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

patio.so

81–90 of 168 posts

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

#81

I thought about making something like this some years back, my ideas were as follows: target neighborhoods, you should be able to walk to get tool. Have one house designated tool center, somebody signs up in neighborhood to be tool distributor gets some percentage money fees of everyone that joins - there are all sorts of issues in this of course, am just giving high level overview of thoughts I put in it. This would…

Thanks a lot for sharing all of this! That’s a really thoughtful approach — and very aligned with how we’ve been thinking about it too. The neighborhood-level model is especially compelling — tools within walking distance, built-in trust, and someone local acting as a tool steward or mini-hub. We’ve been exploring similar ideas, including ways to support individuals or organizations that want to take on that role. Di…

A local hub to go get tools is the only way this works, in my opinion. Your current offering is obviously compelling from the renter’s perspective. I am renovating a cottage and would love to go pick up a chainsaw, brush cutter, etc for half the price of Home Depot (they have everything and great service).

But I just don’t see it from the tool owner’s perspective. My suburban aunt has two chainsaws sitting in the garage that she doesn’t use anymore. An extra $150 a month isn’t enough to deal with the hassle of coordinating meetings, dealing with damage, etc. And she definitely wouldn’t be giving a free tank of gas, PPE, etc like Home Depot does. She would gladly drop it off at a local spot, make passive income, maybe go grab it herself once a year when she needs it.

Ps - great website design. Looks beautiful on mobile and works really well. What are you using on the frontend?

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

#82
post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Totally fair to call that out, and I get why it might come across that way. But nope, not AI-generated. Just me trying to be clearer and a bit more structured lately. Sorry if it fell off.

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

#83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just to piggyback off this I had a similar thought. I read your post about the tool rental, got to the page and immediately saw random articles which unfortunately this AI age has got me to distrust that things are human written/curated when just presented with no context. Seeing the rental and more community features would be best, then when you like the concept/community it makes sense to get invested in the posted…

Really appreciate that — and totally agree. We’re working on bringing the rental and community features to the forefront so it’s clear from the start what Patio is about. In a world flooded with AI content, we get that leading with articles can feel impersonal without context. The goal is to build trust through people and tools first — then let the content support that experience. Thanks for the kind words and though…

In a world flooded with AI content, you use ChatGPT to reply to HN comments. Very cute.

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

#84
post #63
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…

The Berkeley Public Library has a tool lending branch: https://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/locations/tool-lending...

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

#85
post #84
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…

The Berkeley Public Library has a tool lending branch: https://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/locations/tool-lending...

That's cool!

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

#86
post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really appreciate that — and totally agree. We’re working on bringing the rental and community features to the forefront so it’s clear from the start what Patio is about. In a world flooded with AI content, we get that leading with articles can feel impersonal without context. The goal is to build trust through people and tools first — then let the content support that experience. Thanks for the kind words and though…

In a world flooded with AI content, you use ChatGPT to reply to HN comments. Very cute.

I'm sorry you feels this way.

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

#87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Great point — and thanks for sharing it. We’re actually exploring ways to let people post requests, not just listings, so it's easy to say “I need a hammer” and connect with someone nearby. It’s all about making those timely, local connections simple.

Yes fellow human

These are really good ideas, thanks so much for sharing!

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

#88

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.

Super good point — we're working hard to add security features to make the platform as secure and easy to use. Stay tuned :)

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

#89
post #68

After a while, tool rental services stabilize at tools near end of life but still marginally usable. Go rent something from a tool rental shop and see what you get.

You're right, some tool rental service are not perfect! Maybe if they had a better platform and more users, they would be able to update their inventory more frequently. This is also what we aim to help solve.

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

#90
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…

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.

I really really love this "fix it" day — This is a very good idea and I'm sure this service is greatly appreciated!
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