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Borrow, don't buy: what it actually costs to own a drill you use twice a year

The price tag is only part of owning a drill. How to work out your real cost per use, and when borrowing one from a neighbour in Dublin makes more sense.

5 min read

Most of us buy a drill for one job. A shelf, a curtain pole, a flat-pack wardrobe that came with the wrong screws. The job gets done, the drill goes into the press under the stairs, and it comes out again months later for the next small job. Then back it goes.

There's nothing wrong with owning a drill. But if yours only sees daylight a couple of times a year, it's worth doing the sums before you buy the next one, or before you replace the one with the battery that won't hold a charge any more.

What owning a drill really costs

The price on the shelf is the obvious cost. It isn't the only one. Before you buy, add up the things that come with it:

  • The drill itself. The cheaper ones are fine for occasional use. The better ones cost more, and you're paying for power and durability you may never use.
  • Bits, batteries and chargers. A drill without the right bit is a paperweight. Masonry, wood and metal bits are sold separately, and so are spare batteries.
  • Batteries that age in the press. Rechargeable batteries don't enjoy sitting unused for months. When you finally need the drill, the battery may be flat, or tired.
  • Storage. A drill case takes up space. If you live in an apartment or a house without a shed, that space has a value, even if it's hard to put a number on it.
  • Your time. Researching which one to buy, going to get it, and sorting out a replacement part when something breaks.

You'll often see a statistic quoted about how few minutes a household drill is used in its whole life. We couldn't find a reliable source for it, so we won't repeat it here. Your own numbers are more useful anyway.

Work out your own cost per use

Here's a simple way to see what a tool really costs you. It takes two minutes and a bit of honesty.

  1. Add up what you'd spend: the tool, the bits and accessories, and any spare battery.
  2. Estimate how many times you'll actually use it before it breaks, gets lost, or you move house and leave it behind.
  3. Divide the first number by the second. That's your cost per use.

If you use a drill every weekend, the cost per use falls quickly and owning one makes sense. If you use it twice a year, the cost per use stays high for a long time, and every year the battery sits in the press it gets a little worse.

Now compare that with borrowing one for the day you need it.

What borrowing costs on Nearby

On Nearby, each lender sets their own daily price. As a borrower, you pay the listed price plus a 12% service fee. For every €10 of rental, the service fee is €1.20. If you need something for seven days or more, the booking gets 25% off the rental price. The details are on our pricing page.

You pay through Stripe when the lender accepts your request, so there's no cash changing hands at the door. You and the lender sort out pickup and return times through messages on Nearby.

Every rental also comes with the Nearby Guarantee, which protects the lender: if the item is accidentally damaged or stolen during the rental, Nearby may make a discretionary goodwill payment to the lender of up to €2,000 per item. It is not insurance, and it doesn't replace taking care of what you borrow, but it means lenders can say yes with more confidence.

When buying still makes sense

Borrowing isn't always the answer, and we'd rather you made the right call than a quick one. Buying is probably better if:

  • you use the tool most weeks, or you're in the middle of a long renovation;
  • you need it at short notice, at odd hours, for emergencies;
  • you'd like to learn a trade properly and want your own kit to practise with.

For everything else, the occasional shelf, the one-off job, the thing you'll do once and forget, borrowing is usually cheaper, and it leaves the space under your stairs for something else.

Before you borrow, a quick checklist:

  • Know the job. Is it a wall (masonry) or a wooden frame? Tell the lender, so you get the right bits.
  • Ask what's included: bits, spare battery, charger, case.
  • Agree pickup and return times in messages before you book.
  • Check the battery is charged when you collect, and ask how the lender likes it returned.
  • Bring it back clean, on time, with everything that came with it. Then leave a review.

Ready to try it? Browse power tools or DIY gear from people near you in Dublin. And if you already own a drill that lives in the press, you could list it on Nearby and let a neighbour borrow it.