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Comment by SamBam | Hacker News Reader

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 because that just made sense. We're in a dense urban neighborhood, why do we really need an impact driver for ever single house, or a wheelbarrow, or an oscillating saw? If I know my neighbor wants one, I'm glad to lend it. The world needs less consumption and more sharing.

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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.

Specifically, I am a member here: https://seattlereconomy.org/

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.

My local library, which is privately funded, also has a tool lending program. It's amazing.

It doesn't replace the need for me to own things I use all the time (mower, trimmer, drill, sander, circular saw) but it's perfect for once-in-a-while things like a power washer, a table saw, or an air compressor.

Exactly! Tool libraries are super great and we're trying to fill the gap where they're not implemented yet but also willing to help existing ones to manage them!

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

Van Neistat comes to events and sets up a booth as a repair station and helps people fix things. You might enjoy his youtube content if you are interested in these sorts of things.

Thanks, I'll take a look for sure! I'm already doing it for bicycle repair at schools and park but I had not thought about doing it for repairing other stuffs!

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.

I’m noticing some people must read enough LLM output that they start to write and even speak like an LLM. I have an acquaintance who spends a great deal of time (hours a day) talking to an LLM, and now she speaks like an LLM does. I think she uses an LLM to generate her text messages, but the real life speech shows a transformation in actual thinking and speech patterns.

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.

That thing where your every first sentence starts with a short statement followed by an em-dash and then continues? Stop that. That's what's really annoying people. Em-dashes as such are fine — really, you can use them if you want — but that gimmick isn't helping you.

Sorry it bothers you and others.

FWIW it doesn't bother me at all.

Glad it did not bother everyone at least!

Thanks for explaining to the bystander why some of those comments are downvoted and even dead. Didn’t pick up on it.

This is awesome. My partner runs events in Seattle and has talked about how there is a big need to do classes on teaching basic household handyman things but also her thing is turning events into social mixers for singles.

I just think it’d be great to teach people how to hang a shelf or clean the filter in a mini split, fix a flat tire on a car, etc. All the stuff I have to regularly do for people now. I may sign up to do some instructor led classes.

I love the idea of a tool library, I own more tools than I can use at this point.

However I think if I could get paid a monthly service fee to list my tools I’d do it, otherwise the replacement costs for people misusing or losing the tools would make it not worth it. A single socket goes missing and suddenly it’s $30 to replace, wipes out the sharing incentive.

Thanks and that sounds amazing, love the idea of mixing DIY classes with social events. We’re exploring ways to cover those kinds of risks, whether through small fees, deposits, or even shared insurance. You seems to truly love DIY and home improvements so if you had other ideas or you would to chat more about it, feel free to contact me at julien@patio.so!

Where would people even go to teach this kind of stuff? And do people even want to learn? I’m in Seattle and it might be fun. I don’t actually want to fix people’s tires,outlets,whatever for them but I’d be happy to Explain how and encourage good safety practices. I’m just cautious of people demanding free labor.

There are a few tool libraries, community bike shops, and woodworking spaces that offer similar workshops, usually run by volunteers (and I guess some hackerspaces too). But I get you, it can be hard to discover and know when these are happening nearby.

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

That's cool!

Curious though — when you were lending or borrowing items, did you ever run into any issues or friction? Things like no-shows, damage, or unclear expectations? We’re trying to learn from real experiences to make it smoother for everyone.

Interestingly when I try to give things away for free on Craigslist (yes, I'm old, I still use CL) I am frustrated to no end by no-shows. I've occasionally charged $5 just because that seems to filter out people who will actually come.

But I don't remember that being an issue with NeighborGoods. Maybe it was the community nature of it, that you really felt like you were borrowing from a neighbor, instead of just getting some free stuff to re-sell.

I never dealt with damage. I think actually IF I were charging per hour, I might care more, because then it feels like a business transaction. If I'm putting stuff up for free, then it's because I'm willing to lend to neighbors. (Obviously I'd feel different if someone broke my $400 drill press or something.)

Thats exactly my mindset too. We're planning to give free basic tools (skilsaw, drills, sanders) that we're getting from people that dont use it anymore to ppl that will use it for real.

I don't think we need all the tools that we owns, all the time, and if our neighbors can lend it, its a pleasure to do so. Damage can happens but at the end of the day, we're neighbors lending to each others so we can figure it out most of the time at least!

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 we all need to buy — and the better it is for everyone.

Tool lending library is the best I’ve found so far for tools. The best part is not having to store all the tools.

Absolutely — not having to store all the tools is a huge plus. That’s a big part of what we’re aiming for with Patio too: easy access to tools without the hassle of ownership or storage.

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.

Yeah, that makes sense — some tools are just worth owning if you know you’ll need them at specific high demands times. I think that tool libraries arent a full replacement for personal gear, especially for high demand and seasonal stuff. I see them more as a complement, great for one off jobs or trying things before buying.

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