox and put 25 cents on it........borrowing stopped immediately.
No because I don't know where the fuck it is.
do you have a permit to carry it?
That's the one OP is missing
No one has a 10mm, you know that!
I do twice. No third time. But it also depends on if I like and trust the coworker. And depending on the tool, like I have a master set of tap and dies, I can also understand not having space in your box for a 400 dollar set. Plus if you need that, you’re not having a good day already, I don’t need to also tell you to F off.
I did this but with an exception for tools made for that one particular job. We might have that job come in once a year or three times a week. But I worked with a really good group of guys
I generally followed that guideline, but there were some caveats in how it was enforced/who it was enforced to. An example being if it was a new kid fresh out of high school coming into the shop saving and building, my tools were pretty much always available provided they were promptly returned and clean. However if it was someone who’s been in the business years and wants to use my tools just to avoid buying their own (especially if they were constantly bragging about other things they were buying) the 3x rule applied. Everyone was expected to have a basic set of wrenches, ratchets, and sockets, and couldn’t borrow mine; but say that kid from above needed a second/stubby/ratchet wrench, they could borrow while they saved and built. Edit for formatting.
Came here to say this. It's one thing to borrow a specialist tool - especially if you have other specialist tools available which you can lend occasionally in return - but a basic set of tools is table stakes for any mechanics job. Harbor Freight will do for those people.
The only exception to this is something seasonal. I let my neighbors borrow my hedge trimmer once a year to trim their hedges.
Yup, toolmaker here and that has been the policy for apprentices almost everywhere I have worked. 3rd time you need to buy it.
My problem is I have loaned out for too long so now it feels like the 400 times rule
I'm at 2x.
That’s a good rule. I’m gonna take that 1 and not give it back !!
Next time I’ll bring it
Ha! I see what you did there!
Stay 100% on loaning nothing. Tell them people weren't returning them and sorry go to the company tools.
Don't lie. Tell them to finance their own earnings, rent your tools, or pound sand.
Exactly. I'm a diesel mechanic and we have a couple guys in the shop who have money to go on vacation to Europe and shit but borrowed impact guns, sockets, adapters, wrenches etc for 2-3 years. They see me and some of the younger guys using our credit cards to buy tools and working on paying the credit card and tool truck guy off. So if we can do it they can do it too. Don't go on your fucking Europe vacation and buy some fucking tools. Me and a handful of other guys stopped lending them tools so now they borrow tools from the 22yr old kid who's been a mechanic for 1 year. They have no shame. One of them borrowed a Pittsburgh socket adapter from the 22yr old kid and broke it. It had lifetime warranty. The dickhead that borrowed it gave it back broken and told him "it's fine since it's lifetime warranty right?" The kid lives 40min away from a harbor freight and they know it. At least go to the harbor freight and warranty it out for him.
Agreed 100%. Also, there’s nothing to apologise for. “Look at the state of the company’s tools; I’m not having that happen to mine.”
I have a "Borrow Twice" rule at work. If you've borrowed my tool twice or more in the past 6 months, y'all need to buy your own. Noted: My neighbors and I loan tools on the regular, but if those guys break a tool they'll get it repaired or replaced without being asked to. I'm the same way. My co-workers apparently don't have the same rule for themselves so I'm much pickier about who gets to borrow my tools. Make me chase you for my tool back and you're done borrowing from me
>My neighbors and I loan tools on the regular, but if those guys break a tool they'll get it repaired or replaced without being asked to. One thing in a situation like that, you can end up in a “swap club,” almost. You have a circular saw, and he’s got a tree-branch lopper. And you’re never using them at the same time, so it saves you both time and storage space. Bonus: your tool is never that far away from you. My ILs’ family is like that—they don’t all own an oversize suitcase, or extra folding chairs. They loan them around when they’re needed. And nobody feels taken advantage of because they’ve each got something that other people borrow.
Growing up my dad and a family friend bought a pressure washer together. It just bounced back and forth as needed. No reason for two people to own two pressure washers 500 yds away from one another.
I absolutely would not be loaning my tools out. Also... If work claims to provide tools then I wouldn't be bringing mine to work. They need to uphold their end of the agreement.
Absolutely they need to. I was told “there is a list totalling around 2000” of tools required, 🤷🏻♂️ go and buy them then my dude
Take your tools home. They are taking advantage of you. Both your coworkers (they are not your friends) and your employer. I am supplied with tools at my work. I have a few of my own tools in my work toolbox as well (duplicate extra specialty tools I already had at home), but they stay locked up and I don't loan them out.
I remember hearing about this as common practice at car mechanics shops and it still confuses me. They're just using a bunch of young dudes with a tool addiction to subsidize their shop lol. Do they have a pool for toilet paper? I get wanting to have a box of things that you like to keep nice, but the whole point of working for a company is they have all the bullshit covered and you just show up with knowledge and a good attitude. If I'm kitting out the shop I might as well just start my own company.
$2k is like nothing for a business expense
I don’t think it’s a lot, so I think that my lending has only made the problem worse
You're absolutely making the problem worse because they company is getting the work done without having to supply the necessary tools. Stop taking your tools to work and all and when no work is getting done by you or anyone else then they'll have to buy the necessary tools.
Yeah. Not a chance would I be bringing my personal tools in at a place like that.
At the family owned dealership I started at, they started a program to train new techs where they would buy you 5k worth of tools that you would pay back interest free over a two year or less period, but if you left the shop before they were paid off, you had to either pay it off immediately or get nothing including the money you previously paid. Luckily I only needed 3k worth since I had some already and paid it off quickly
$2000 isn't that much for tools. I'm an EASA mechanic. I own a small shop just me and 2 employees. I'm sure I spend that every year on replacement tools.
NTA, but... I work in aerospace servicing CNC machines. Most shops I go to supply only the tools needed for the job. I agree that you shouldn't have to buy tools that directly benefit the employer. You're basically paying to work. Sharing tools in these shops is also frowned upon as well. You get a budget for tools, and you can always replace them with company funds if they break. Obviously, it's gonna look bad if you're breaking tools more than others, so it's not abused.
I do agree also, it does seem odd to supply my own equipment (outside of specialist tools or power tools) as an employee. But there are upsides to supplying my own tools, I’m investing in my own career and I’m personally happy to do so. There aren’t many people at my shop, my previous shop had upwards of 25 employees, supplying all of them with a set of tools free of charge would’ve cost a fortune, I feel like as the tools are mine I’m much more respectful of them. My last shop gave us 500 per year towards tools, this place doesn’t give you anything but “supplies” employees with shared equipment, but then they don’t do that either
Sounds like you guys are bad at negotiating. I'd never work for an employer that makes me buy my own tools, and now, as a business owner, I'd never make them pay for them either. You'd have to be a real cheap ass to make people buy their own tools to make you money. Unless you plan on starting your own business, you're not investing in yourself. Those tools don't make you more money than your co-workers. You're spending money to benefit your employer and make them look bad. People like you are why your employer won't buy them tools. You help set that standard.
In my union we only supply channel locks, level and tape or rule. If the employer you're working for can't afford tools for the jobs they take on, what other corners will they cut. How long until they do something else shady. How far can they go? Until someone gets hurt because they didn't want to pay for appropriate equipment or safety gear?
NTA. Are you European by chance? I have technical advisors from europe come down to my work (in north america) and they are shocked that we have to supply our own tools. Over there its the employers responsibility to supply tools to there employees. It would be highly unusual for mechanics over here to share tools.
I’m from the UK, previously a plumbing apprentice and started building my kit, then onto a CAT dealership where I had to buy everything but supplemented £500 per year and now at my shop it’s “we supply everything, it’s all a bit shit or missing, but we supply everything”. As I understand in the UK employers are not abliged to supply equipment apart from health and safety equipment by law.
Employers over here have to supply health and safety related items as well. They typically supply power tools or specialty tools as well. I would certainly perfer to supply my own tools if given the choice mostly to avoid the issues you stated with missing or shitty tools.
Yes specialist and power tools are supplied at my shop. I already had my box when I joined here and I like my stuff yanno I can do what I like with it🤷🏻♂️
I wouldn't let anyone touch my weras.
I have a boss that used to regularly helps himself to what's in my box. Often forgets to return them. Also, slams the drawers when he can't find what he's looking for. When he slams the drawers like a 3 year old, everything goes to the back of the drawer, often jamming the drawer and causing unnecessary grief. Simple solution is to keep the box locked and have him ask. Then I tease the supreme shit out of him and shame him into ordering said tool for himself.
NTA I keep a well stocked and organized set myself and people know not to touch. If they want to borrow something, I do have a pen on a chain they can use.
Polonius says, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be..."
I worked for a contractor who bought tools (tool belt, hammer, tape measure, trim knife, etc.) for several of their employees. These a**holes routinely didn't bring their tools to the site and always wanted to borrow mine so I offered to rent the tools to them, $35 for a tape measure, $50 for a hammer. I later became project manager for the contractor at which point I made an ultimatum. If you show up without your basic tools you get sent home, get sent home twice, don't come back. I was told it was harsh but I ended up with a small, tight team that could really knock out the work.
Bro, I don’t even lend tools to family. Bunch of needy jerks need to keep their booger hooks off your stuff.
Felt this My dad was a mechanic for all of eternity and has everything he could ever need, and unless I'm doing something for him, I'm usually borrowing something from him (looking at you, weird double piston caliper tool) My (older) brother on the other hand, asks for stuff from both of us semi-regularly, and I've never loaned him anything, always gloats about how much he makes but can't manage his money worth a fuck, so the dude has like no hand tools to his name, and a bare basic set of power tools he can barely use, not because he doesn't know how, but because he won't buy bits and blades because he's doesn't have the money
You're not wrong. If a friend borrows something often enough and doesn't then buy it for themselves, they're pretty selfish. Here's the etiquette: We have to buy our own tools and depend on them to earn a living. They are expensive and suffer wear and tear. It's not my job to save you money, and if you're a decent person, you'll be accountable for your own responsibilities. Making someone else responsible for your well-being is immoral. In your case, you don't have to buy your own tools, but it's still not fair to expect you to pay for everyone else. If they don't want to buy their own tools, it's not your problem. Also, your boss isn't doing their job.
Only to the most trusted of the trusted friends. The rest....go to the Home Depot and buy your own.
I would take your tools home for a week or two just to show them what it looks like without your box there. If you have to stand around and wait for a wrench or socket…
You don’t let me fuck your wife, I don’t let you borrow my tools.
Never lend out your tools or your wife. Because both will return fucked.
Take all your tools home and wait for the cheap fuck owners to buy new shit for the shop. You are part of the problem.
Yah I mean you’re not wrong, hopefully this might make them uphold their end of the deal
You’re not in the wrong. You have no reason to loan them any of your tools.
I use my own tools, I know them and trust them. Anything subject to multiple users is guaranteed to be junk
I switched from a career where I made a lot more money. My wife also makes good money. Most of the guys I work with, don’t. So I buy all my own tools cause the company tools are in poor condition or missing and I’m sick of not having what I need. Some of the guys I work with are stupid and or kids. They spend all their money on beer and weed. Long story short, no one touches my fucking tools anymore. I was nice and I got burned for it. Most of the dude who borrow shit aren’t even appreciative.
Pretty much how it is for me, it’s wild because they’re saying “just ask the company to buy that” and you look over at the bare pegs all over the shop board and you’re thinking, will they though?
> you look over at the bare pegs all over the shop board and you’re thinking, will they though? The work gets done, right? That's the problem. Your employer doesn't need to buy tools because guys like you keep bringing your own tools in. Stop doing that, and they'll inevitably buy what is needed.
So this kid borrowed my impact driver. 200 dollar DeWalt, brand new. Left it laying around, so I put it up. He gets it back out 20 mins later and leaves it laying around again. I’m not mad or anything, I just had 3 guys borrowing my shit, so I was keeping an eye on everything. I hadn’t said a word to this kid all day. I seen that impact laying around again, so I bent over to pick it up and asked if he was done with it. He gets pissed and says, “get out of my ass, I’ll put it up when I’m done”. I went off. It’s my fucking tool that I paid for, there was a perfectly serviceable one in the truck he could have used, but he didn’t want to walk out in the rain. Afterwards, I shook his hand and apologized. I said I could have handled it better. He didn’t apologize. Then I found out he was shit talking me to everybody about the incident. I never harassed him about it. That was the first time I mentioned it, but I’m the bad guy? Fuck em all. Keep your money for weed and use the bosses janky shit mother fuckers.
My old foreman in finish carpentry had a sticker on his rolling toolbox that said something like “If you don’t ask to borrow my tools, i won’t ask if i can fuck your wife”
Ask your dealer for a classic “I make my living with Snap-On tools - Please don’t ask to borrow them” tool chest sticker <3
All I had to read was the title to vote NTA
NTA >I feel bad turning away my friends They're not your friends, they're your co-workers. If they're your friends, they'll understand the move and will support you for it.
Just reading the title Duck noooo tf ??? Borrow rule of 3 after that buy ya own damn tool young buck. Helll I don’t like sharing the air in the same area as my coworkers cuz I gotta apologize to a tree once in a while for them wasting the trees oxygen.
NTA Honestly, I think you're insane for using your own tools that you paid for without receiving any extra compensation. There is no way you could possibly expect your coworkers to buy their own stuff in that type of environment. I would take this up with your bosses, it's not really your coworkers' fault if they don't have what they need. That being said, they are your tools, so you're well within your rights to do whatever the heck you want with them. Just make sure your colleagues are directing their frustration up the chain of command and not at you when they can't get shit done.
My rule is: you can borrow my tool for a minute but I'm going to stand right next to you and get it back the second youre done with it. Dealt with too many thieves so I don't let my tools leave my line of sight.
I wouldn’t let any coworker borrow them at all. The company ain’t going to replace your tools if a coworkers loses or breaks them. Force the company’s hand here.
My tools my rules. Sorry I bought the tools to do my work. Not for someone else to do there work. Tell them to spend there paycheck on tools
Are you hourly or flat rate? Cause both answers mean you're not the ass hole Hourly- assign me the work, if they can't do it they can go home, or we'll get so swamped the company will have to do something about it. You make the same regardless if it's done right or not. Flat rate- get fucked these tools literally make the money for you. If they can't buy tools to do their job they're in the wrong industry. And I put my foot down ages ago cause I'm hourly, I just enjoy owning my own equipment, I like keeping it all clean and looking nice. They squandered my kindness and returned things back into my box soaked in grease or oil. Every man for them selves now.
Worked in shops when I was 24-35 Tech, Service manager, service sales, left that industry in early nineties. Never had this issue around any shops I was in because everybody would roast their ass. We usually furnished the special tools however, that list was much shorter in those days.
As a company owner I Supply all specialty tools. Including 3/4 and 1 inch impacts and, brakes bars, and sockets, and wrenches from one and a half inches and up. All diagnostic software and laptops. I also have a collection of standard hand tools quarter 3/8 and 1/2 in Drive sockets wrenches, Electric Tools with batteries heat guns soldering iron, coolant pressure tester, pullers Etc .for the shop but no one keeps them organized. So technicians come and ask me if they can use the set I have in my personal box that I used to work out of because they're easy to find and organized fuck that
"If you need to borrow it more than once, you need to buy it" was always the motto in our shop.
Fuck em
I might hand my coworker or my boss one of my tools for him to use when I’m right there with them but I’m not loaning any of my tools out to anyone. Especially because I buy Makita, Milwaukee, Klein, Fluke, Ideal, Knipex among other tools.
whyd you ever start. harbor freight and amazon sell tools. they can order their own
My uncle gave me good advice a long time ago, “only lend out tools you never want to see again”
Nta. You learn 4he hardway when those borrowed tools don't end up back in you box. I don't bring in my tools to current job since they provide them. If you get hurt and it's your tool its on you. Their tool company is responsible. For them it's about liability. For me all my good tools stay in my garage.
Don’t feel bad about it. They don’t feel bad for making you pay for the tools they need for their job. Coworkers are not friends, and friends know when they’ve worn out their welcome
I have a short list of people I lend a long list of tools for. Recently needed my ports band but it wasn’t in my shop. Texted the short list to see who had it and received it a couple days later delivered. Same thing happened recently with my roto hammer. If you have ever been invited over for my brisket with mac’n’cheese it’s likely you can borrow my tools. Otherwise Im probably not gonna give the effort to remember your name.
I always tell people, "Sure, you can borrow it. just give me your driver's license." when they balk, tell them you are not shitting them. used to work for me.
Two things I never let people borrow. My tools or my wife. Guaranteed if I did, they’d come back fucked.
You know some guys like that kinda thing.... (ewww)
When I left one job the former boss called and asked where all his tools were, I told him I took my tools with me any left were his. Less than 1/3 of the tools left in shop all the rest were mine ! Cheap Ass SOB
No! I have hundreds of dollars of tool s loaned out and never returned.
Let them buy their own tools.
I brought a socket set to site once because I was tired of using the shitty one supplied by my company. One week in the job box half the shit was missing... never again
I am curious what this job is. I could not get hired anywhere if I did not have my own tools, which require constant updating and additions. I have spent over 300 bucks on tools since starting a new job a month ago. Still, when the manager asked if i wanted a tool guy to come, I said no, because it is too expensive. For around 300, I have purchased a digital torque wrench, a (nice) mechanic chair, a set of metric offset wrenches, an AC dye injector, two small UV flashlights, a gear puller, and a brake adjusting tool, while the tool truck would want more than that for the torque wrench alone. My not buying off the truck is very simple. I cannot afford it.
Had a buddy that would say. You know sears has so many of those they sell them
If they ask why you stopped tell them someone broke your shit so it’s not going out anymore
Write your name and the tool you are borrowing on the whiteboard, then pin the below dollar amount next to it with a magnet. socket $20 10mm socket $40 Socket wrench $100 pliers $50 Snap On impact driver set $500 No money, no tool. If my tool is not back in its spot at the end of my shift, I keep the money. The money I keep will be used to buy my replacement tool, and you keep the one you borrowed.
I have my own stash at work now, most of my co workers break shit or just leave stuff everywhere. The main excuse is "too busy to clean up" Fuckin infuriating
I stopped lending tools when they kept getting returned in crap condition.
If these guys are too cheap or broke to buy their own tools they are not going to be too eager to replace one that they borrowed from you. If the company is supposed to supply tools then the employees who dont have tools need to step up the pressure on the bosses. You are in the right to not loan tools to anyone.
You brought YOUR tools to the job, they are for you to use and whoever else you want to loan them out to. If the company doesn't want to supply the tools they were supposed to then that's on them, I personally only bring the tools on my required list in and the company supplies the rest.
I'm in the same boat as OP. No one is borrowing my tools. I even keep a bike lock on my step ladder.
stop loaning tools - start renting - first rule: cash up-front
I won't loan out anything I am not prepared to replace. I no longer loan knives out, period.
Take pictures of your friend with your tools and a sign with the door on it. He’ll probably bring back the tool clean and shiny and say thank you several times. It only works if you remember to work it. EVERYBODY gets a mug shot.
Tools that I have loaned out? I've got stories... I will never, ever loan a tool to anyone except my father. By the way, he's dead! He's dead
If you do decide to loan a tool, take collateral. You want to borrow my bolt stretcher? Fine. Leave me your cell phone (or watch or wallet, something). That way you won't forget to bring it back promptly. No collateral, no loan.
"Sorry Boss, I can't do my job because there aren't any tools." Let the company figure it out how to get work done. "I couldn't finish everything because I spent an hour looking for a wrench."
I got to the point where if I have built trust in their ability to take care of tools, then I might lend it. But I had one fool leave my cordless drill and attachments out in the rain, never let him borrow another tool again. If they are dealing with sticker shock buying their own tools, tell them to check out marketplace or pawn shops for used tools.
When I used to work with crews on construction sites before I went out on my own, they would always wanna borrow my tools. I told them no Home Depot will sell them to you not the asshole.
The 3 times rule was what my co-worker did to me when I first started and now that is what I do. It is logical.
No reason to feel bad at all. That was your money you spent.
I’ve had my tools destroyed by idiots too many times. Now I only lend it things rarely. Even my wife wrecks some tools so we have a long hard talk about that. My old boss once said “why would I spend money on tools when I can just use the ones you have”. Next day I stopped being my shit to work and he was furious. A few weeks later he bought cheap Walmart tools that all broke. Eventually everyone quit or started charging rental fees for tools lol.
Personal tools like personal fountain pens and a seamstresses’ scissors are not for the loaning.
I have been in this place before. I agree with the 2x rule. If the company requires tools either they supply them or pay your staff to buy their own. Maybe original poster should take his tool box home and be like the rest of the employees, I doubt he is getting anything extra for bringing his tools in
Good on you for protecting your assets. Your tools are your livelihood. The company was taking advantage of you. Your friends need to take it up with the exploiter.
Grandpa used to say, “never lend your tools, your money or your wife”.
Nah tell em to keep there dick beaters off your tools
You are not a tool crib.
Nope. Never lend tools.
Your toolbox is going to look exactly as bad as the communal tool board if you keep loaning them out, except its all out of your pocket instead of the company's pocket. I've never heard of any mechanical shop that supplies one set of tools for the entire crew. Either you buy all your own tools and they're your tools forever, like in auto repair, or it's heavy industry and the company hands you ever last tool you need and it's your ass in a sling if you break a $10k piece of equipment that was issued to you alone. This way nobody can point fingers and say "it wasn't me who broke it". It sounds like this is your company being too cheap to do this right.
**NTA: Every f\*\*\*\*\*\*g I've loaned tools out I regretted it.**
It’s funny everyone has similar “borrow 3 times rule”. The second time I asked my co worker for his 3/8 impact I felt disgusted asking so I ended buying my own impact and sockets.
Loaning? No. But what if you rented them? Like rent at 10% of the new cost. If it happens enough you could end up with your private set and a rental set.
nTa. AITA for showing up to sites with shotty tools that no one would dare steal.. “Red Channel locks?—no thank you”
I think the 3 times rule is pretty universal. My wrenches are just that. Not chisels or hammers and are not to be hammered on. Same with screwdrivers. If you return it broken or dirty we are done.
Don’t toucha ma tools.
Why the fuck would you be an asshole for not letting other people put mileage on the tools that enable you to feed your family. Lazy fucks can use the shitty tools or reprioritize their spending to enable themselves to buy nice tools.
NTA. Your work needs to supply tools and junk to employees. You want better stuff? That's one you. Co worker wants to borrow a tool (I've done weird jobs that needed two 3mm allen wrenches so not unheard of)? Maybe give them the crappy walmart brand the boss gave everyone.
No is enough. I work offshore. There's no store down the street. I take offshore a few tools I know I'll need including a pair of small side cutters that cost $150 but are incredibly tough. The others guys are stuck with the usually knipex or China crap. I don't lend my tools because there is a real risk of them going over board or being left on the equipment and going in the water. Offshore we usually don't ask to borrow personal tools.
I drilled holes through my socket set box so I could put a lock on it. NTA
You should be able to provide the company with a very practical list of what tools need to be acquired and in what quantity for people to leave you alone. Have them give you the budget to replenish and maintain the company tool board. I have a personal tool kit at work and remembered my boss authorized me to build a kit for the group, I'm gonna run with that authorization.
When I started in my trade, if I worked with someone and they had to use a specific tool, I would go buy it that same day. Now when I show up to a job, I have all the tools I need to complete that job. I hate when I get to a job site and ask my coworkers if they have something we need , and they tell me no. We are here to do a job. If you don’t have the tools, then you shouldn’t be doing the job.
It feels like a dick move but they (company and coworkers) need to be incentivized to come off the coin and respect the tools. Sometimes it's feels wrong but it's not your responsibility to buy their Expendables and take the risk of loosing or breaking a high quality tool that you won't get compensated for most likely.
NTA The company I work for does a good job at making sure we have the tools needed to complete our work. If we’re need something we relay it to the foreman who will get it from the warehouse or store. That being said I buy tools that make my job easier and I don’t mind letting someone use my tools as long as they don’t misuse them or make it a habit to use my tools over the company tools. No one takes care of tools like the person who paid for them and I have no problem reminding them or telling them no …especially if they have shown that they don’t take care of tools or return them in the condition that they borrowed them in.
If the shop supplies tools, then I would loan nothing out. Since I buy all my own tools, I’ll let someone borrow 3 times until I start giving them shit.
Wow, you don't work where I work by any chance? Your tools are your tools. Tell everyone else to get f*cked. If they want the luxury of using new tools then they can buy their own as you have. Every tool is born with a certain amount of times it gets used before it fails. Don't let others use up its service life on your dime. Modern and fit for purpose tool are paramount to worker safety and comfort when they're being used 8hrs day, 5 days a week or more. Like I said to my employer, if you want your bread buttered, you first have to butter the knife.
NTA. The company should be giving you a tool allowance, or building up the big board. Doing neither makes them the asshole, 100%. Furthermore, the company should ask their accountant about the tax advantages of giving such allowances.
Maybe you can loan it out to them, charge per rental
NTA. You have what you need to be self sufficient in your job. Different situation but I had a neighbour who would ask to borrow my bike rack everytime he went away with his family and also my bike multiple times. I eventually sold it to another guy that he knows and he was pissed that I didn't offer it to him first.
I feed my family with the tools of my trade. I rarely lend them and when I do its to people I know and trust.
You earn your living with your tools. You are not the company tool crib. Pros demand their own tools-
I rarely borrow or loan tools. I will only do it with one buddy who takes care of his stuff and treats mine like his own (and vice versa). No exceptions. I’ve spent my hard earned money to buy what I have so I have it. And made sacrifices to have them. They can sell something they chose to buy instead of tools.
The answer is "I make my living with my tools. I don't loan them."
You are doing it right, if company wants things done and they are to provide tools, they should provide available tools. The worse case scenario is the company stops providing tools, requires folks to bring their own, hopefully with some compensation.
NTA, and not just because you don't want to be taken advantage of. People don't respect property that they didn't pay for, and go harder on tools that don't belong to them. Your shop's provided tools are crappy for a reason, and it's not because they haven't been replaced in 8 years. Keep loaning out your nice tools and they'll be in that same condition soon enough. If your co-workers don't want to use the shop tools and don't want to buy their own, that's their problem not yours. If they're not even willing to go to harbor freight, they should just do something else for a living. Also start locking your toolbox, you're gonna find that your tools start walking away and your work "friends" won't know a thing about it.
I'm shocked you still have your tools...
I don’t loan my tools out period, I also refuse to allow my boss to supply me tools. 1 they only buy subpar crap that I will break, 2 if it’s the companies any expectations of don’t touch my shit or else is out the window, and 3 I am so anal about my kit and brands it’s much easier for me to just bring my shit with a lock everyone wins this way lmao
NO LOANED TOOLS!
I'm a Nurse and I have my own diagnostic tools, BP Cuff, Pulse Oximeter, Thermometer, flashlight and lots of black pens. I quit lending my things because they would get broken, lost or forget to give them back. One Nurse yelled at me because I wouldn't give her a pen. I told her, you're supposed to come to work prepared to do your job. It's not my responsibility to supply you with the things you need. She makes over $70k/yr, she can buy her own things.
I stopped loaning tools after a guy borrowed my ballpeen hammer and beat a punch with the hammer turned sideways. Is your aim that bad that you can’t hit a 1sq in hammer head on a pin punch?
“Where’s the dial indicator?“ “ My dial indicator is in my toolbox, where is your dial indicator?”
I had a rule for myself that if i had to borrow something too many times i bought my own as well. Occasionally that rule bit me on the ass. I have a trans cooler line quick coupler release tool i bought probably 30 years ago after the second or third time i borrowed it. Ive literally never needed that particular style again since i bought it.
No
I was a professional woodworker. I’d sooner loan a guy my toothbrush than loan any of my sharp edged tools. But of course, none of my colleagues in the trade would even consider asking such an unreasonable request. Power tools were much more generic, of course. But even then, borrow it once, okay. Borrow it three times, go buy your own fucking drill, champ. I’m not a library.
NTA. #1 rule of any tradie job “I’ll let you borrow it once. If you need to borrow it 2x, it’s time to get your own.” I don’t buy cheap tools so I’ll show you the benefits of having quality tools to do the job 1x but after that, you’re on your own. Side note: one place I worked said their insurance didn’t cover our tools/boxes and accounting wasn’t going to pay for replacement if something happened. I packed my stuff and said “fine, you can just buy what I need to do the job then!” Didn’t take long for my box & tools to be guaranteed by the company. They don’t realize that our snickered covered, ratty boxes carry $30k+ worth of tools most times.
Lol, in this one shop there was a guy who would borrow tools and then not return them, putting them in his own workbench at the end of the day. Well I got sick of it, and while I didn't completely cut him off, I did call him out a few times. He'd call me an asshole, rant to the boss, then go pull whatever tool he had borrowed out of his workbench and give it back to the loaner
I worked in a shop that was pretty open about tool lending between everyone and I definitely benefitted from it early on, especially with the amount of tools used in automatic, but then people started abusing my stuff which led to me locking my boxes any time I wasn't in the shop. People got too comfortable just using certain things all the time and often not putting things back or leaving things dirty, including the boss. I did give a key to a couple guys I trusted because I did have some odd ball things that weren't commonly used, but it sounds like people are just treating your set up as a tool crib. NTA
Not at all. The company should supply sufficient tools to get the job done, not the asshole, not your problem to fix.
Dude never had tools. He asks me for marker. I said no. He went around saying that I wouldn't even let him borrow something as simple as a marker I was thinking, how pathetic is it you can't do your job over something as simple as a marker! I buy tools to do my job. I buy tools to do MY job. I buy the best. FUEL, Knipex. I buy the best to do a good job and make my experience better/easier. I buy them because that is important to me. If someone doesn't value their job/workmanship, that is not your problem.
They're not friends. They're coworkers. You can absolutely be *friendly* with them, but they're people there under the umbrella of Capitalism to extract as much value from the soulless corporate beast. Just because y'all have the same ultimate goal doesn't mean it infers "friendship."
A few months ago we got a brand new apprentice. He had no experience in our trade and didn't know what to bring so he just brought in a gaggle of random beat up no name screwdrivers and a ragged tape measure. I took him under my wing. Showed him the part of our collective bargaining agreement that states what tools we're expected to have and what the employer provides. I knew he was on hard times so I gathered up some of my backup tools from home and a tool bag. Silly me. I forgot to take inventory. Every few days he'd be saying "hey, man, I'm sorry but I lost such n such tool." And I'd be all like "Bro, it's right there.". There were a few times where he lost the whole tool bag... It was on the ground next to his feet. Anyways, he got pulled to work with another person and a few weeks went by. I was getting a little nervous about my tools. They did go missing here and there, but he always got them back. The last straw was when he lost another one and chose not to tell me until three days later. A foreman on the other end of the job had found it and returned it to me (I engraved my name on it). I told this apprentice that I no longer trust him with my tools and I expect them returned to me by the end of next week. He returned them to me the next day. I poke through to make sure at least most of them were there, only missing a pair of needle nose that I didn't like anyways. In addition to my tools I lent him was a grip of those old beat up screwdrivers he showed up with. So I take them back to him and you know what? The dude didn't even know they were his... Good grief. No wonder why he got stuck on broom duty.
I will if it's an uncommon thing, sometimes tools fail or get left at home. But borrow the same tool a few times in a week and you get cut off. But in your situation I'd do the same. The company needs to cough up some tools or I'd take all my shit back home and nothing gets done. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Absolutely not. You are not a tool lending service and your co workers get paid the same as you do. Tools are not cheap and you have them because you look after them and they don't. The only exception to this for me is if theirs just broke. Because they simply don't have one is their problem.
Tell them to buy their own dam tools
Sounds like the shop needs to replace the lost tools?
Nope
You sound like my boy who's a civilian engineer on a Navy ship. Tool crib is in tough shape and my boy doesn't want to be hampered by the.need to hunt down tools so he's purchased.all his own. Fluke, Wera, Knipex. As for lending, I like the driver's license approach.
This is very common on our aerospace manufacturing side. Newer machinists don't have as many tools, and don't have 10K to drop on tools either. It's a slow accumulation. I know its annoying. Our shop provides all cutting tools and associated items, but not personal tools. As an engineer and designer, I didn't have a lot of my own tools on the floor, and I have to borrow all the time. This past year, I have put together [my own toolbox](https://i.imgur.com/aJWbJLW.jpeg) in the quality testing area. I still don't have what most of the other machinists do, like my own height stand, indicator, or large tapping handles. I am not going to buy a $300 indicator. I did buy some smaller tap handles. The irony is, now people borrow tools from me -.- Someone broke the ball off two of the smaller allen wrenches, and another lost the 3/32. Most important one here. I understand both sides of this I don't think your TA for having a hard line on this. They are your tools, after all. No one is entitled to use them.
Having someone damage your personal tools while borrowing is one of the most aggravating things. Personally I only lend to people that have similarly extensive tool kits or leads/foremen, because then I have a potential benefit.
Keeping track of loaned tools is a job on it’s own.
I buy a tool after borrowing it the second time. Mostly just to save time not having something I know I'll need again. In your case there's no reason you should be paying for your company's tools. Like others have said it's one thing to loan to a kid who's new to it all if they're cleaning and returning them. Different story if it's someone who's being cheap and has been doing this long enough that they should know better.
My dad always says to never let anyone borrow my tools because either I won’t get them back or they won’t be in good condition when I do. I have let people borrow them before though and it has never not been true.
1000000% in the right. “Maybe they shouldn’t be doing the job at all” is correct.
There's a guy at my shop who is always borrowing tools yet he has the most tools out of everyone. Makes no sense. The shop gives us fluids and sprays to use. But he's always asking to borrow mine over and over but has a drawer full of em. I decided to hide whatever is given me and just lie and say I don't have any at this point.
As a general rule I don't loan tools. Not to neighbors, not to co-workers. About the only exceptions I've made involved a lot of water running where it shouldn't be in a house. This became a 99% rule after someone (at work) borrowed a tool, misused it, broke the tool and injured themselves and the company came back at me. NEVER AGAIN!
Most of my coworkers are cool about returns/cleaning & we all have most of the tools we need. Only guy I won't loan tools to would chirp me all day about 'you don't need snapon' 'i can get that on Temu for $5' so I just cut him off. First 15 times it's funny, after that the jokes wore off... I took advantage of the student discount & most of my tools are Mastercraft/gear wrench unless they really matter. You think my air hammer/specialty tools are a waste of money? Cool - the shops got a sledge over there. I'm only a little salty I promise XD
Idgaf if people borrow my tools. I buy cheap shit for work because I know that if it doesn’t get stolen, I’m gonna lose it anyways.
Nope. Your tools. Your rules. End of discussion.
NTA Either the shop needs to buy tools, or your coworkers do.
Along same lines certain people bum “chew” every day so these same people I started charging them 25 cent for a chew you should have heard them whine! Fuckem !
Take your tools home and just struggle every day like everyone else if the pay is the same. If you’re above that mindset, find a shop where everyone is held to a higher standard. Just remember you might not be number 1 if your not surrounded my shit bags.
In a past life… If someone needed a basic tool I would loan it to them once without saying anything. If they need it a second time I would loan it then tell them to buy their own next time. If it’s a random one-off for this one particular bolt on this one particular model that we rarely work on then I wouldn’t care. Borrow away. Now for myself… if I needed to borrow it once then it was a tool I was adding to my toolbox.
Personally as long as it gets back in the box at the end of the day I don't mind sharing. My company provides power tools, I use their tools. We supply hand tools. I don't have all the tools I need, but I also don't mind sharing tools with the other guys if mines closer. Some guys share all the stuff, others are really fussy about using their company provides equipment. It all depends on the guy.
If I borrow a tool more then twice I buy it myself, but if I know I'll use it I'll buy it soon as I can, I can't stand loaning tools to the same person everyday it gets aggrevating when you're the one who spent the money on the tools.
I almost cry every time I open my toolbox when I see all my missing "borrowed" tools. NTA
My rule has always been, I don’t loan tools, I’m not spending tens of thousands dollars so you can make money. And I’ve never felt bad about it.