Tool prices › How we rank
The workings behind every board
Every number on a price board can be traced back to a supplier's own published page. Here's exactly what we do to line them up.
Hire ranks on the minimum charge, ex VAT
Most hire desks publish a day rate — that's what we rank. Some only publish a weekly rate, and a week is their minimum charge: you pay it even for one day. Those rows rank at the full week price, marked “/wk”, because dividing by seven would crown a price nobody can actually hire at for a day. The quoted price and period always stay visible next to the ranked figure.
Buy ranks on the shelf price, inc VAT
Retail shelves quote inc VAT and hire desks quote ex VAT, so the two sides of the ticket sit on different bases — each one is labelled. The break-even hint divides the buy price by the cheapest hire day rate (weekly rates spread over seven days for that arithmetic only), which is close enough for a hire-or-buy call, not an accounting exercise.
No crown under three fresh suppliers
“Cheapest we've seen” appears only when at least three suppliers have prices checked within the last 45 days in that mode — hire and buy counted separately. Under that, you get a range and a thin-read flag instead. Prices older than 45 days go grey and sit out the verdict until rechecked. Within about 2% we call it level rather than invent a winner.
What's left out, and said so
Deposits and delivery are excluded — they swing by branch and postcode. Where a supplier's published price includes delivery or a damage waiver, the row says so. Every price is the supplier's public guide rate on the day we checked it, with the source linked: a list rate, not a quote, and not your account price.
Your account price will differ — that's the point.
List rates are the floor of the conversation. If your invoices quietly beat your quotes, that's the bit we check.
Check an invoice free