Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Another Last Minute "Gifts for Dudes" List

I tried to keep the audio brief, but a fourth cup of coffee made that impossible. I'm banking on your Holiday Cheer-induced indulgence. I also seem to have messed up the mic placement a bit, so apologies...

Many of the Gift Guides for Men I've seen this year have been for someone I have never met, so here are some items I have enjoyed that are also available for last-minute shipping.
(the listings that are not links can be found in the Amazon bar on the right column)


Victorinox Locking Swiss Army Knife. I carried a Swiss Army knife for years, until the non-locking blade almost took the end of a finger off. Now I'm carrying one again, with all those little tweezer and toothpick gizmos no other knife brings to the table.

Winter Work Gloves from Duluth Trading Company. Waterproof. Durable. Not sexy.

Tool Bag from Duluth Trading Company. A better gift for the person who will use it often.

The Orange Box. The best fun-for-dollar computer gaming package available now. Variety of first rate games means they will find something they like playing.

The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. Snobby and bossy, which is comforting to the inexperienced like myself.

A Cast Iron Pan. Unseasoned, because that's half the fun. And its for frying...how can you go wrong?

The Restraint of Beasts. A work of literature both dark and hilarious... just like holidays with family!

6 comments:

  1. How is Henry? Any pet gift suggestions?...yeah I didn't think so.

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  2. I like the Test Kitchen cooks very much, they do all the work for you and you just have to follow directions.

    I love my Victorinox, it has scissors and a Phillips-head screwdriver, which I once used to open a bottle of wine.

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  3. Anonymous3:00 PM EST

    Great suggestions!
    I bet the gloves would be sexy if that was all one was wearing...

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  4. Great Christmas list, Don. Hope Santa brings you good stuff.

    I've been searching for your list of handy tools. Is it hidden on the site somewhere or is it only up as individual postings? A friend recommended a Ryobi cordless drill as the 'must have' for household chores & I'm getting worn out by the 1-2 hour trips to the hardware store. I just want a drill that will drill holes and screw in screws and not make me miserable! Any thoughts?

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  5. Sorry everyone, I had no idea these comments were waiting to be "moderated".

    hmp: For occasional household chores, a Ryobi cordless should be fine, and the price will be right. In my opinion, what you are paying for with more expensive, better brands like Makita (still my cordless drill of choice) is durability. Some of that is "Will it work after I drop it from a ladder" but most of it is a function of service hours. I have upgraded to more powerful Makitas with new features over the years, but I have never worn one out even after years of daily use. It is worth it to me to pay a bit of a premium to know I will get X amount of hours out of a tool. A normal homeowner needs less than X/100 hours out of a tool for it to last the same amount of years, so it isn't worth it to by higher end brand names.
    Stuck once on a job, I needed a sawzall Right Then to keep the job moving forward. Mine was on a job across town but there was a Home Depot down the street. I ran down and picked up a Ryobi for about $40, around a third of what mine cost. It doesn't have a lot of extras, but I'll be damned if the thing hasn't kept working for years. If you haven't bought one yet, I'd wait for after christmas specials and packages where they will throw in flashlights, drill bits, etc. Black and Decker, who now own Dewalt, have had some financial problems in the last few quarters, so they may start discounting those brands.

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  6. Thanks for the tool advice. Got the Ryobi and am in process on installing dog doors. So far so good. And it manages to drill into my 1960s brickwork which seems to be unreasonably hard and durable.

    Now....in 20 sentences or less how do I get rid of the squirrels in my roof or the leak in my porch ceiling? Nothing quick and easy springing to mind? Yeah, I know, the guys at Lowe's LOVE IT each day when I stop by. ;0)

    Merry Christmas to you & Henry & the cat.

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