What would you do/ what would your reaction be?

[Sigblaster]

Jim's wife buys and refinishes furniture, and sells them to shops and at flea markets and online. She is refinishing a table and needs a belt sander, which Jim doesn't own. He knows his neighbor, Frank, owns one, so Jim asks to Frank to loan him the belt sander. Frank does so, as is common among neighbors in the neighborhood.

Jim's wife burns up the motor on the belt sander. Jim tells Frank that his belt sander is ruined, and asks where he got it so he can replace it. So far, so good.

Turns out, the belt sander is a cheap one from Harbor Freight. Cost was probably $20 or $30 or so. It was well-used, but was still serviceable at the time of loaning/ borrowing.

At this point, how does Frank react?

1. Says thanks, waits for new replacement for used sander.

2 Offers to pay half for the replacement of his used sander.

What factors influence your decision?

 

[Kurr]

If there was no intentional misuse I say don't worry about it, it was on its last legs anyway. Twenty bucks aint a lot to sweat, I knew it was cheap when I loaned it.

The good will towards a neighbor can go a long way in ways in the future you might not expect.

Edit : what influenced my decision? I like to think I was raised right and not everything is an eye for an eye.

 

[Destro]

If I'm Jim, I'm going to buy a new sander and say sorry about the old one.

If I'm Frank I'm going to say thanks, but sincerely say that it was not necessary since the project I bought it for is complete and it was on borrowed time.

Price is the biggest factor. If I broke his DeWalt, the conversation might be a little more in depth.

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[Ingomike]

If I'm Jim, I'm going to buy a new sander and say sorry about the old one.

If I'm Frank I'm going to say thanks, but sincerely say that it was not necessary since the project I bought it for is complete and it was on borrowed time.

Price is the biggest factor. If I broke his DeWalt, the conversation might be a little more in depth.

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Yep, I will buy a new one for what I borrowed. If I broke his DeWalt I would replace it too. If I cannot afford to replace it I shouldn’t borrow it.

 

[Jaybird1980]

I guess it depends. If I know Frank uses it quite often I would probably replace his sander with something a little better, I mean I'm already going to be there buying one for the home. If I know it's just a tool Frank has and it hardly ever gets used I will probably just get him the HF replacement.

If I'm Frank I'm going to thank him for being a stand up guy and offer him a beer, and remember it in the future.

This is why I hate to borrow stuff.

 

[Refrigerator27]

Yep, I will buy a new one for what I borrowed. If I broke his DeWalt I would replace it too. If I cannot afford to replace it I shouldn’t borrow it.

Isn't that the point of borrowing, because you don't want to buy one? Though I get what you mean.

 

[Jaybird1980]

Isn't that the point of borrowing, because you don't want to buy one? Though I get what you mean.

Not to me. If I wanted to borrow it, it's because it may be the only time I will use it. If I needed it for multiple uses I would want to buy one.

 

[Twangbanger]

I'd buy a new one for him. I wouldn't offer to pay half, because my wife didn't ruin half his sander. She ruined the whole thing.

 

[jerrob]

Jim...........replace the HF tool.
If even a casual, neighborly friendship is only valued at $20-30, you have no business loaning/borrowing tools from each other.
Consider it a cheap, lesson learned in purchasing cheap tools.

Frank.............same, evaluate the worth of his friendship.
Don't overvalue a cheap tool and let it go.
Take a positive out of the experience and go buy yourself a better version of that tool. (and if Jim replaced the HF one already, gift it back)

The driving factor for my answers are, not being a dick to my friends, good ones aren't too plentiful and mine are worth more to me than a power tool.

 

[churchmouse]

Yep, I will buy a new one for what I borrowed. If I broke his DeWalt I would replace it too. If I cannot afford to replace it I shouldn’t borrow it.

Bingo. If I use any of your tools and I can not return as borrowed then it is replaced like and same if possible.
That’s how I was raised.

Also this thought, if you do this for a living/revenue stream then tool up. Seriously.

 

[04FXSTS]

Need it once, borrow. Need it a second time, buy. Jim.

 

[Expat]

This is why I have never borrowed stuff from any one, other my Dad or FiL.

 

[femurphy77]

If I'm Jim, I'm going to buy a new sander and say sorry about the old one.

If I'm Frank I'm going to say thanks, but sincerely say that it was not necessary since the project I bought it for is complete and it was on borrowed time.

Price is the biggest factor. If I broke his DeWalt, the conversation might be a little more in depth.

Sent from my SM-A515U1 using Tapatalk

Right on. I was the loaner of a very expensive worm drive circular saw, the borrower burned it up and refused to reimburse any cost because "it was old and ready to die anyway". It was a little over 2 years old and had very few miles on it.

I ultimately let it go because the wives were good friends although I did have a little fun at his expense a few years later. He had loaned my wife his truck to haul some furniture one weekend, when she had finished with it, I called him up and told him that we had accidentally caught his truck on fire, and it had been totaled. Of course, my reasoning that it was old and ready to die anyway didn't help him overcome his grief at the news of his destroyed truck. When she pulled up in his undamaged truck a few minutes later he called me back rather put off by my joke at his expense. I never borrowed or loaned anything from or to him again.

 

[femurphy77]

Need it once, borrow. Need it a second time, buy. Jim.

I own quite a few tools for this very reason. Most of them don't get used very often but they do get used.

 

[armalitesheepdog]

If my wife was in the habit of refinishing furniture and needed a belt sander I would buy her one so she would have what she needs for her hobby. Just as she supports my hobby. Then there is no worries.

 

[hoosierdoc]

If my wife needs something rubbed off, I'm not asking my neighbor to help...

 

[Magyars]

Why not buy another cheap harbor freight sander?

 

[rem788]

I would replace the sander. If you borrow something, no matter what it is, you return it in as good or better shape than when you borrowed it. When we were building our cabin, my friend brought his dewalt sliding miter saw down for to us to use. We used it for several months, I kept asking him if he needed it back, he kept saying no. Finally I couldn't take it anymore and went and purchased a new dewalt sliding miter saw, just like his and dropped it off at his house. I still needed a miter saw, his old one worked fine so I kept it and gave him the new one out of appreciation for his help. As others have stated, a tool can be easily replaced, a friendship, not so easily.

 

[indyartisan]

If borrowed, replace it.
If lent forget about.

 

[two70]

This is why I have never borrowed stuff from any one, other my Dad or FiL.

I'd borrow from the Russian mob before I'd borrow a tool from my FIL. The Russian mob would be much more forgiving if something went wrong!