A $5,000 tool collection does not automatically represent $5,000 in savings. A garage packed with drills, saws, sockets, ladders, specialty tools, and gadgets may simply mean someone owns a very expensive collection of things they rarely use.
The better question is not how much the tools cost. It is how often they replace a service bill, prevent another purchase, or make a repair possible that would otherwise cost more than the tool. That calculation can make a surprisingly large difference in how a DIY collection looks on paper.
