Australian Hire Price Index

What the numbers say

• Across the 19 items with both a hire rate and a retail price, the median break-even is 5.7 hire days.
• The quickest to justify buying is the marquee (3x3 m), at 1.1 hire days. The slowest is the scaffold tower (mobile), at 26.0 hire days.
• 11 of the 19 items break even in under ten days of hire, so for gear you use a few times a year, the sticker price is not the whole story either way.

The index

Prices in AUD including GST. A dash means no public price was found at the sources checked. Where a hire business publishes only a weekly or per-event price, it is shown that way and left out of the break-even figures. Download the full data with sources and dates: hire-prices-australia.csv.

What was priced

Hire and retail models are rarely identical, so each row compares the same class of item:

• Pressure washer (petrol). Petrol pressure washer. Hire: Kennards 2000 psi petrol, 12 L/min (Aussie Pumps / Crommelins class). Retail: Karcher G3000 Compact, 3000 psi, 196cc petrol. Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Carpet cleaner. Karcher Puzzi 10/1 spray extraction carpet cleaner (same model both sides; Kennards lists Karcher Puzzi 10/1 or Rug Doctor EZ1MPC). Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Floor sander (drum). 200mm drum floor sander, 240V electric, 42kg (Clarke EZ-8 / Hiretech HT8 class). Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Tile saw (wet). Professional wet tile table saw, 250mm class blade, about 940 to 950mm cut length. Hire: Kennards 950mm electric tile saw (Golz TS250, water cooled). Retail: DeWALT 1600W 254mm Wet Tile Table Saw. Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Demolition hammer (jackhammer). Medium electric demolition hammer, about 14kg. Hire: Kennards medium (D handle) demolition hammer, 14.2kg, 26J (Hilti TE 1000 / TE 1500 class). Retail: Full Boar 1500W 14.2kg 40J 30mm hex demolition hammer kit. Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Rotary hammer drill. Cordless SDS Plus rotary hammer, about 24 to 28mm in concrete. Hire: Kennards combi light cordless hammer drill, 36V, 4 to 28mm (Hilti TE 6-A22 / TE 30-A36 class). Retail: Makita 18V 24mm brushless SDS Plus rotary hammer DHR242Z. Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Concrete mixer. Electric concrete mixer, about 3 cu ft (0.1 cu m) class. Hire: Kennards 0.1 cu m (3 cu ft) electric mixer, 108kg (Easy Mix EM35 / Westmix WMC3.5 class). Retail: Ozito 120L 550W cement mixer CMX-120. Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Post hole digger (petrol auger). One person petrol post hole digger (auger), 2 stroke. Hire: Kennards 1 man small post hole digger, 1.4kW (Stihl BT 121 / BT 130 class), 600mm depth. Retail: Victa 43cc 2-stroke post hole digger with 200mm auger. Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Extension ladder. Aluminium extension ladder, about 3.7 to 6.5m. Hire: Kennards 3.6m to 6.3m aluminium extension ladder (Bailey FS13409 / Gorilla EL12/21 class). Retail: Gorilla 3.7-6.5m 150kg aluminium extension ladder. Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Scaffold tower (mobile). Aluminium single width mobile scaffold tower, 4m platform height, about 2.4 to 2.5m long. Hire: Kennards 4M single width alum scaffold (2400 x 750mm). Retail: Instant Access 0.8 x 2.5 x 4m 225kg single width mobile scaffold tower. Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Wallpaper steamer. Electric 240V wallpaper steamer with hand held steam plate. Hire: Kennards wallpaper steamer (Earlex SM5 / Steam Master class). Retail: Wagner Steam Force wallpaper steamer, 4L tank, 3.7m hose. Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Paint sprayer (airless). Electric airless paint sprayer, 3000 psi, contractor grade. Hire: Kennards large airless sprayer, 240V 1.7kW, 3000 psi, 15m hose (Novaspray SP60). Retail: Graco GX21 airless paint sprayer, 3000 psi, 1.8 L/min. Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Lawn mower (petrol). Walk behind 4 stroke petrol mower, about 480mm cut, catch/mulch/side discharge. Hire: Kennards 450mm domestic lawn mower, 482mm cut, 30kg (Honda HRU19 / Masport Contractor S19 / Cox CP19A class). Retail: Masport 485mm 3'N1 166cc 585 petrol mower. Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Hedge trimmer. Petrol 2 stroke hand held hedge trimmer, trade grade. Hire: Kennards petrol hedge trimmer, 750mm blade, 5.5kg (Stihl HS 45 / HS 82R class). Retail: Echo 534mm 21.2cc petrol hedge trimmer HC-2020. Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Chainsaw. Petrol 2 stroke chainsaw, 18 inch (450 to 457mm) bar. Hire: Kennards 450mm (18in) petrol chainsaw, 7.5kg (Stihl MS 361 / MS 362 class). Retail: Saxon 18in 457mm 55cc petrol chainsaw. Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Garden mulcher (chipper). Petrol wood chipper shredder for branches. Hire: Kennards 75mm petrol chipper, 13HP, 265kg towable (Crommelins GTS1300 / Hansa C13 class). Retail: Full Boar 5.6HP Briggs and Stratton petrol wood chipper shredder, 50mm max branch. Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Lawn aerator. Powered petrol walk behind core aerator (lawn corer). Hire: Kennards petrol lawn corer, 600mm wide x 75mm deep, 3.5hp 4 stroke, 131kg (Billy Goat PL1801H / Bluebird 530 class). Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Generator (portable). Portable petrol inverter generator, about 2 kVA. Hire: Kennards 2 kVA inverter generator, 1600W output, 21kg (Honda EU20i / EU22i class). Retail: DeWALT 2200W petrol inverter generator DXIG2201, 1800W running. Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Box trailer (6x4). Single axle 6x4 box trailer, 1800 x 1200mm, about 300mm sides, 400kg load. Hire: Kennards 1.8m x 1.2m (6ft x 4ft) box trailer. Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Camping tent (4 person). 4 person quick pitch (instant or fast frame) family dome tent. Hire: Camp Hire instant up tent, 4P tent (sold as for 2 people). Retail: OZtrail Fast Frame 4 person tent. Hire basis: 1 week (7 days), weekly rate only, no day rate offered, Camp Hire Malaga WA.
• Kayak. Recreational single sit on top kayak, about 2.6 to 3m. Hire: KayakWest Glide sit on top kayak, 305cm (1 adult and 1 child), paddle and PFD included. Retail: BCF Glide Cruiser sit on kayak 2.6m. Hire basis: 1 day weekday, take home, KayakWest Malaga WA.
• Stand up paddle board. All round stand up paddle board, about 10ft 6in, with paddle and leash. Hire: SUPwest stand up paddleboard hire (board model not stated). Retail: BCF Tahwalhi inflatable SUP 10ft 6in Kahawai Sand (320 x 81 x 15cm, pack with pump, leash, paddle, bag). Hire basis: 1 day weekday, take home, SUPwest Malaga WA.
• Marquee (3x3 m). 3 x 3m pop up (fold out) steel frame gazebo marquee, no walls. Hire: Kennards marquee 3m x 3m, 24kg (Betta Marquee / Oasis Shades class). Retail: Marquee 3 x 3m Delux Easy Up non permanent gazebo, powder coated steel frame. Hire basis: 1 day, Kennards Malaga WA.
• Portable projector and screen. Full HD class business projector (about 3400 to 3600 lumens) plus portable tripod screen. Hire: Freo Hire projector (3400 lumens, WUXGA 1920x1200, tripod stand, HDMI) plus portable 120in 16:9 tripod screen. Retail: Epson EB-FH08 FHD 3LCD projector (3600 lumens) 1049 plus Brateck 96in 1:1 portable tripod projection screen 148. Hire basis: 1 event (delivered on the day, collected the next day), pickup available, Freo Hire O'Connor WA.
• Mirrorless camera (entry level). Entry level APS-C mirrorless camera with kit lens. Retail: Canon EOS R50 mirrorless camera with RF-S 18-45mm lens kit (24.2MP APS-C, 4K video).

How the index is built

• Hire rates are the published one-day (24 hour) rate from a Perth hire business, as shown on its website on the checked date: the Perth branch of a national hire company for tools and equipment, and local specialists for items it does not hire. Damage waivers, deposits and delivery are extra and not included.
• Buy prices are the normal, non-sale price for the same class of item at a national retailer, Perth store selected.
• Days to break even is the buy price divided by the one-day hire rate, rounded to one decimal place.
• It leaves out storage, servicing, consumables, resale value and multi-day hire discounts, so treat it as a starting point rather than a verdict. The cordless rotary hammer drill's buy price is for the tool only, without a battery or charger, so owning one costs more than shown.
• These are published prices from hire companies and retailers. They are not QRAUZ booking data. On QRAUZ, each owner sets their own price.
• The index is refreshed every quarter.

Using this data

You are welcome to quote or chart these figures. Please credit the Australian Hire Price Index by QRAUZ and link to this page so readers can check the sources. For the reasoning behind renting or buying, see rent vs buy in Australia.