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zoink  2yr ago (text post)   Edited 2yr ago   3486 thread views

Holiday gift ideas 2022

I remember back in 2015 the Balsamic vinegar from Scott's recommendations went over well.

SSC thread from last year.

Headlamps (Petzl Tikka Headlamp) and Marino wools socks (Smartwool Men's Classic Cushion Socks) have been my go to gifts for over a decade and never had anyone disappointed. Another one of either is always nice to have in my opinion.

The Leatherman Skeletool is a folding knife I've been giving out as gifts lately. It's not the ultimate pocket knife but it fills a niche (ultra-light) that I think a lot of people appreciate and would probably be hesitant to buy for themselves. I've seen a couple people carrying it 6 months after I gave it to them.

I've had a Stanley car jump starter air compressor combo for years and any time I need it I'm just so happy to have it.

If you like trick taking card game Crew is a collaborative spin and has been a lot of fun.

If you're looking for tools I find the YouTube channel Project Farm to have good tool reviews and he has 10 suggestion for the year.

Top 10 Tools 2022? Let’s find out! Gift Ideas!

GearWrench Ratchet: https://amzn.to/3OjrHS5

DeWalt String Trimmer: https://amzn.to/3AuwScm

Ryobi Stapler: https://amzn.to/3AQDyBV

Craftsman Tap & Die Set: https://amzn.to/3Elt6mK

S-K Ratcheting Combination Wrench: https://amzn.to/3Gtz8Eo

Cle-Line: homedepot.sjv.io/jW6ND6

Benchmade Knife: https://amzn.to/3EFOCD1

Snap On Torque Wrench: Available Online at the Snap On Store

Daytona Floor Jack: Available at Harbor Freight

Milwaukee Grinder: Available at Home Depot

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A tungsten cube of course: https://youtube.com/watch?v=C7EocA1hsCU

A pocket flashlight like the Fenix e03r. It's truly a pocket flashlight that you can wear on your keychain, but with the advances in LED and battery tech, it's bright enough to be useful.

Weighted blankets. I'm about to try one out, but have heard good things from friends and they aren't expensive.

Non-ultrasonic humidifiers for winter.

A pull-up bar for WFH. Just having it around enticed me to do occasional pullups, and now I can max out at 10.

A subscription to The Texas Security Review--four nicely printed issues a year all about high-level military strategy.

Bookmark lights. These used to be a shitty gimmick. Now, with improved LEDs and batteries (must be a theme), they're actually bright and small enough to be comfortable to use on everything from cheap softcovers to heavy hardcovers.

Ditto on handwarmers. Supremely useful.

What a great thread idea. I'm also going with headlamps and wool socks! Excellent recommendations.

  • Saffron or Vanilla beans - everyone wants it, no one buys it for themselves

  • Scalp massager

  • Theragun or the theracane - amazing for muscle relief

  • Vitamix / Instapot / LeCreuset dutch oven - expensive but BIFL stuff

  • Coffee / spice grinder

  • a (Kashmiri) Cashmere wool scarf

  • Anything merino wool

  • Saxx undies.

  • Electric toothbrush

  • A large microplane grater

I love my theragun, but terrible gift idea if you don't know they already want one. Highly likely to end up unused in a closet. Maybe the mini.

Seconding the leatherman, I like the costco Bolster, reasonably priced for miUSA and I encourage my friends to keep one in a laptop bag or their car. When you start having a screwdriver/pliers/file in your pocket all the time, it's amazing how often you can just fix little things throughout the day.

Who the hell buys a Snap On product when it isn't tax deductible? If you're a pro, you would buy it yourself. If you're not a pro, buy it from harbor freight, it'll do the job just as well for the dozen or so times you'll use it before you lend it to a friend and never get it back.

The best gifts in general, my dad always said, are things you'd want but wouldn't buy yourself; either because it's a little pricier or because you don't know about it yet.

On tools, i'd also throw out that if you know what battery set the guy has, look at home depot et al for some of the weirder tools they make. Like, Ryobi makes a cool tire inflator that was $20 on special at home depot, and it's super useful, but might be something he never bought himself because he didn't "need" it. Or a small handvac for dust, cars, etc.

Best gift for all the men in your life with hair, this really nice comb. Like most men, I always used dollar store flimsy plastic combs, what else is there? Then my wife bought this for me, and I thought it was dumb, then I used it, and it's just a little nicer, and I literally hate using a plastic one now. It's just that little upgrade. We bought them for a lot of friends and family, everyone loves them once they try them but would never think of it themselves. My dad didn't use his for months after we bought it, then one day he did, and the next day he sat me down real serious and was like "How expensive was that comb?!?!" He thought it must have been hundreds of dollars, because it was so nice, such a luxury product. All that for >$20.

For women, perfume always fits, is nice and romantic, much less risky than lingerie or jewelry. Costco again, dipthyque and Replica are favorites (my wife and I actually share unisex fragrances like fucking freaks), if you have a beauty hobbyist gf/wife in your life she'd probably enjoy it, and might be impressed by your taste/research.

Who the hell buys a Snap On product when it isn't tax deductible? If you're a pro, you would buy it yourself. If you're not a pro, buy it from harbor freight, it'll do the job just as well for the dozen or so times you'll use it before you lend it to a friend and never get it back.

Snap-on itself is ridiculously overpriced, but there are some types of enthusiast work where the difference between the Harbor Freight brand and more reputable dealers is big, and the price is not. I'm hard enough on my tools that the smaller snap-on low-profile ratchets are still hard to justify, but they're a lot smaller price premium and it's been tempting on more than one occasion.

This is more extreme in other areas: the best thing that can be said about Harbor Freight-brand wood chisels, for example, is that they're easy to sharpen. Which is good, because you'll be doing it a lot. The only thing I've consistently found them useful for is getting rid of aluminum rivets. By comparison, while Narex has some very pricey options, the typical normal price-aware user set is a going to set you back 20-30 USD more than the Harbor Freight brand. And if you do even a small amount of hand woodworking, chisels are up there with a good crosscut saw in terms of things you're using constantly, even for small pieces.

That said, a torque wrench is not one of those. Quality matters a bit -- there's a reason bad box wrenches have a reputation as corner-rounders, and the various chitzy ratchet sets are notorious for losing their 'magnetic' grip the second they're near an oil pan. But unless you're building an aircraft in your garage, you don't care about 2 lbs over- or under-tight.

And, of course, it's very hard to know what tools someone needs, unless you're very close to them on those projects. I know guys who use torque wrenches on a daily basis, but I've needed one maybe three times? And I know people who have only used chisels to remove rivets, and have no idea how to use them for woodworking projects (that's what a router's for!). Which is a far bigger critique, and strikes both the more reasonably-priced ratchet and the pocket-knife. And it goes double for the battery-driven power tools: because of the awful one-battery-form-for-each-manufacturer thing, buying the wrong vendor is inviting people to go down a giant rabbit hole.

A set angle knife sharpener and honing rod for your friend who refuses to learn how to use a set of stones.

Good enough results for government work, and cheap.

A gyokucho ryoba for someone who does handyman stuff or carpentry. crosscuts and rips hardwood like butter and softwood like water, leaves a decent finish if your cut is straight, flush cuts pretty good, and costs 35ish bucks? Gimmie dat.

EDIT: MILWAUKEE!? SNAP ON!?, he cried as he retreated into the shadows.

Good list. I'd also add a Thermapen for any of the cooks in your life. Most people who cook are going to have some kind of thermometer, but not nearly as good. It was a huge upgrade when I got mine, one of the better Christmas presents in recent memory.

Oh, definitely seconding that one. A good leave-in thermometer too, if they don't already have one.

Only risk is that it might come across as backhanded if they overcooked a meal for you at some point. "Oh, don't mention it: it's really a gift for me and that poor turkey you cremated"

Not going to lie, I have never thought to buy someone a 2-ton floor jack for christmas.

I have one now but that would have been an amazing gift prior to getting one. They're so much better to use than the little bottle jacks.

Yeah, they're invaluable, especially when you're working on dirt. Work for cantilevering trees for easy bucking too.

I love project farms comparison tests. He's like a rural consumer reports.

I'll have to try giving some merino wool socks.

My brother gets us all some small luxury item and a big box of hand warmers every year and to be honest it's the most useful and gifty gift I get. I'd never buy myself those carbon hand warmers unless I were going skiing or something along those lines. But some days are just kinda drafty, my hands can get cold then seem to not want to warm up, they're nice for walks in the winter. I'd be fine without but it can be much better with.

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