Kitting out a new trade business is one of your biggest early outlays — but you do not buy everything, and you do not buy it all new. The smart play is to own your daily essentials, hire the big plant, and pick up high-ticket occasional tools second-hand. Here is the buy/hire/second-hand framework, with indicative 2025 prices. (Prices are 2025 AUD, GST-inclusive, and move constantly — treat them as ballpark, not quotes.)
Buy: the tools you use every day
Your day-to-day cordless and cutting tools earn their keep daily, so buy them new from a major brand — the price gap to second-hand is small and reliability matters. Indicative 2025 retail (a trade account usually trims 10–15%):
- 18V cordless kit (drill + impact + 2 batteries + charger + case): $600–800
- Angle grinder (18V skin): $190–320
- Circular saw (18V skin): $260–420
- Sliding mitre saw (mid-range): $700–1,100 (premium/dual-bevel $1,100–1,600)
- SDS rotary hammer (18V): $380–650
All up, a solid cordless base kit (drill/impact, grinder, circ saw, SDS, chargers and 3–4 batteries) runs about $2,500–4,000 new in 2025. These are deductible business assets — how you write them off (instant asset write-off vs depreciation) is in Tax Deductions for Tradies.
Hire: the big plant you use occasionally
Excavators, powered access and scaffold stacks tie up huge capital and sit idle most of the time — so hire them per job. Indicative 2025 day rates (a week is usually 3–4× a day):
- Mini-excavator (1.5–3.5t): $300–450/day (about $1,100–1,700/week); 5t+ runs $450–700/day
- Plate compactor: $70–120/day
- Scissor lift (19–26ft): $120–220/day
- Boom lift (30–45ft knuckle): $250–450/day
- Mobile scaffold tower: $100–250/week
- Modular scaffold (small house frontage): $400–900/week (often project-priced)
Build the hire cost into the job quote — and remember access plant usually needs the right high-risk-work licence and a safe-work method statement (see Working at Heights).
Second-hand: high-ticket, low-use tools
The tools that cost a fortune but only come out occasionally are the ones to buy used in year one — typically 40–60% of new:
- Plumbing press tool: $800–3,000 used vs $3,000–5,000+ new
- Power float (concrete trowel): $800–3,500 used
- Powder-actuated tool (Hilti/Ramset): $200–900 used
A first-year plumber should not tie up four or five grand in one press tool; buy it used, then upgrade to new once you are fully booked and the cash flow is stable.
The decision framework
For each tool, ask:
- How often will I use it? Daily → own it. Occasionally → hire or buy used.
- How much capital does it tie up? High-ticket, low-use → second-hand or hire.
- Does reliability make or break my day? Daily essentials → new (downtime costs more than the saving).
- Can I claim it? Owned tools are deductible; hire is a straight business expense.
The trap is the opposite of frugality — buying a full new kit on finance before the work justifies it, then carrying the repayments through the quiet early months.
Common mistakes
- Buying big plant you will use a handful of times a year instead of hiring.
- Buying daily essentials second-hand and losing days to breakdowns.
- Financing a full new kit before the work is there to pay for it.
- Forgetting to build hire costs into the quote.
Know someone who needs this?
Keep reading
Need help pricing your work? Read Section 14: Pricing Your Work - day rates, job prices and how to stop underselling yourself.
Finished your apprenticeship? Read our guide: After Your Apprenticeship - the stuff nobody teaches you in college.
Was this guide useful?
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Spotted something wrong or out of date? Email us at hello@kilnguides.co.uk.
In crisis? Lifeline 13 11 14 ·