DIYbanter - View Single Post - What would be a decent set of 'loaner-tools'?

wrote:
I moved into my house a year or so ago, and the neighbors are starting
to notice the tools on the peg-board, tool chests, etc in the garage.

So one comes over a few days ago to borrow an 8mm wrench, the first one
I could find was a nice Kobalt (the kind made by a company owned by
Snap-On Williams?), now made by ????)...

Well, you know the story, he can't remember where he put it, yada,
yada, yada...

So my question is, what would be a half-way decent (non-dangerous,
don't want to get sued if the tool breaks) set of 'loaner' tools? Or
should I be a pri$k, and not loan out tools period?

My Dad is a 'Craftsman' man, and I will inherit a sweet set of
'40s-'50s Craftsman tools someday, but for the least amount of outlay,
what would be a safe and decent set of 'no-tears' tools if they get
borrowed or lost? Can I trust a Harbor Freight set, or should I snatch
up a Craftsman set on sale?

I will get a cheap tool chest to put them in, keep that ONE unlocked,
and pretty much let the neighbors help themselves when they ask to
borrow a tool...

Well, I appreciate the generosity, but you're just setting yourself up
by buying "throwaway" loaner tools. What happens when your loaner 1/2"
socket wrench goes missing? Ar you going to replace it with another
one so someone can borrow it? That's a fun merry-go-round to ride on.
Say your 1/2" loaner socket is MIA, and you haven't gotten around to
replacing it yet - do you think the guy who's looking to borrow it, and
not finding it in the loaner set, isn't going to ask to borrow the good
one? That would imply a conscience, and guys who
steal...errrr....borrow tools and don't return them don't have a
conscience you can rely on.

Lots of luck with it. You'll need it.

R