Newbie here: is $85 for a basic Ridgid drain snake rental worth it?

I'm just starting out as a plumbing apprentice and need to snake a simple kitchen drain for practice, but the shop wants $85 a day to rent a Ridgid K-400. That seems steep for something I might only use a couple hours, especially when I'm barely making $18/hr. Anyone got tips on cheaper ways to get started without breaking the bank?

god I remember renting that crap when I started, felt like robbery every time.

SharkBites are overrated, but for newbies they save time on repiping disasters.

hate when shops charge apprentice rates but expect pro tools.

all these rental fees are killing the little guys, especially with material costs up 20%.

buy used on craigslist, got my ridgid for $150 and it's still kicking.

same, first year sucked renting every job.

boss made me rent my own tools back then, what a joke.

inspections getting stricter on drain work, so yeah tools matter.

ditch the rental shop, harbor freight has decent knockoffs for half price.

nah, stick with ridgid even if it costs more.

PEX-A over B any day for flexibility in tight spots.

rentals are a scam, especially in this economy.

ive seen too many apprentices quit over tool costs.

controversial take: just use the manual snake from home depot, $20 and done.

we all been there, hang in.

copper fittings are dead, pex all the way now.

yeah im over copper prices, switching everything to pex.

sharbites behind walls? id do it in a heartbeat.

got a used ridgid off facebook marketplace for $60, best move ever.

all these big box stores gouging on rentals, BS.

check plumbers united group, tons of tool swap deals there.

watched a roger wakefield vid on budget plumbing starts, eye opener.

r/plumbing had a thread on this last week, mixed bag on rentals.