Random Holiday Gift Ideas Thread

[PedroDaGr8]

Let's face it, most of us are of the masculine gender and if you are like me gift giving is not something you are the best at. I figured we could compile a list for ideas and/or discuss ideas.

Kitchen Stuff

• Victorinox Fibrox Chef's Knife - $30-40 (depending on the sales) - This is considered one of the best budget kitchen knives out there. Extremely high quality steel and great built quality. Most cooking forums will list this as their entry level high-quality knife.
• Lavatools Javellin Pro Duo Instant Read Thermomemter - $50 - Everyone knows the more famous Thermapen. Lavatools is their upstart competitor. This device packs 95% of the performance of a Thermapen at around half the cost. Unlike many of the cheaper chinese knock-offs, this one is made by a company in the USA and has the proper certifications for safe use in cooking (NSF, CE, IP65, etc.) If you use coupon code BLKFRD16 (I know it says Black Friday but it still works, I just ordered two) it brings the price down to $40 and you get free shipping.
• KitchenIQ Knife Sharpener - $5 - A dull knife is a dangerous knife. This knife sharpener is a great stocking stuffer or work christmas party kinda gift.
• Anova Bluetooth+Wifi High Power Sous Vide - $150 - This is for those that are really into cooking. Sous vide is a means of cooking food at precisely controlled temperatures in vacuum-sealed bags. It generates VERY tender high flavor meats and other meals.
• KitchenAid Pro 6000 HD Stand Mixer - $230-280ish - You might be wondering why I linked this one and not some of the cheaper ones. Most people don't realize there are different levels of quality in these mixers. The cheapest versions (think Black Friday sale versions) have a plastic gearbox with at least two plastic gears. These both are well known to break after a couple of years. The motors in the cheaper models are loud and lower powered. This one is the first one that is in the top of the line series. It has an all metal redesigned gearbox (to prevent a huge failure point in these mixers), a DC motor which has dramatically higher torque and runs WAY quieter, has a higher mixing volume. The only downside is that it uses the tall narrow bowl, which is different than the 5qt bowls. So attachments and adapters that use the 5qt bowl will not work. I have one of this model and it is true, it runs WAY WAY quieter than the AC motor models like my moms Artisan and it powers through stuff.

Workout Stuff:

• Xiaomi MiBand 1S - $14 A budget fitness tracker and notification device, a variety of bands and a battery life of over a month in the real world. Very well thought of.
• XIaomi MiBand 2 - $23 - This is Xiaomi's smartwatch-esque device and it works REALLY REALLY well. I own one and love it. I would advise using the official app from Xiaomi, not the GooglePlay store version. The Xiaomi version tends to update more regularly and has features introduced to it first, long before they are available on Google Play. It gets 30 days of battery life in the real world and it is fully water proof (so you can wear it while swimming or in the shower).

Tools:

• Dewalt 176 pc Black Chrome Mechanics Set - $110 - This one is at Costco and appears to be a Costco specific item. That being said, it comes with Dewalt's hassle-free warranty. If something breaks, call them up, they will send you a new one within a week. No going to the store, no keeping your receipt, etc. The quality appears to be quite good and it has a good number of sockets (most are hidden behind the border of the box in that image). If you know someone starting out that needs a decent ratchet and socket set, this set pretty much will do EVERYTHING they need and then some. I hate to say it but avoid Sears Craftsman, the quality has gone into the toilet the last couple years and honestly has gotten incredibly bad.
• Kirkland 159-pc Toolset - $80 - If the previous set was too expensive for you, maybe this one hits a similar point. Since it is on Costco.com. The quality of the sockets is just as good as the Dewalt set, the ratchets are a slightly lower quality but the biggest difference is the warranty is not nearly as good.
• Harbor Freight Daytona 3-ton Trolley Jack - $180 (with coupon) - If you have a gearhead in your family that loves wrenching on cars, this jack is a BEAST. Very very high quality (despite the company selling it) and excellent power. Raises to full height in 4-5 pumps.

Tech Gifts:

• Google Chromecast and Chromcast Ultra - $30-60 - These are amazing little devices for streaming stuff to your TV. The Ultra ($60) is for streaming HDR and 4K content, if you don't have a TV that supports either of those, then go for the standard version ($30). The chromecast has no real interface, you just pull up something on your phone, laptop or tablet and press the cast button and it appears on your TV. It uses the device you have at hand as the interface. The benefit is that you can shut down that device and/or leave and it still keeps streaming. I use mine a lot for streaming UK games.
  
• Apple TV - $150 - Apple's version of a Chromecast, but it does a lot more. It has a built in interface, can play games, can stream the desktop from your various devices, etc. If you are in the Apple ecosystem, this device has some solid value. Sams Club currently has it for $98
  
• Nixplay Cloud Connected Digital Picture Frame - $150 - This picture frame is special because it is designed for the less technologically inclined. Just upload or email the pictures to the frames free 5GB cloud-storage account and it will show up on the frame. You can connect up to 5 frames to one account. Good for sharing pictures across multiple locations.
  
• Kindle Paperwhite - $90-120 (depending on sales) - The paperwhite is one of the best e-readers on the market period and the newest version is one of the best versions of the paperwhite ever. The paperwhite is designed strictly for reading in mind. It has an high resolution e-ink display for a user experience that is 100% like reading text on a page. The paperwhite also has an integrated front-lit display, which won't fatigue your eyes after reading for hours on end (unlike an LCD which will). If you enjoy reading and don't have one of these, you are really missing out.
  

Books (I will not include prices because between hard cover, paperback and digital, prices vary too wildly):

• Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - The classic WWII tome has an astounding 4.7/5.0 stars with over 1500 ratings.
• The Art of Electronics, 3rd Edition - This is the quentissential go-to reference for the electronics geek. Often used as a textbook for sophomore EE classes this book is very deep and intense but knowledgeable.
• Practical Electronics for Inventors - Know a teenager (or even an adult picking up a new hobby) getting into circuits and electronics? This book is an awesome, and affordable, book that will get their learning going really fast.

Bluetooth Speakers

• Cambridge Soundworks Oontz Angle - $28 - A budget speaker from a great manufacturer with good reviews.
  
• Aukey SoundTank Bluetooth Speaker - $40 - Supports all of the major bluetooth protocols an has a solid sound. Includes an input jack for adding additional devices such as a Chromecast Audio (for wifi streaming) or Alexa Dot.
  
• Harmon Kardon Onyx Studio - $100-150 - If you want one of the best bluetooth speakers you can get, this is it. Easy 5+ hr battery life at loud volumes, easily fills my entire house with sound. Has deep rich bass and just awesome sound quality in general. Blows the Bose bluetooth offerings out of the water. It is not water-proof, dust-proof, kid-proof, etc. but it does a limited range of things extremely well (wirelessly play music loud and with high quality). The Studio 1 has the best sounds quality, but it lacks an audio input or a microphone. Studio 2 has slightly less sound quality but gives you an input jack and a mic for hands free calling, Studio 3 has the same sound quality as the studio 2 but allows you to team up two of them for stereo sound. I own the studio 1 (which is the one I linked to) and it is by far the best bluetooth speaker I have heard out of everyone that I know.

[KSRBEvans]

Thank you for starting this! I have to start thinking about shopping for parents, siblings, in-laws, outlaws, etc.

A lot of people think gift cards are too generic, but I love to get them. My favorite is Amazon. You can get a lot of the stuff Pedro listed there, plus books (hard copy or digital), music, etc.

If you're going to have a good knife (the Victorinox Pedro listed is a great choice), I'd think of a sharpener to keep it sharp. I have this Kitchen IQ Sharpener and it works well, especially for the $5.99 price tag.

I think Bluetooth speakers are pretty cool to take music with you just about anywhere you go, and this Oontz Angle's great and about $30. (ETA: I see Pedro already listed it--sorry. But it is really good.)

[Darrell KSR]

Pedro, thank you VERY much for this. I'll add more later if I have any ideas, too, but this is a fantastic idea.

By the way, if anyone has any great suggestions for a relatively inexpensive ($100ish?) drone with a virtual 3D or whatever goggles thing, I'm looking for it.

I just bought a kick-rear bluetooth speaker that has an auxiliary cord option, too--my daughter is auditioning for musical theatre schools, and some have accompanists, some have you bring your own music, and in an abundance of caution, she has a bluetooth speaker that has an aux cord capability to protect against screwy bluetooth not working, or something. I'll post it later--I think I paid $27 for it, and the next day it was $39, but it was Aukey, IIRC--one of those really good "cord/charger" companies.

[dan_bgblue]

Where are the flashlight deals?

[Darrell KSR]

Where are the flashlight deals?

Yes, this!

[CitizenBBN]

On the Kitchenaid definitely the all steel one. Suckers last forever.

My contribution is maybe good for older parents and such always wanting pictures. Nixplay and one other brand have digital picture frames that now connect to the cloud, have their own email address, etc. If they have internet you can zap them pictures without having to go through a lot of hoops. I have a friend for which this could be useful, and you can put it on a desk and see those pics all the time, and they can slideshow and stuff. Just thought that was cool.

[PedroDaGr8]

My contribution is maybe good for older parents and such always wanting pictures. Nixplay and one other brand have digital picture frames that now connect to the cloud, have their own email address, etc. If they have internet you can zap them pictures without having to go through a lot of hoops. I have a friend for which this could be useful, and you can put it on a desk and see those pics all the time, and they can slideshow and stuff. Just thought that was cool.

Is that friend named Darrell?

Pedro, thank you VERY much for this. I'll add more later if I have any ideas, too, but this is a fantastic idea.

By the way, if anyone has any great suggestions for a relatively inexpensive ($100ish?) drone with a virtual 3D or whatever goggles thing, I'm looking for it.

I just bought a kick-rear bluetooth speaker that has an auxiliary cord option, too--my daughter is auditioning for musical theatre schools, and some have accompanists, some have you bring your own music, and in an abundance of caution, she has a bluetooth speaker that has an aux cord capability to protect against screwy bluetooth not working, or something. I'll post it later--I think I paid $27 for it, and the next day it was $39, but it was Aukey, IIRC--one of those really good "cord/charger" companies.

Is that a drone with 3-D ability? I am not much up to date on drone stuff so I doubt I would be much help.

ALso if you can give me the model of the Aukey I will throw it on the list. Is it the one that looks like a motorcycle tire?

Where are the flashlight deals?

Flashlight deals have been drying up this year. CREE just introduced some new ultrahighpower LED chips and most of the companies are interested in utilizing those. They are CRAZY bright, with some models having more output than FOUR halogen car headlights. They are not cheap, so for now most of the companies are focusing on the $80-100 lights. My guess is next year we will see these lights dropping down into the <$50 range. This, and LatticeBright finally being outted as the source for fake Cree LEDs, has served to dry up the high value sub-$20 market.

On the Kitchenaid definitely the all steel one. Suckers last forever.

My contribution is maybe good for older parents and such always wanting pictures. Nixplay and one other brand have digital picture frames that now connect to the cloud, have their own email address, etc. If they have internet you can zap them pictures without having to go through a lot of hoops. I have a friend for which this could be useful, and you can put it on a desk and see those pics all the time, and they can slideshow and stuff. Just thought that was cool.

Agreed, I expect my KitchenAid mixer to last AT LEAST 2-3 decades.

Really good suggestion, I have added it to the post.

[dan_bgblue]

Thanks for the light info. I will wait and see if the prices drop. It is not like I NEED a new light, although at this time of the year it is difficult to differentiate between need and want when it comes to new flashlights.

btw. the light you recommended and I purchased from BangGood has been the best value light I have ever bought. It gets used a lot, has been dropped, kicked, and in general gets a real work out. I use it a LOT and it has never had the slightest hiccup. Oh and did I mention it is insanely bright? ;-)

[Darrell KSR]

Pedro, just quickly, yes, the speaker looks ugly (to me), and probably the one you described. It's fantastic with sound quality (at least, to a non audiophile like me), and the dual ability to bluetooth and backup aux cord is golden for my daughter's needs. It's bigger than I thought it would be, stout, heavy, rectangular in shape.

We also had a great bluetooth speaker recommended that we almost got, but it had no aux cord backup capability, which was a killer in our peculiar circumstance. May never be used, but it is needed for security. I'll take a look at my Amazon wish list, and it's on there and post it, too.

[Darrell KSR]

Here's the one we bought. Have only had it for a week, but it sounds great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Aukey speaker.jpg

[Darrell KSR]

Pedro/BEvans, I love the budget Oontz bluetooth speaker you linked. It's less expensive, lighter, looks better, has the same aux cord backup--I may have to get that for my daughter and keep the motorcycle tire. The only place it falls slightly behind is the 7-hour playtime vs 30-hour playtime, but really, is that such a big difference in most applications?

I remember seeing that one from Lifehacker (I think) or something like that, and I thought I captured it to look at later, but didn't. Thanks for posting it.

That's still not the other one I looked at, but I like yours better, especially for specialty and travel use, which is most of what I bought the Aukey for. I won't mind taking it to my office and using it there and trading my daughter, though.

[PedroDaGr8]

Thanks for the light info. I will wait and see if the prices drop. It is not like I NEED a new light, although at this time of the year it is difficult to differentiate between need and want when it comes to new flashlights.

btw. the light you recommended and I purchased from BangGood has been the best value light I have ever bought. It gets used a lot, has been dropped, kicked, and in general gets a real work out. I use it a LOT and it has never had the slightest hiccup. Oh and did I mention it is insanely bright? ;-)

Glad you are liking that flashlight! The new LEDs are the Cree XHP35, XHP50 and XHP70. Flashlights using the top bins of the XHP70 are capable of putting out around 5000 lumens! That is three times brighter than the flashlight you currently have. Actually, I had put off purchasing that light for a bit due to finances. Just ordered one late last week (from the USA warehouse, actually) should be here sometime in the next few days.

Here's the one we bought. Have only had it for a week, but it sounds great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Aukey speaker.jpg

Added yours to the list. Seems to have decent reveiws. Sound should be good enough, size is small and easily portable.

This is the one I was referring to: https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Spe...dp/B013K28IWG/

Literally looks like a motorcycle tire.

[Darrell KSR]

Ahh, that really does look like a motorcycle tire!

Edit--wanted to mention to you that in practice, the Aukey I purchased is not nearly as portable as many others. Freaking things weighs 1.9 pounds. It's heavy. Compared to the Oontz, for example, which only weighs 7 or 8 ounces, it's dang heavy. It's 10 inches long, compared to the 5 inches for the Oontz, and it's roughly double the size, and 4 times the weight.

You pick it up, and it's a weapon. They call it the tank, and it justifies the name. The build quality on it seems fantastic, though. Solid as a rock.

One thing I like for it is that it has a tripod screw on it. So if you want to use it outdoors, or have another application where you'd like it to project from off the ground, you just put it on a tripod.

[Darrell KSR]

I kinda like this (from an article for 2016 gifts for lawyers. Go figure).

Rogues' gallery.jpg

[Darrell KSR]

Pedro, I missed your question about the drone. Looking for an economy drone version--not complete junk (I think those are the ones probably under $100, but I know we got a great one last year for $100, so I'm not price-snobbish here at all).

With no recommendation at all--haven't looked at these at all--here are links to 4 drones with the virtual goggles in the general price range.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index...3092626%3aTRUS

http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-262...FYcPgQodcsQOcg

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Promark-P...&wl13=&veh=sem

http://www.target.com/p/parrot-mambo...Q&gclsrc=aw.ds

[PedroDaGr8]

Thanks for the light info. I will wait and see if the prices drop. It is not like I NEED a new light, although at this time of the year it is difficult to differentiate between need and want when it comes to new flashlights.

btw. the light you recommended and I purchased from BangGood has been the best value light I have ever bought. It gets used a lot, has been dropped, kicked, and in general gets a real work out. I use it a LOT and it has never had the slightest hiccup. Oh and did I mention it is insanely bright? ;-)

Speaking of, that light is on sale in the warm white for $22 from BG's USA store right now: http://www.banggood.com/BLF-A6-XPL-1...-p-991823.html

[CitizenBBN]

Pedro we sell Kitchenaids that have been in families for decades and are still going great. They're tanks, the original steel ones.

The picture frame is for my auction manager. She could sit it on the desk and have pics there to see all the time, and she's constantly getting them. Would be more fun I think than her phone. She can get them on her computer, etc. I just thought she'd like having them there.

I don't have many ideas. I do most of my shopping at the auctions, so I just find nifty things you don't see often, which is cool, but leaves me out of touch with the new and fancy stuff coming out.

[MickintheHam]

You are a life saver Pedro. Great ideas. Thanks!

[Darrell KSR]

This guy got a really good deal on Kitchen Aid Mixers.

1kitchen mixers.JPG

[PedroDaGr8]

Current Generation Apple TV is on sale at Sams Club. This is a huge discount, about 1/3 off the going price. I just got this as a gift for my mom (got Target to Price Match the price).

Link
http://www.samsclub.com/sams/apple-t...rod19690452.ip

It is currently sold out but the price is good until 12/24, so it will likely go back in-stock at least once or twice by then. So if you are in the market for one of these, then keep a watch on this page.


Note: This page might be good enough to do a credit card price match as well. I know Chase cards do not exclude things that are out-of-stock.

[PedroDaGr8]

Newegg has the Harmon Kardon Onyx Studio 1 Refurbished Bluetooth Speaker on sale for $70. It is an absolute steal at this price.

https://flash.newegg.com/Product/9SIA6264H12016

Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk

[Darrell KSR]

Just had a buddy email me about an e-reader, and passed along your comments about the Paperwhite, Pedro. It's what I have, too (from your recommendations a year ago), but your description was succinct and got the message across.

Price for him is $99.99 right now, but that seemed to be a good enough price.

[Padukacat]

Aiwa came out with a large Bluetooth speaker that can be paired with others, it's very large and loud with good sound quality for around 250 I believe. I bought one for my softball team to warm up with and it's unreal. Highly recommended and highly rated it's their first product in years.

[PedroDaGr8]

Thanks for the light info. I will wait and see if the prices drop. It is not like I NEED a new light, although at this time of the year it is difficult to differentiate between need and want when it comes to new flashlights.

btw. the light you recommended and I purchased from BangGood has been the best value light I have ever bought. It gets used a lot, has been dropped, kicked, and in general gets a real work out. I use it a LOT and it has never had the slightest hiccup. Oh and did I mention it is insanely bright? ;-)

A new 3800 lumen flashlight from Convoy for $51 using coupon code CL6GB. That seems to be the newest low for a flashlight using a Cree XHP70 emitter. That's a LOT of light and power.

http://m.gearbest.com/led-flashlight...69ae5731d5d841

Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk

[KSRBEvans]

Home Depot had a flash sale on Echo Dot: 3 for $70. It's already expired, but if they offered it once, it may come around again so keep your eye peeled.

[Darrell KSR]

Home Depot had a flash sale on Echo Dot: 3 for $70. It's already expired, but if they offered it once, it may come around again so keep your eye peeled.

Man... I wanted three, have bought two. If it comes around again, I'd love to buy three more. Heck, you pay more than that for an alarm clock. That's ridiculous pricing.

[Darrell KSR]

Got 3 in my cart, but it wouldn't let them be purchased. What a great deal. I asked my wife to buy 4 of them if they return on sale to go with the two we've bought.

[PedroDaGr8]

One more thing that is gift related, Costco wrapping paper and ribbon are a HELL of a deal. The amount that you get for around $10 is absolutely crazy, especially in light of how expensive wrapping paper has become at other places (in particular how little you get for the price). I have been wrapping all of my presents for my family and I have wrapped around two dozen presents from this one roll and I am still going strong, I easily still have half the roll left. Compare that to the roll of paper I got from Wallyworld to wrap a couple birthday present back in November. $3.99 and it barely wrapped two presents (I had to do creative wrapping to get two out of it). On top of the value for how much you get, it is printed in the United Kingdom (a surprise and great if you have kids, you know there is no heavy metals in the dye). Really great quality stuff, if your Costco still has it in stock (the big fat single roles) it is well worth it. The only downside is that much foil wrapping paper actually weighs a lot more than you expect. So when you first start using the roll, it can be a bit unweildy.

Same compliments with the ribbon, it has wire in it to help it hold its shape and you get a LOT for the spool. It isn't a fat spool with a little bit of ribbon wrapped around it, it has a LOT of ribbon. One spool has last me through all of my big presents.

[PedroDaGr8]

Dewalt 176 pc Black Chrome Mechanics Set - $110 - This one is at Costco and appears to be a Costco specific item. That being said, it comes with Dewalt's hassle-free warranty. If something breaks, call them up, they will send you a new one within a week. No going to the store, no keeping your receipt, etc. The quality appears to be quite good and it has a good number of sockets (most are hidden behind the border of the box in that image). If you know someone starting out that needs a decent ratchet and socket set, this set pretty much will do EVERYTHING they need and then some. I hate to say it but avoid Sears Craftsman, the quality has gone into the toilet the last couple years and honestly has gotten incredibly bad.

Costco dropped the price on this down to $99. I had to pick it up at this price. I have to say, I'm really really impressed with the quality. If you need a good socket set or have a kid that does, this is a really really good all in one set.

Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk

[Darrell KSR]

That really looks great.