As a qualified plumber, brickie, electrician or decorator, you will no doubt have built up a comprehensive selection of your particular tools of the trade. But what about those tools that are used less frequently. Tools such as concrete breakers, heavy-duty masonry hammer drills, pipe threaders, wallpaper strippers, heaters, portable lighting equipment, and the rest?
Is it worth considering buying tools
On first consideration, buying tools might appear an attractive option. After all, it’s yours; no-one else can use it. You can offset the cost against tax. It’s there whenever you need it. No more having to drive to the local hire shop. It’s a one-off purchase. No more having to pay out the cost of hiring power tools at the beginning of the job. However, when you look a little further than just that new Hilti in its bright shiny box, that one off payment brings with it a host of extras.
The extra cost of buying tools
For instance, are you considering the £500 plus for a new Hilti? Hire tools supplied by companies such as PSM Tool Hire, are top of the range, they have to be. Almost constantly in use, they have to be robust and reliable for the people who hire them. Buying cheaper, inferior models will likely mean reduced reliability, more breakdowns, and a limited lifespan. All issues that you, as the owner, will have to sort out.
The extra cost of finance and insurance
Perhaps you’re considering finance to get the best. But interest is going to bang up the cost. Are you happy with 12 or 18 months of regular monthly payments, while the equipment sits for lengthy periods gathering dust in your storage lock-up? Hiring power tools means one fixed payment for the time you’re using the equipment. Also, the more valuable your tools, the higher the premium for your tool insurance. In this day and age, undervaluing your business equipment is a very short-sighted way of trying to save on your capital expenditure.
Where to keep that expensive equipment safe
What about storage? When you have a selection of expensive specialist tools, where do you keep them? Storing them overnight in your works van, or locked garden shed is a bad idea. Nowadays, work vehicles and sheds are being broken into on a regular basis. According to the Federation of Master Builders, over 80% of UK construction workers have had tools stolen over the last ten years. The average value of goods stolen was put at £2,500, with 10% losing over £10,000 worth. Add to that the loss of earnings, and disruption caused while the tools are replaced, and choosing instead the construction tool hire option, appears a much better idea.
Maintaining your tools in good working order
Another aspect often overlooked when considering the buying tools or hiring tools conundrum, is the maintenance aspect. Building sites are notoriously hard on tools of all types. Rough use, being dropped on the ground, stood on, dirt, dust, and water getting into every nook and cranny. Who’s going to carry out the regular maintenance required to keep them working efficiently? When hiring tools from the hire centre, you expect them to be in tip-top working order. Stripped, checked, greased, and re-assembled by the hire staff, to ensure you have a reliable machine to do the job at hand.
Don’t forget the accessories
Have you thought about accessories? When you buy your drill, breaker, or circular saw, you need to buy the extras to do the job. A lot of heavy-duty equipment is designed to undertake different tasks using a variety of accessories. For instance, the different circular saw blades required to cut different materials, or different combs and bolsters to fit into your jack-hammer. Before long you find yourself with an expensive collection of accessories needed to carry out your work. Accessories that also need to be replaced at your expense, as wear and tear takes its toll. When hiring tools from PSM Tool Hire, all you have to do is explain what you want and what you want it to do, and you’ll get everything you need to complete the job in one neat package.
Hiring tools – it really is the way to go
We all know about Murphy’s Law. On the very rare occasion your hired jack-hammer or electrical transformer goes down, a phone call to your construction tool hire company, will have it replaced as quickly as possible. If it is your personal jack-hammer, well, that’s at least a day’s work lost, while you arrange a replacement.
PSM Plant & Tool Hire has many years experience in hiring tools, equipment, and accessories for the construction industry. Why take on the extra stress and time required having to ensure your own equipment is up to the job, when one single phone call to PSM Tool Hire, can get it all done for you.