Would you share or swap your car, house or power tools?

What a mercenary lot we are becoming !!!

I often lend my tools to people I can trust to treat them with care. But I do it for free and am also able to enjoy borrowing for free.

I agree alfa, it works both ways.

It’s estimated that almost 100% of estimations need source material to make them believable.
” It’s estimated that 25% of Brits currently take part in this type of sharing online ..”

Conversations has always been a bit bad on linking to sources and I would not want this curse to affect outside contibutors articles.

http://credport.org/blog/12-Why-a-Drill-is-a-Bad-Example-for-the-Sharing-Economy

” Many people familiar with the movement known as the Sharing Economy frequently cite a statistic about how a drill is only used for “x minutes in its entire lifetime.” This is supposed to encourage us to either borrow a drill from someone, or hire someone to drill a hole for us. However, based on my experience in talking to people both inside and outside the sharing economy, as well as observing the startups who have done really well in this sector, I believe the drill is a bad example to use.
The first thing that bothers me about this statement is that there is no study or evidence ever cited. The best I could track down was an online article cited in Rachel Botsman’s book here. Here’s what the quote says: “Take power drills. Supposedly, the average power drill is used for somewhere between six and twenty minutes in its entire lifetime. And yet supposedly almost half of all American households own one.” Supposedly?”

………………………………

I cannot myself find any source for the quote either and my gut instinct is that the figures are bogus and have been refined to a bogus accuracy from the original 6 to 20 to 6 to 13. Probably from having been around a long time and lived in many types of houses I have a good idea how many shelves get put up and furniture assembled.

I do wonder if somewhere someone has done yet another dubious survey and extrapolated unjustifiably to averages. You know the example 20 people used their drills for one hour in the last 12 months and 80 never touched their drills — average 12 minutes then!!

I’m prepared to lend to neighbours and friends, providing that they have not let me down in the past. One of my neighbours damaged my expensive hammer drill, probably without knowing what he had done. When he was clearing out his garage he offered me something I had lent him about ten years ago. I have lost quite a few smaller items over the years but I’m sure that I have acquired a few books and CDs that should have been returned.

Though I have sometimes shared the driving with friends I would be uncomfortable lending my car to anyone I did not know.

Yesterday I used two sanders, a jig-saw, a cordless drill and an electric screwdriver. Today I’m having a rest. I’ve got other power tools that have not been used for months or even years but they are there when I need them.

I’ve just come in from the garage after making furniture. I am always surprised at just how many tools are needed. Portable saw, bench saw, portable drill, pillar drill, router, frame saw, hand saws, planes, rulers, drill bits, plug cutters, clamps – – the list goes on. And they cost – gradually acquired over the years. So I’d suggest you need to swap a workshop! Local schools and colleges used to have well-equipped workshops – perhaps these could be made available (for a fee perhaps) after hours for those needing facilities – particularly for younger people who haven’t the space or the means to buy tools.

In retrospect, this seems a strange initiative for the government to pick on – hardly a significant area of national importance (despite the claimed statistics – evidence please). Suggestions such as car and house swaps are already in existence. We have tool-hire shops. But lending your useful belongings like a hedge trimmer or circular saw to family or friends whom you trust can be done at a purely personal level – free of charge.

I hope this is not a scheme to help “create a new wave of everyday entrepreneurs around the country” and provide subsidies when their businesses lose money. We need “generosity” in a sharing economy, not profiteering.

I wonder how long it will be before the have a Conversation about the perils of car sharing or house swaps. 🙁

And is it the responsibility of the borrower or lender to ensure that power tools are safe to use? I wonder if those promoting sharing schemes think about ensuring that the borrower is provided with the manual and that electrical items are PAT tested.

I’d be concerned about an unknown occupant of my house if I swapped – securing all my personal possessions for example, and arranging insurance cover. For the brief time it might happen it just doesn’t seem worth the hassle. I’m quite happy to rent a holiday home once a year and leave my own home having its own holiday.

There are dubious assertions here, and a questionable basis for the proposition. My worry is that such stuff could form the basis for a government “initiative”. I wonder who might add balance to the “review”. I am prepared to be wrong in my views – are the proponents?

I’m happy to lend tools, and happy when others lend them to me. I also sometimes buy a cheap version of a tool, knowing that if it wears out I can justify buying a good one. My main problem with tools is putting them down and not being able to find them. I have half a dozen Stanley knives and I can never find any of them!