How to Use the Mend vs Replace Calculator
When a favorite pair of shoes wears down at the heel or a jacket lining rips, it's not always obvious whether to get it repaired or just replace it. This calculator takes the item type, your estimated repair cost, the price of buying the same item new, and how attached you are to it, then shows the repair cost as a percentage of the replacement price, how much you'd save by mending, and a straightforward recommendation.
As a general rule, mending makes economic sense when the repair cost stays under 30-40% of the replacement price. Leather shoes in particular are often worth repairing โ resoling or replacing a heel can extend their life almost as well as buying new โ and a well-made jacket or bag can also get years more use out of a targeted repair. Cheap, fast-fashion items tend to be a weaker case for repair, since the fabric itself often wears out around the same time anyway.
Cost isn't the only factor worth weighing โ how attached you are to something you've broken in over time matters too. For items you're genuinely attached to, mending often still makes sense even when the repair cost runs a bit higher relative to a new purchase, which is why this calculator applies a more generous threshold when you select "high" attachment.
Frequently Asked Questions
As a rule of thumb, mending is economically worthwhile if the repair cost stays under 30-40% of the replacement price. For a well-made or expensive item, or one you're attached to, it can still be worth mending even above that threshold.
Leather shoes are often a great repair candidate โ resoling or replacing a heel can keep them looking and performing like new for years. Cheaper clothing tends to have a shorter fabric lifespan, so the payoff from mending it is often lower relative to the repair cost.