I had an idea. Whether its workable or not, I don't know.
We all have some sort of tools that we've bought over our DIY journey. Some tools are relatively expensive and often a one-off use to fix our problems, then they lay in storage doing nothing and serving nobody, which is such a waste, while others who cannot afford to spend so much to buy a tool/gauge/gadget for single use stay reeling in their problems and being ripped-off by unlearned mechanics.
So can Wheeler members in their cities offer their gadgets/tools for sharing with other members?
- A small payment can be given for rental of the tool, it should help recover the cost of the tool for the buyer, while providing a one-off service to the borrower for a much lower cost.
- We might have a larger variety of tools as a result of many Wheelers saving money from buying the same tool.
- A community building effort.
Issues to keep in mind and work around:
- Wear & tear of tools.
- Borrowers need to show responsibility when handling other people's stuff, and take responsibility if it breaks down in their use/care.
- Lenders of the tools/gadgets need to be aware of the possibility that the borrower wouldn't always know how to use it; they may need to be shown proper usage/care.
- People would need to respect each others' free-time constraints.
- It should be the prerogative of the owner to lend or not. Nobody can be pressured or emotionally blackmailed into lending when they may not be able to lend for whatever reason (time constraint, value of tool, unsuitability of use etc).
Its an idea. People may or may not like it.
So, pooling resources in the DIY community here; what're your thoughts people?
