Christmas Present Ideas for Technical People

Build your own wooden mechanical movement clock....

Available in kit form...$50

Build it vicariously instead...

Maybe an interesting desk toy (Tensegrity)...

It's held together and apart by the tension in four wires, yet can support a compressive load on top.

Probably too late for Christmas this year, but I ran across this fun stuff!

Emergency auto escape tool for breaking auto glass and cutting seatbelts....a real lifesaver

Keep your drinking water cold with a no sweat bottle...

Keep track of your stuff....

Sanitize your stuff....great for cabinets to keep dishes sanitized...protect from eyes...

Hang your stuff...won't rust 304 SS

Measure your food and drink temperature for safety...and other things

Headlamps for the head....

Safety first...$10

Emergency sleeping bag....don't freeze to death in a power out emergency $13.

The easy way to perform a Heimlich maneuver...save choking victim...

USB current tester....

NASA pressure suit hoodie.

This one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z4VF695?asc_source=01HDRG080BCV7BW7MZ075XGGS6&tag=snx4-20

[Bah! Cannot get the image to stick]

I saw a NASA theme Christmas sweater recently, but cannot find one like it.

A couple of years ago my son got me a USB rechargeable light; it's still working OK. Hook for hanging, magnetic base, swivels for aiming. Several switch positions: off, flashlight, 8-LED bright flood, same 8-LED but lower power. Label says NAPA Blue Fuel; and 360-degree work light, magnetic torch, rechargeable inspection lamp. It makes plenty of light; I have not had to use on the bright setting.

I have a ray o vac 6 volt flashlight from the 1970's that still works just fine.No LED's back then,but it had a rubber boot on the switch,which is still soft and pliable.

It has a vinyl coated heavy wire stand that rotates in any direction,and has not lost tension.It has been with me on many hunting and fishing trips,been abused beyond belief,dropped in water,had brake fluid and pipe cleaner spilled on it and it didn't bother it.It has a heavy duty plastic case that is not cracked,although it carries many battle scars from it's rough life.

Wish they made anything that reliable anymore.

A classic, the Drinking Bird...

High tech gyroscopes....

I used to have a boss that stayed at work very late every night. He nodded off a lot. We got him one of these and started referring to him as "red bird".

[Sidebar comment to admin: On my old browser, SE's #19 only shows the red bird and the text "High tech gyroscopes...". On my newer browser, the second and third pictures are shown. I refreshed the page several times and the latter images continued to be missing.]

Some of my "I don't use them often, but when I do I love them" items:

The hex shank to SpeedLoad adapter I often put in my power drill:

The SpeedLoad to 1/4" square drive adapter for hex sockets:

and the SpeedLoad drive drill bits:

...those quarter inch shank drill bits are only good for wood, they start to slip with metal...at least that's been my experience...and I tried a bunch of them, seems like a good idea but there seems to be a problem with bonding the bit to the shank, which it seems could be solved in a few different ways...but maybe that jacks the price up too much...anyway $.02

I posted a little too fast. For many "yard projects" and other low precision work these are great. Examples are putting together picnic table kits, fences with metal brackets, soffit repair work on the house (I use screws to allow removal for wire access), etc. They always wobble and simply don't do precision cutting. But, the ability to switch in a couple of seconds between a small drill bit, a large drill bit, a screwdriver bit and a socket driver can be very nice if you have to do it over and over and over and over. .....

First off, kudos to everyone for sharing awesome ideas. Now, here's my two cents: I recently found the Coast G32 flashlight after a relentless search for something durable. Can't express how it's been a game-changer! Been rocking it for a year and a half, surviving pocket lint, Florida sand, and clumsy drops – still going strong. Plus, thanks to you all, my LED flashlight quest is officially over! Anyone ever tried combining tech gifts with something quirky? Last year, I paired a cool gadget with a custom brick figure – total hit! And speaking of uniqueness, ever thought of a photo blanket? It's like a warm hug with memories!

A digital photo frame is a great option for tech lovers who appreciate a mix of functionality and sentimentality. I got one from nixplay.com last year, and it's been fantastic. You can upload pictures remotely, which makes it perfect for sharing moments with family.