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