They live under your bed and in your basement, your garage and probably in that weird cabinet above the fridge that requires a stepstool.
Alton Brown calls them unitaskers: the tools and appliances that aspire to do only one thing and do it well. Pasta makers and juicers are the classics, but they exist outside the kitchen, too. Do you really need to own a post-hole digger? Seasonal candle molds?
Well yes, sometimes. Which is why so many of us have them lurking in the recesses of our homes and apartments, gathering dust while they wait for the next dinner party that requires homemade ravioli. Local tool libraries solve this problem for home projects by filling shelves with borrowable tools instead of books. But if you don’t have one near you, or just tasks beyond DIY, I have a solution anyone can try: start a tool polycule.
For years now, half a dozen friends and I have operated an informal group here in Portland, Oregon, that swaps all the insipid items that spend 364 days a year sitting unused. It’s less a library than a group of people taking a nonmonogamous view of products instead of partners (though that type of polycule is popular in Portland, too).
We’ve saved money, waste and become better friends in the process. It turns out the key to happiness isn’t buying dumb stuff – it’s loaning it out (and sticking it to consumerism while you’re at it).
What’s mine is yours
On Friday, a friend comes over to borrow my oil-change pan and oil filter wrench. He brings it back on Sunday morning, while I’m making breakfast with his waffle maker, which has lived at my house so long it feels like mine. And on Sunday evening, I’ll lend his hand-me-down KitchenAid mixer to another friend, whose oscillating multitool I’ve had in my garage for the last two weeks.
If this all sounds a little messy, consider the exceptionally low stakes: deprived of my deep fryer for a weekend, I’ll pan fry my falafel instead. This is why unitaskers are perfect for lending, compared with say your car or your kitchen knives.
And if this all sounds a little inconvenient, consider it from this perspective: every time you need to borrow a tool, it’s also a chance to catch up with a friend in person. As my friends and I grow older and get pulled in different directions by responsibilities, handing off items becomes a welcome excuse to catch up for 15 minutes when there’s not enough time to grab a beer together. I guarantee there would be less of a male loneliness epidemic if every block only had one communal pressure washer.
It’s also … fun. Have you ever noticed that lots of unitaskers are novel to try and then lose their luster? Sharing them with friends means someone is always getting to make pasta for the first time or learning to use a tile saw (wear earmuffs).
How to start swapping tools with your friends
My tool polycule’s system is so informal it’s impossible to trace its origins, other than to say I most definitely get no credit. I have my friends’ generosity to thank: going camping with friends from out of town? Don’t buy an extra sleeping bag, borrow mine. Renovating your bathroom? I have a tile saw in storage, let me get it for you. One good deed begot another, and before long a virtuous circle had developed.
Despite its informality, my lending circle does have norms and etiquette. Here are some tips and tricks, based on what has worked for us over the years.
Skip the well-intentioned spreadsheet
Unless your friends are all project managers, they will not be excited about filling out a Google form to borrow your cookie cutters. We started one – and people immediately forgot to use it.
Just get the word out naturally: when you’re excited about a new toy you just got, tell people you’re happy to lend it. When someone mentions a problem and you have something that might help, offer it. Suggest a time to bring it over so they know you’re not just being polite.
If you fear you may lose track of your prized soft-serve ice cream maker, by all means make yourself a Google sheet to keep track. But don’t make it a precondition for participating.
Lead by example
If your friends seem too sheepish to borrow, try this Uno Reverse card: ask to borrow stuff. If this makes you cringe, as it once did for me, it may help you to know that we actually like people more who ask us favors. While you may feel like you’re imposing, the person you’re asking gets the glowing satisfaction of having done a Good Deed for nothing more than handing over their dusty knife sharpener. Just make sure you’re asking to borrow something inconsequential. Which brings me to …
Don’t loan anything you can’t afford to lose
This golden rule of lending money also applies to gadgets.
He who borrows it, stores it
One of my friends owned a carpet steam cleaner, but he never wanted it back; it rotated through households in perpetuity, where the latest borrower stored it until someone else needed it. This takes the onus of storage off the owner and lets you repay them for its use with a corner of your closet.
Of course, the owner can always ask for it back if they prefer. And either way, when it’s time to bring it back, the borrower should be the one traveling.
Bring it back in better shape
Clean it, wax it, sharpen the blades, refuel it. The last time I loaned my deep fryer, it came back with a fresh jug of oil that will save a grocery store trip for the next person – even if that’s not me.
You break it, you buy it
After I dropped my friend Loren’s plastic carpenter’s square and chipped the edge off, I replaced it with a laser-etched aluminum square that will outlive both of us. He gets a better tool, I get a clean conscience.
Let go when the time is right
Sometimes even a dozen people don’t need a super specialized one-time-use tool. After hanging on to a tubing bender I used to install my own mini split air conditioner for two years, I realized it was unlikely anyone would need it in the near future. I sold it to a contractor on Facebook Marketplace who’ll actually use it, and chalked whatever I left on the table up to karma.
Some favorites from our tool library
KitchenAid 5.5-Quart Bowl-Lift Mixer
KitchenAid 5.5-Quart Bowl-Lift Mixer none-selected
Recent loan: making a cake
Your mom has one for a reason. This classic KitchenAid is strong enough to mix up giant batches of pizza dough and durable enough to survive frequent commutes between kitchens.
Presto CoolDaddy Cool-Touch Deep Fryer
Presto CoolDaddy Cool-Touch Deep Fryer none-selected
Recent loan: making French fries
Heating oil isn’t complicated, but this model has enough capacity to feed a crew and an idiot-proof design even first timers won’t cause a house fire with.
SawStop Jobsite Saw Pro Table Saw
SawStop Sawstop Jobsite Saw Pro Table Saw none-selected
Recent loan: cutting plywood for a little girl’s “fairy house”
The wheels and light weight make it possible for one person to move this saw, and SawStop tech brakes the blade in the event of an accident to save your fingers.
Maxxt Random Orbital Sander
Maxxt Random Orbital Sander none-selected
Recent loan: refinishing a wood desk
A cheaper sander will turn your hands to jelly with vibration, but this smooth operator is comfy enough to run for hours, making refinishing less grueling.
DeWalt XR 20-Volt Oscillating Multitool
DeWalt XR 20-Volt Oscillating Multitool none-selected
Recent loan: cutting an access panel in a drywall
When you have a cut you can’t figure out how to make with any other tool, the answer is always this one, which plunges into any material like a mini lightsaber with the right blades.
Edward Tools Mud Mixer Drill Attachment
Edward Tools Mud Mixer Drill Attachment none-selected
Recent loan: mixing mortar to set a shower pan
Mixing concrete with a shovel seems downright barbaric after whipping it up in a 5-gallon bucket with this, which also makes short work of mortar and drywall mud.
Autel Check-engine Light Scanner
Autel Check-engine Light Scanner none-selected
Recent loan: resetting a check-engine light the dealer forgot to turn off
Why is that light on your car’s dash lit up? This scanner will tell you without a trip to the mechanic.
Ridgid Air Compressor
Ridgid Air Compressor none-selected
Recent loan: running a nail gun
From cleaning electronics to powering pneumatic tools, an air compressor is the clutch tool you never knew you needed until you have one.
Anker Solix F2600 Portable Power Station
Anker Solix F2600 Portable Power Station none-selected
Recent loan: powering a child’s white noise machine through a camping trip
From power outages to camping trips, this portable battery pack has enough muscle to power anything you could plug into the wall – even the deep fryer.
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Other pieces you might enjoy from the Filter, the Guardian’s guide to buying fewer, better things:
Horl 3 knife sharpener review: an easy (and fun!) way to keep your knives at the ready
‘The perfect food storage finally exists’: I tried the new Anydeli plastic-free containers
The best cordless leaf blowers in the US to cut down time without bothering neighbors
