lol so I have a tracker on my phone so that I can customise the tools I've bought from Nook's before they break lmao. I love the look of the outdoorsy tools so I bought all of those and hoping to keep them by customising them once they're right about to break.
Since I didn't know you can repair a tool by customizing, I've been hoarding flimsy tools from the mystery island, and crafting one if necessary when I spot a critter or balloon. I got tired of going through several iron tools everyday and would just carry spare flimsys instead.
I always try to buy the printed shovel because I like how it looks, but I also always forget to customize it before it breaks, and then I end up with the hideous colorful shovel (Every. Single. Time.). I prefer buying them since they're not expensive and I feel like I'm always running low on resources.
Somehow I let my flowers proliferate to take over my island levels. I've broken so many shovels trying to get everything under control again plus the normal shovel activities. Needless to say I don't wanna craft anymore but I want that achievement! Once I have it it's Nook's tools until I unlock the golden versions.
i mainly buy it and my shovel/can will last 2 days depending on how active I am with my landscaping but I find it really saves me the time and I use those resources for something else that I can't just go out and buy~
I buy them from Nook's Cranny now. The designs are a lot nicer and I like to match my tools to my outfit of the day! If it's late at night and Nook's is closed I will craft them but if I have DIY boxes on me I'll customise them to reset their durability.
I craft them if I don't want to run across the island to get to Nook's Cranny. But mostly I just buy them. I like the colourful shovel and the outdoorsy net. These two are the tools I use most often, so they're always breaking.
I must admit i'm lazy, so unless I'm entirely out of bells, I'm happy to just buy the tool. I like the different colorations they have available each day too.
I buy them now because I absolutely can not be bothered to be crafting a new shovel/rod/net every 15 minutes. I use the tools a lot and it's a bit difficult to farm materials for me as all my trees are in a very dense forest. I just buy the tools and customize them every now and then to keep them alive longer.