Walk into a tool library on a Saturday and you notice it instantly:
the best tools are never on the shelf.

They’re out in backyards, garages, basements, and hallways, solving real problems that never required a purchase, just a moment of access.

No one-hit wonder gadgets. No impulse buys collecting dust. Just the practical MVPs of everyday DIY. The tools you need sometimes, but never want to store forever.

So which ones are always out on loan?

🏆 The Tools Everyone Borrows (On Repeat)

1. Drills & Drill Kits

The MVP of adulting. Hanging frames, mounting shelves, assembling anything from IKEA.
Yet despite being one of the most owned tools, it’s wildly underused:

The average drill is used for 13 minutes in its lifetime.¹

2. Ladders

Too tall. Too bulky. Too annoying to store.
And yet… constantly needed.

“It’s really common for first-time borrowers to borrow a ladder just to reach that one thing one time.”²

3. Saws (Circular, Jigsaw, Reciprocating)

For the “might as well build it myself” weekend mode.
Libraries report saws among their most requested tools, alongside nailers and compressors.³

4. Sanders (Orbital + Belt)

Everyone dreams of refinishing a table.
Almost no one wants to own a sander for that one magical weekend of sanding.⁴

5. Seasonal Outdoor Tools

Pressure washers. Hedge trimmers. Leaf blowers.
The “it’s spring again” toolkit — borrowed in waves, returned by Sunday.⁵

🔍 Why These Tools Never Collect Dust

They solve the real stuff.
Not passion projects or “someday” plans. The everyday fixes that pop up when you least expect them.

They’re huge, pricey, or both.
A ladder used twice a year shouldn’t live in your closet the other 363 days.

They’re needed for a moment, not a lifetime.
Borrow. Use. Return. Move on with your day.

They save brain space.
No endless product reviews. No “which one is best?” spirals. No buyer’s remorse at checkout.

But the biggest reason?

They give people that quiet power moment:
“Oh…I can totally do this myself.”

🧠 The Bigger Trend We’re All Feeling

Tool libraries are tapping into something deeper:

Access > Ownership
Space > Stuff
Reuse > Waste
Community > Consumption

One borrowed ladder = one less ladder manufactured, shipped, store-bought, stored, and forgotten.

Multiply that across a neighborhood, and it becomes a movement.

🛠 The Unsung Hero: The One-Job Tool

The tools you’ll never buy, but will always need once:

The post-hole digger for a fence you’ll never move again
The floor sander for the one-room glow-up
The 10mm socket that vanishes into thin air
The extension ladder for that lightbulb

These aren’t tools.
They’re permission slips to get the job done without owning the gear.

🚀 The Real Magic of Tool Libraries?

They don’t ask you to give up convenience.

They upgrade it:

More space at home
More skills unlocked
Less waste created
Less money burned
More neighbors you now recognize by name

Because the best tool…
is the one you borrow, use, and happily return.

Sources

Ellen MacArthur Foundation — How tool sharing could become a public utility
https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-examples/how-tool-sharing-could-become-a-public-utility
Green America — Borrow, Not Buy: Tool Libraries for Public Good
https://greenamerica.org/your-green-life-2026/borrow-not-buy-tool-libraries-public-good
GEO.coop — The Evolution of the Tool Library
https://geo.coop/story/evolution-tool-library
Canadian Living — Tool-lending library 101
https://www.canadianliving.com/life-and-relationships/community-and-current-events/article/tool-lending-library-101
The Guardian — This community has a radical idea: a tool library for all
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/03/vashon-washington-community-tool-library