Ted in Michigan

Lots of comments here. Mine mirrors what others have said. If I "like" the tool, I will try to fix or repair. Example - I have a (12v) cordless drill that works well. Not state of the art, but it's a decent drill. When the batteries were going bad, I researched and spent a few bucks (far less than new batts)to have the old cells recycled and new ones installed. The total price to have new, upgraded NiCad's installed was less than 1 new batt and certainly far less than a new drill. Plus no landfill/disposal issues and (surprise!) shipping was included in the price.

One thing of note - the old battery housings won my unit were built to allow them to be disassembled and rebuilt. Some are not. If not, it doesn't matter how much I "like" the tool.

On the other side, if I don't "like" the tool, I'll be hard pressed to find a reason to repair/fix/rebuild it. Example - I currently have a 10" dual bevel chop saw. I'd love to find a good reason to replace it. If something breaks (blade guard, fence, etc) I'll not spend too much time fixing.