Rentsome

Calculator

Should you rent it or buy it?

Most tools and gear get used a few days a year. Put in a purchase price, a daily rental rate and an honest number of days, and see which one actually costs less over the years you would own it.

How to read the result

The break-even number is the one to remember. If you would really use the item fewer days a year than that, renting wins every year you keep not owning it. If you would use it more, buying wins, and the gap grows the longer you keep it.

Owning costs more than the sticker. Blades, filters, oil, batteries and the occasional repair add up, and the thing takes up space. The calculator folds that into the upkeep percentage. It also credits you for selling the item at the end, because a well-kept tool does hold some value.

Renting on Rentsome costs the owner’s daily rate plus a 15% service fee with a $2 minimum, and sales tax at checkout. The security deposit is a hold on your card that comes back, so it is not part of the comparison.

Rules of thumb

  • Used once or twice a year: rent.
  • Monthly or more: buy.
  • Expensive and rarely used, like a generator or a camera lens: rent, and try before you buy.
  • Cheap and often used, like a drill: buy.
  • Big, awkward and seasonal, like a snow blower or a kayak: rent unless you have the space.

Common questions

How does the calculator decide?

It compares the total cost of renting (daily rate plus the 15% service fee, times the days you would use it, times the years) against the total cost of owning (purchase price plus yearly upkeep, minus what you would get back selling it). Whichever is lower wins, and the break-even is the number of days per year where they are equal.

What counts as upkeep?

Consumables such as blades, oil, filters and batteries; repairs; and the space it takes up. Five percent of the purchase price per year is a fair starting point for tools and appliances, higher for anything with an engine.

Why is the deposit not included?

A Rentsome security deposit is an authorization hold on your card, not a charge. It releases automatically 72 hours after a successful return, so it is not a cost unless something is damaged.

Where do the preset prices come from?

Each preset is a broad typical range for a new consumer-grade unit and a rental-counter day rate, used only as a starting point. Replace them with your own quotes and the live prices on the item page.

Decide for a specific item

Each page has the typical prices filled in, live listings, and the request form.