most valuable/missed tool loan

[NetworkMan]

what else, either tool or equipment wise, has gone missing after being borrowed by friends, family & associates?

let it out.

I don't know yet; by the time I miss it I'll no longer remember who I lent it to

[mig]

1998 and i'd been skittled off my bike on the way home from work then narrowly missed by a bus as i slid across the road. i picked up some skin damage etc but also my beloved eddie mcgrath 531 frame was twisted and bent. binned it. during recuperation i decided to go the whole hog and get measured up at brian rourke for a 631 machine destined for the local crits and climbs i used to drag myself wearily over. despite a loong time at "the paint shop" the 'ready' phone call came and off i went to collect. all gios blue and campag chorus.
for its road debut i took a little ring ride up to see a friend in the hills who was renovating his house at the time - aided by a heavily built chap of maybe 17st or more. now that groupset had a the offer of a titanium seatpost and i'd thrown sufficient sheets at the job to obtain one, the seat bolt just sufficiently nicked up to carry me whilst i decided on exact saddle height. it wasn't , however, sufficiently tightened to carry mr beefie who, under his own steam, borrowed said bicycle for a whizz up and down the street a la his younger days. hobnail boot on new look pedals he contrived to force that lovely, pristine post at least two inches down into the frame with the accompanying scrawps, scrapes and bitter pain.

even a used replacement is a king's ransom

[fossala]

I had a neighbour that had enough money to buy flashy bikes (nothing wrong with that) but never the money for tools... He broke a few tools of mine in succession and in the end told him why he wasn't borrowing anything of real value again.

[nigelnightmare]

When I was younger I used to lend out my tools (after they had left a deposit of double the tools value).
When they returned it undamaged they got their deposit back.
If it came back damaged they got to keep it and I bought a new one.

I only ever replaced 2 tools, one was asked 3 times to return it (a bearing press).
The borrower finally tried to return it after 4 months only to find that they now owned a Very expensive second hand tool.
I'd already used his deposit to buy a replacement.
His mate was killing himself laughing when that happened.
The next time he wanted to borrow something the deposit was 3x the value and a time limit was agreed on.
He got his deposit back after returning that one and still borrows now and again.

I've also had quite a few new replacement tools bought back as they'd damaged mine.

That's how I've always done it.

[Cyril Haearn]

A good business model?
Did you take the deposits in the cash?

[nigelnightmare]

A good business model?
Did you take the deposits in the cash?

ALWAYS!

[julianm]

Lost my Britool torque multiplier lent to a neighbour. He died while in possession of it & it disappeared via one of his mates - just couldn`t get anywhere with enquiries in the circumstances.
I still miss having it around `just in case`.

[fastpedaller]

When I was younger I used to lend out my tools (after they had left a deposit of double the tools value).
When they returned it undamaged they got their deposit back.
If it came back damaged they got to keep it and I bought a new one.

I only ever replaced 2 tools, one was asked 3 times to return it (a bearing press).
The borrower finally tried to return it after 4 months only to find that they now owned a Very expensive second hand tool.
I'd already used his deposit to buy a replacement.
His mate was killing himself laughing when that happened.
The next time he wanted to borrow something the deposit was 3x the value and a time limit was agreed on.
He got his deposit back after returning that one and still borrows now and again.

I've also had quite a few new replacement tools bought back as they'd damaged mine.

That's how I've always done it.

Reminds me of when I went round to the tool hire shop....... Guy asked me to stand in front of counter whilst he took a photo (30 years ago - before digital) then insisted on a cash deposit and the hire fee for the engine hoist. When I took it back 3 hours later he tried to give me a cheque. I insisted on cash, and he said "it's a limited company you have to take a cheque" I haven't got cash. He was a 'bigger than me' guy with attitude, but I stood my ground and said "you took the cash off me earlier, and I'm not leaving until I have it". Strangely he then found it

[JonMcD]

What I dislike is people come around and borrow things, they use them and then if you want it back you have to go and collect them.

Or they then lend it to someone else and expect you to go chasing after the third party to get it back.

[TooManyBikes]

I once lent a work friend an almost new Bosch angle grinder for what he described as a little job.... after weeks of asking for it back it turned out he'd used it for grinding out mortar for a big repointing job, and as the grinder's cooling fan had sucked in so much abrasive dust, it was basically scrap! Never lent anything to anyone again!

[Cyril Haearn]

Anyone here ever borrowed tools?

[john4703]

I remember as a kid going to a garage and there was a big sign "The man who lends tools is out trying to collect the tools he lent yesterday"