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Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste

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Re: Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste

#71

Post by dugmartin »

itake wrote: post #63
SamBam wrote: post #43

Many years ago there was NeighborGoods, a site that facilitated free loans of tools from neighbors. (Possibly they had paid options, but I only remember the free part myself.) I loved it. I put all my own tools up on it for anyone to use. A few people borrowed my drill once it twice. I borrowed a ladder from someone. Some people even had their kayaks on there, as they lived near the river. I loved the free aspect bec…

Seattle has a few non profit tool libraries. Membership is $60/yr. Instead of buying a $200 bulky tool I use once every 5 years that I have to keep sharp and maintain, I just go there. For items that I use once per month, I still keep handy, b/c driving 20+ minutes is just not worth it. Their tools are also in good condition and there are volunteers that maintain them. They also help with bike repairs too. Specifical…

Our local library is starting up a tool lending section. They also have "fix it" days every few months run by volunteers where you can show up with something to fix and the volunteers will work with you to fix it.

Re: Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste

#72

Post by CraigJPerry »

Since this is all designed for meatspace, real life community, and i'm supposed to meet up with people via this to exchange / loan things - it'd be handy to have some baseline checks in place - hey this user opted in to verifying as a real person, also, they have no suspicious (stolen credentials) activity in their account currently.

Re: Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste

#73

Post by AlotOfReading »

simonbarker87 wrote: post #70
rkuodys wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you protect agains "professionals" abusing the system. So maybe thats not relevant in USA but I see potential in our communities that smaller repair shops or construction contractor would come and use tools disproportionally to their input. That's especially relevant with consummable parts like blades, files, etc

I do a lot of diy, jobs on the side for friends and I know a handful of professional tradies. None of them would want to not own tools they use even semi regularly and for insurance purposes (and peace of mind) they would almost certainly have to hire tools they don’t own from a rental company and they will just pass the rental cost on to the client.

Tradies own a lot of tools they use for one project and never again. They're definitely a viable market for a platform like this.

Re: Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste

#74

Post by maccard »

rkuodys wrote: post #67
angry_moose wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tool libraries are starting to take off. Ours is $35/quarter and gives you free access to their full library: https://mtl.myturn.com/library/inventory/browse

How do you protect agains "professionals" abusing the system. So maybe thats not relevant in USA but I see potential in our communities that smaller repair shops or construction contractor would come and use tools disproportionally to their input. That's especially relevant with consummable parts like blades, files, etc

Normally you provide your own consumable parts for these sort of tool libraries.

Re: Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste

#75

Post by tren »

supermdguy wrote: post #4
0x53 wrote: post #2

Love the idea and hope you are successful. I really think there is a lot of value to be unlocked in sharing/renting tools. In my area we have a tool library which is handy. Some ideas: - I would focus a lot of effort on making it incredibly easy and intuitive to list things. This is one of the primary barriers to me when using these types of apps. - maybe future idea would be to list things from Home Depot or other s…

How does your tool library work? Who organizes it? Sounds really interesting.

We have one near my place that I'm a member of, it's run by volunteers. They have stuff outside of tools too (camping/cooking gear). You can view the stuff their inventory before you join: https://toolsnthingslibraryperthwa.myturn.com/library/

The main downside for me is returning the items in the window they're open.

Re: Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste

#76

Post by batch12 »

GouacheApp wrote: post #66
itake wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seattle has a few non profit tool libraries. Membership is $60/yr. Instead of buying a $200 bulky tool I use once every 5 years that I have to keep sharp and maintain, I just go there. For items that I use once per month, I still keep handy, b/c driving 20+ minutes is just not worth it. Their tools are also in good condition and there are volunteers that maintain them. They also help with bike repairs too. Specifical…

That’s awesome — Seattle’s tool libraries are a great example of how well this model can work. That kind of affordable access to well-maintained tools makes a huge difference. With Patio, we’re looking to support and expand that model, especially in areas without a local library, and provide tools to help existing ones grow and serve their communities even better.

Off topic, but almost all of your recent comments feel AI generated to me. Maybe I'm reading into things, but the structure looks AI, lots of bangs and a whole lot of em dashes. They also don't match the style of your previous comments, last in 2022.

Re: Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste

#77

Post by jogjayr »

GouacheApp wrote: post #46
SamBam wrote: post #43

Many years ago there was NeighborGoods, a site that facilitated free loans of tools from neighbors. (Possibly they had paid options, but I only remember the free part myself.) I loved it. I put all my own tools up on it for anyone to use. A few people borrowed my drill once it twice. I borrowed a ladder from someone. Some people even had their kayaks on there, as they lived near the river. I loved the free aspect bec…

Absolutely — couldn’t agree more. In most neighborhoods, there’s really no need for everyone to own the same tools, especially for things you use once or twice a year. That mindset of sharing over consuming is exactly what we’re trying to support with Patio — whether it's lending for free, renting, or just making it easier to know who has what nearby. The more we can encourage that kind of local connection, the less…

I like tool libraries. I belong to one myself. But I also own some tools, like a car jack and and torque wrench, even though I use them exactly twice a year.

If I relied on the tool library for those, they'd be checked out all month when I most needed them to put on or remove winter tires.

Re: Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste

#78

Post by jogjayr »

rkuodys wrote: post #67
angry_moose wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tool libraries are starting to take off. Ours is $35/quarter and gives you free access to their full library: https://mtl.myturn.com/library/inventory/browse

How do you protect agains "professionals" abusing the system. So maybe thats not relevant in USA but I see potential in our communities that smaller repair shops or construction contractor would come and use tools disproportionally to their input. That's especially relevant with consummable parts like blades, files, etc

A professional usually needs a tool when they need it and can't rely on the vagaries of availability at a library. And it's easy to kick out someone who checks out a tool all year.

Most consumable parts can be excluded from lending. Batteries are trickier.

Re: Show HN: Patio – Rent tools, learn DIY, reduce waste

#80

Post by imtringued »

tayo42 wrote: post #44
pruetj wrote: post #6

I like the idea. The rental section has a lot of potential imo. It makes me wonder if there’s room for the personal property rental business in tools like there is for housing and cars. I do a lot of DIY and tend to acquire a lot of the tools I use if I think they are generic enough or I’ll repeat a similar job in the future but there’s also jobs I do where I’ll happily borrow from a friend. For example, I just built…

> I think DIY is growing, it’s a great way to save money and it’s only becoming easier with YouTube to help you through most any job. Tangent on DIY... I keep trying and keep needing to call in a professional eventually when I get out of my depth or break something worse. Or youtube isn't quite right. Youtube seems to only have stuff that's recent. If your model isn't in the last 5-10 years or built that recently. Li…

justanswer.com, but as you said, it is quite expensive.
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