Check it Out
A tool library membership provides easy access to a wide range of equipment
By: Darlene Dela Cruz
May 1, 2026
You’d have to purchase and store an infinite number of tools to keep up with the numerous DIY tasks that arise with home maintenance. Each quick plumbing fix or beautification project entails its own set of specialized equipment and most island residents don’t have the budget or space to accommodate an ever-expanding toolshed.
The HNL Tool Library can be a good resource if you need a specific tool for a one-time project or want to borrow equipment for a test-run before buying your own at a local store.
The library reopened in March after a brief hiatus, moving from its old Kaka‘ako warehouse to a new home at Re-use Hawai‘i in Salt Lake.
“Our new location is more than twice the size of our old location,” says Stan Webb, HNL Tool Library manager. “We have space for expanding our inventory this year. The new Re-use Hawai‘i location has good foot traffic.”
Webb designed and built the Salt Lake location and is developing ways to make HNL Tool Library more accessible. He reduced monthly and annual membership rates — now $20/month or $150/year, compared to $35/month or $210/year at Kaka‘ako — and introduced a quarterly membership at $50. Webb also established consistent business hours: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturdays.
The organization loans tools to members for one week at a time, and members can file an online application to extend the borrowing period if needed. Members can browse the hnltoollibrary.org inventory, select their desired items to check-out online and visit the Salt Lake location for pickups and returns.
“Our tool inventory is heavily geared towards the apartment-dweller and new homebuyer,” Webb says. “It is somewhat geared towards woodworking projects. But we have a large toolbox that has about 200 of the most basic tools such as screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, Vise-Grips, etc.”
“We also carry the tools to do tile work, sheetrock and painting projects, basic and intermediate woodworking [and] basic plumbing and electrical repairs,” he adds, along with a small selection of gardening equipment.
Webb says the goal is to keep HNL Tool Library a convenient and sustainable community-sharing operation. The library relies on donations of tools and financial contributions and the support of volunteers. Webb aims to restart the library’s popular workshops and classes as staffing and resources allow.
This story appears in the May/June 2026 print issue of Ku‘u Home magazine.