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Your Take: Renting Large Tools
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One of the fun things about running a blog is being able to hold giveaways where I can give readers some really awesome things. Today, I have the opportunity to offer up a $200 gift card from Home Depot to one lucky Bargaineering.com reader.
Last week, Fred from One Project Closer’s wrote a guest post about frugal tool options and several people emailed me to ask if I had any personal experience renting tools. If you remember, renting tools was Fred’s #3 recommendation after borrowing and co-op buying (I would’ve listed renting as a #2, before co-op buying).
Renting a Pressure Washer
I have rented tools in the past. I like to rent larger tools because it’s cheaper than buying and I don’t have a lot of room for storage. A year ago I rented a 3500 PSI pressure washer to powerwash practically every external surface of the house. I blasted away the worked in dirt and grime from the brick exterior, from the walkways, and from some window frames. I used it to remove the stain from our deck so I could restain it. My neighbor has a little power washer that is effective on decks but I had to upgrade to the next level to effective clear off the walkways (or I’d have been there for hours). 3500 is no joke either, you can easily break skin at that PSI.
I rented the power washer because it’s a tool I only expect to use once every few years. I don’t really want to store a power washer in my basement where space is already at a premium. Renting the tool gets the job done and I don’t have to worry about breaking it (insurance!).
Home Depot has a Tool Rental center business where they have started renting out tools so you should check it out for some great ideas. They have over 325 and 1200 locations so there’s bound to be one nearby.
How To Win
How do you get an entry into the $200 gift card giveaway? Visit Home Depot’s Tool Rental site and let me know which tool you’d like to rent, from the 325 they have available, and for what project. Bonus points if you locate the rental center near you.
As always, there will be a secret phrase in the RSS and email feeds. Send that to contest at bargaineering dot com and you’ll get an entry. I will select a winner randomly from the comments and the emails.
The contest will run until noon on May 1st. Void where prohibited.
Good luck!
Congratulations to Kami of Washington D.C. on winning the gift card! Thank you to everyone who entered!
{ 79 comments, please add your thoughts now! }
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My wife has been eyeballing the kitchen and bathrooms. I’m thinking the Tile saw would be handy.
Thanks for the giveaway! If I won I would rent the 2-man hole digger so that my wife and I could fence in our backyard for our daughter.
Thanks again!
This is my first time reading your blog and you’ve already educated me on something useful! I’ve wanted to power wash the deck for some time and your article inspired me to find a local Home Depot near the house that rents power washers. Thank You!
Definitely would rent the carpet cleaner. We just got a dog and our carpet is covered with pet hair. Our vacuum hardly touches it!
also, our nearest rental center is in Watertown, MA on Arsenal Street, Store #2602.
We just got a dog too and we own a Dyson, which does a very good job on picking up his hair. The problem is he likes to roll around and replace all the cleaned up a hair like a minute after I vacuum!
We have Golden retriever mixed with Chow, we would see “tumble weed” of her hair roll around the house, even after sweeping.
I also own a Dyson…and honestly the results a little mixed for me when it comes to our dogs. Our carpeting is very dark and our dogs are pretty light, so i can see exactly what is and is not coming up from the ground.
I like the form and function of the dyson, but if you have serious shedding, I don’t know that I’d get one.
Actually, even though its capacity and capability is less than a Dyson or a Wind Tunnel, I do like the Roomba when it comes to constant no-touch cleaning. The dogs persistantly put down fur, and the roomba persistently picks it up.
Would like to rent the 6.5 HP Pressure Washer from store 8472 in Pensacola, FL.
Thanks for the opportunity.,
Demolition hammer because we have a ramp in the garage since the original owner was in a wheelchair. This ramp doesn’t allow us to park our car without having one of the car slanted because one of the wheel goes up the ramp. Store# 6852 is the closest.
I have to agree with the above comment. I would definitely rent an upper-end carpet cleaner. It’s great just to really clean all the carpets at least every year or so, even if we do have a decent vacuum.
This is actually a really sweet giveaway! Thanks for putting it on.
Pressure washers are fun, I’ll take the 2000 PSI pressure washer and use it to clean my future mother-in-law’s gigantic deck. It’s huge and covered with dirt and sticks. I might also find some use for it in playing with my dog, but don’t tell Home Depot that.
We rented the insulation blower last year to add extra insulation into the attic. It was fine except the first one they gave us had a problem and kept clogging so we had to go to another store to get a replacement, as my store only had one.
I would go for the Tile saw. My wife wants a tile backsplash in our kitchen.
The only problem is my closest Home Depot doesn’t have a tool rental dept. There is another one about 11 miles away that does though.
I’d like to rent a pressure washer so I could dominate the neighborhood squirt gun fights. I’d be untouchable with the 2000 psi equivalent of a Super Soaker.
In all seriousness, I’d probably be most interested in an insulation blower.
I have been wanting to rip up the linoleum in my bathroom and put down tile, so I would rent the tile cutter from the rental center a few miles away in Quincy, MA.
I would totally rent the the 2000 PSI pressure washer- the side of our house that never gets sun is actually starting to grow mold in the cracks of the siding! Ewww!
I think we’d rent both the carpet cleaner and power washer, we might be moving this summer with a job transfer, and that’s a way to clean the inside and outside quickly.
I would like to rent a plug aerator for my yard. My Home Depot up the street has a rental center. A powerwasher would also useful for my deck.
With Store# 0908 only 3 miles away, I think its time to rent that Drum Sander I’ve always been thinking about. The floors would definitely thank me for a nice sanding and varnishing.
I would get the electric breaker! we have a door in our basement but there is no drain at the bottom of the exterior steps, so the water has to come under the door and hit a drain inside (very old house) I would rip up the outside and put a drain in out there. That would be nice. Store# 3822 – WESTERN HILLS
Thanks!
I have rented a tile saw from HD twice. Both times were great although it is close to $40, but like you I don’t have space to store one and to get one the quality of the rental would be a few hundred bucks.
Since our house is on the market I don’t have any projects to complete, but I would love to rent an auger since digging posts holes is fun!
I would love a power washer to get started on cleaning and painting our front steps! Thanks Jim.
Would definitely rent the floor maintainer. My entire place is hard wood. Thanks Jim
I would totally rent the airless paint sprayer. We’ve only painted one room in our house since we moved in over five years ago. Remaining rooms are *pink* and are in desperate need of new paint, but there’s so much to do, we never dove in. The airless paint sprayer would be a total help!
Store #2566 in Ellicott City is the closest for us.
I’d rent the CARPET EXPRESS Carpet Cleaner. Spring cleaning is a great project for renewal. My closest rental location would be Auburn, CA
We’ve been wanting to break up the clay in our front yard so can get some decent soil + compost mixed in so I would want to get the rear-tine tiller from store #2511.
From store 0962 I would rent a stump grinder to get rid of 12 big stumps.
I’m buying my first home and I would rent the Hole digger so I could put in a privacy fence and the rear tine tiller to get started with a large garden.
My nearest Store# 2845 – Richfield
Hm. The carpet cleaner I suppose. It looks like a popular item. Or maybe the pressure washer to clean off the driveway.
Nearest rental center? ‘No results found’.
I’m guessing it’s actually the Wasilla, Alaska store ~600 miles distant.
From store #410, I’d pick up the Electric Breaker to take out the concrete steps the prior homeowner put in unevenly.
I would definitely rent the carpet cleaner; a couple of weeks ago my partner accidentally spilled a huge cup of coffee all over the carpet of our rental apartment. We tried to dilute it with some water and soak it up, but now there’s a noticeable stain in the middle of the living room that I’d love to be able to get rid of with a carpet cleaner.
Closest Rental Center to me:
Store# 4001 – BEAVERTON
13700 NW SCIENCE PK DR
PORTLAND , OR 97229
I would rent the tile saw. We are remodeling our kitchen and I need to install a tile backsplash and floor.
Thank you for the fabulous giveaway.
i’d be renting a plate compactor to finish out our brick patio in our back yard.
http://www.homedepotrents.com/diyTools/compactor.asp
Having the plate compactor instead of the manual version would be a life saver.
Our nearest rental center is a couple of miles away at 1701 COUNTRY ROAD 18, SHAKOPEE , MN 55379
I would rent their 4HP BlueBird power aerator for my lawn. Been meaning to dethatch and aerate the lawn for a while now and just haven’t gotten around to doing it.
Rental center near me:
Store# 4647 – “ASHBURN, VA”
Thanks for the opportunity to participate in this great giveaway.
Dan
My pressure washer had a catastrophic failure last year, spewing oil all over my patio. I haven’t replaced it, so I’ll definitely need to rent one this year. The 3500 psi should be sufficient. My nearest rental center is at Store# 6955 – CENTRAL ISLIP 301 SOUTH RESEARCH PLACE CENTRAL ISLIP , NY 11722
I’d be halfway home with the floor finisher from store #4114. My wonderful willing nephew would supply the labor, he ways.
Why own when you can rent those space eating tools! It’s spring cleaning time at my house, so I would rent a power washer to wash down the whole house. We are also considering installing solar to reduce our electric bill and the panels require cleaning 3 – 4 times a year since it doesn’t rain here in California. In that case it might be better to buy a power washer.
Our store in San Marcos has a rental center.
The nearest Home Depot it located at 655 Memorial Drive, Chicopee MA 01020.
I would rent the drywall lifter. We rented one about 5 years ago to drywall a family room we had added on & it was a great time & back saver. We live in a 100+ year old house and recently gutted our kitchen & dining room and will be hanging new drywall. This would be a great help to us.
It was a toss up between the carpet cleaner and the pressure washer. But I am going with the PRESSURE WASHER! I live in DC on a bus route and the soot and stains that the buses leave on my siding it ridiculous. It makes my house look grey instead of white and I tried using the hose but that’s of no use against the mighty Metrobus.
The closest store to me is only 1 mile away at: Store# 2583 – NE WASHINGTON DC
901 RHODE ISLAND AVE
WASHINGTON , DC 20018
Distance: 1 miles
I’d rent the carpet cleaner – we’re moving out of our apartment soon and it has wall-to-wall. The closest one is in Aspen hill, MD.
I would love to be able to rent the rear tine tiller so I don’t have to manually till my yard for our garden this year. That would be awesome! Store #2903-Goodman Rd. is literally minutes away from where I live. Thank you for this great giveaway!
I too rented a pressure washer about 2 weeks ago. I have a fence that goes around my backyard. Every year or so it needs a good cleaning and the pressure washer is the perfect tool.
Now that it is clean. It needs a new coat of paint (actually opaque stain). It has been about 4 years since the original paint job.
So, ideally I need to rent an Airless Paint Sprayer from home Depot to get the job done.
To save money, I was contemplating painting this time with brushes & rollers. But as you can imagine I am not looking forward to that prospect.
One point, if you have rented from Home Depot previously, they can add you to the preferred customer list. Once you are on this list, they do not require any deposit on the tool rental and have all your info on file. It makes it very easy.
My local Home Depot Tool rental is here:
Store# 0909 – ROXBURY
281-041 ROUTE 10
SUCCASUNNA , NJ 07876
I agree, renting is a much more economical way to go with something I have no real desire to own and store and only use every few years.
I really need to pressure wash my deck, so that’s what I would rent.
We have a rental center in Frankfort, Ky
Hi there!
we have been slowly ripping up the ugly-as-homemade-sin carpeting in our new house. There are beautiful hardwood floors underneath, that just need some buffing. If we rented the floor maintainer from the Home Depot it would make short work of that complicated project and save us a lot of money too! The nearest store to me is
Store# 4114 – UPPER DARBY
5342 W BALTIMORE PIKE
PRIMOS-SECANE , PA 19018
I see I have neighbors who visit this site. Hello from Drexel Hill!
The 4hp aerator for spring lawn maintenance from store #1956 in Machesney Park Illinois near our lawn! Thanks
We are building our retirement house and selling the old one. So we are going to be using a lot of rented tools over the next several years doing as much as we can ourselves. Some of the first tools we will be renting this spring will be a hole auger and a trencher so we can figure out how deep the soil is and get a power line laid. I am going to start to putting in the new garden in this summer too. We got a small garage built last year, now we need to insulate and sheet rock the inside. So one of those drywall holders would be handy to rent.
Our local Home Depot is :
Store# 1303 – “FAIRBANKS, AK”
601 JOHANSEN EXPRESSWAY
FAIRBANKS , AK 99701
Renting tools are great idea for many of the same reasons as a much larger investment – a home. Renting a home instead of taking on a mortgage is a risk management few take seriously.
If you don’t have the space, then rent the tools and equipment you need. If you do have the space, and you’ll use the tool again, it’s usually cheaper to buy it used at an auction or garage sale.
Clair
Jim, you are spot on! As a landlord if the purchase of a tool doesn’t repay it’s cost to rent it in under 2 years, it’s not worth the purchase. Same holds true for toys. We head down to Trinity lake every, perhaps every other summer and we could buy jetski’s and incur their maintenance cost, storage, etc, or rent them for $100/day. Granted $100/day seems like extortion since a car rental is half that, but if we rent jetskis for 3 days, that’s $300 per year, which is far less than the cost of owning. Good article!
Wow- thanks for this super offer
Could we ever use this-
Lots to do here…. need to rent a
* Tiller (rear tine)- to get the garden started
* Trench digger (12″ trencher) Need to run sprinkler pipe to the garden…..
* A concrete (drum) sander (pulled out the carpet and can’t afford new- so am neededing to sand the paint off concrete and repaint / stain it)
From
Store# 6377 – FL 32541
Hope we win-
Karo
We would love to rent the 3500 psi power washer to clean the deck and concrete, the 64 cc gas chain saw to cut down some dead trees, the 4 HP aerator (I’ve never tried using one before but the grass keeps dying out in spots around the yard and aerating is recommended), and the hand held post hole digger to dig holes for a honeybee enclosure.
Store #745 in Lebanon, TN is our store.
Thanks for the contest!
Gina
A Depot gift card would be fantastic, since we’re buying a house in two weeks and moving away from our contractor neighbor with a garage full of fantastic power tools. I would definitely rent the compound miter saw first … we have a bunch of raised beds to build, and a lot of trim work to replace inside the house. There is a rental place just a few miles from us, in Allentown, PA, and $200 would be awesome!
Definitely a power washer. I have some steps with peeling paint that I’d like to clean off, a patio that could use a good cleaning before being stained, and some neighborhood kids who need to be knocked off of their bikes that they ride onto my lawn, despite my shaking my cane at them. Ok, not for that last reason…
I would rent the mid tine tiller. Let me get started on a new garden I have been thinking about for a while but never started.
Nearest rental center is
Store# 3203 – “SW OMAHA 132nd & “”L”"”
12710 L STREET
OMAHA , NE 68137
We rented a paint sprayer to paint the exterior of our house. It saves so much time and does a fabulous job, but I can’t see buying one.
We rented the 4 HP Aerator for our lawn. The great thing was that we shared it with a couple of neighbors and cost the cost down significantly. One word of caution, cleaning can get kind of messy. Allow plenty of time to clean and dry (drain) out the unit before returning to the store.
The store we rented it from is:
Store# 1918 – NAPERVILLE
2920 AUDREY AVE
NAPERVILLE , IL 60540
I’d like to rent the rear tine tiller for tilling the soil beneath our raised garden beds in the backyard. The soil here is so compacted, nothing will grow beyond the topsoil I put in the beds, and it is too hard to till by hand.
Woo hoo!
We were just getting ready to rent a tiller!
I would rent a Rear Tine Tiller from this local HD:
Store# 4137 – DOWNINGTOWN
965 E LANCASTER AVE
DOWNINGTOWN , PA 19335
Phone: (610) 518-3330
We also have one that is in Frazer, PA that I didn’t see listed.
I’m using the tiller to make a large bed in the front yard, extend a bed in the side yard, and loosen the soil so we can level an area for a DIY swingset kit we purchased.
Thanks for the opportunity!
I would definitely rent a panelwall drywall lifter. My husband and I are in the process of “finishing” our garage and desperately need one. Thanks!
Michele
I would rent the 6.5 HP pressure washer. We live near the ocean and have a natural shingle home. The moisture has left one side and several areas around the house covered with a black mold. I would clean this off to preserve my home and my health.
Store near me:
Store# 2405 – BIDDEFORD
550 ALFRED STREET
BIDDEFORD , ME 04005
I would rent the demolition hammer to fix my front steps.
I have rented tools from HD in the past, if it is a tool that is too large for you to store or something you will use only once then the rental is a great deal. The closest store to me is
Store# 6233 – MIDDLETOWN.
I would rent the carpet cleaner, because I have a 4yo and a 2yo. Nuff said.
Rented an aluminum break at ther Rock Hill, SC location. Han it for to days to bend around 300′ of fascia. Easy to rent and return!
Definitely the pressure washer to get off some of the gunk from the house, deck and garage, renting from #2011, Post Road in Indianapolis.
I’ll be renting a power washer to clean our siding!
Our store is in Chesterfield, MO.
The Sod Cutter to remove the tenacious Zoysia grass and replant with herbs, vegetables and mulch in the tiny backyard.
There are three Home Depot tool Rental Centers nearby:
Store# 6866 – Philadelphia (Bustleton Ave.)
11725 BUSTLETON AVE
PHILADELPHIA , PA 19116
Phone: (215) 676-7029
Distance: 2 miles
Store# 4103 – BENSALEM
1336 BRISTOL PIKE
BENSALEM , PA 19020
Phone: (215) 638-3510
Distance: 2 miles
Store# 4134 – NESHAMINY
900 ROCK HILL DR
BENSALEM , PA 19020
Phone: (215) 942-4779
Distance: 2 miles
The secret phrase for today is:
“Ulli doesn’t care about anything. He’s a Nihilist.”
Thanks for the giveaway!!!
Marion
My apartment has wall-to-wall carpeting, so I could definitely use the carpet cleaner!
I’d rent the 2-Man Auger! We’re planning a fence and a deck and need holes in the ground.
Our nearest Home Depot rental centre is 63 Woodlawn Road West, in Guelph, ON.
Jim, I started reading your blog a few weeks ago. Thanks for the great tips. I appreciated your blog on the cost and experience of getting a dog. I printed your post and shared it with my wife. Thanks to you she is coming close to agreement on getting a dog now. Oh, yes …. back to Home Depot ….. I rent a Carpet cleaner twice a year and like you said I don’t buy it because I don’t want the hassle of storage and maintaining it. So I could use a carpter cleaning machine from store #2566 in Ellicott City, MD.
The pressure water! Our deck needs to be redone! Our nearest Home Depot is on Breckinridge Lane in St. Matthews.
I would like to rent the hole digger since we will start putting up a fence next weekend. Store number 0383 in Gonzales, LA is the closest store to me and the phrase is
“Ulli doesn’t care about anything. He’s a Nihilist.”
I’d rent the CARPET EXPRESS® Carpet Cleaner, to use in our general spring cleaning
There are two rental centers near me, both within 4 miles, but this one is easier to get to for me:
Store# 1842 – RIVERBANK
5230 SQUIRE WELLS ROAD
RIVERBANK , CA 95367
2-man hole digger for a fence project. Also, we’re re-doing a bathroom this summer, so the tile saw might be useful.
Closest is Store# 2579 – LANSDOWNE, MD
phrase: “Ulli doesn’t care about anything. He’s a Nihilist.”
I would like to rent the Carpet Express Carpet Cleaner. We have our first baby on the way and I would really like to tackle cleaning all of the carpet in the house before he arrives. We live on the 4th floor of our building so we always get charged extra by carpet cleaning companies!
Closest store is: Store# 4639 – FAIRFAX CIRCLE
FAIRFAX , VA 22030
“Ulli doesn’t care about anything. He’s a Nihilist.” (p.s. I’m a huge Lebowski fan!)
I really could have used this this past weekend, as we spent quite a lot of money getting our vegetable garden ready. We even rented a truck from Home Depot to get most of the stuff home (how’s THAT for big tool rental?
Please put me in the drawing, I need to rent a rototiller. And buy more dirt. And plants. And fertilizer. And snail bait. Wait, didn’t someone say produce was cheaper if you grow it yourself?
Store# 6620 is my closest one.
We’re looking to take out our old carpeting and add in hard wood flooring. We’ve been looking for some time and actually would rent their pneumatic nail gun for flooring. Luckily I work near a Home Depot Rental Center so it wouldn’t be too difficult to rent one.
Thanks for the giveaway!
I need to rent a pressure washer to prep my log cabin for sale (yes, it is a really bad time to sell, I don’t want to hear about it).
The nearest rental store is in Skagit County, Washington, a little ways away.
I’d rent the Rear Tine Tiller to help start our garden from the rental center in Eugene, OR.
I’d like to rent a mid tine tiller to put in my garden, this year.
The web site isn’t completing the search for the closest rental location to my home, for some reason.