Best Christmas Gift Ideas for Men: Gadgets with a Difference

If you are looking for ideas for Christmas presents for men that are a little more unusual and adventurous than the traditional presents of aftershaves, colognes, socks and ties I hope you will find the selection of gadgets that I've put together in this article a useful starting place.

It isn't that there is anything wrong with aftershaves, colognes, socks and ties for Christmas it is just nice to get something a little different and unexpected.

The great things about gadgets is that most men love them and they are suitable gifts for almost any of the men in your life - dads, brothers, boyfriends, husbands and uncles. I've deliberately chosen not to put any electronic gadgets in my selection as there are already a lot of articles with information about these types of gadgets which often come with a hefty price tag.

A survival kit is possibly a little unusual for a Christmas present but it is an ideal present for the out of doors Action Man. A survival kit is full of lots of gadgets which you hope he will never need to use for real and the two kits that I've chosen to highlight have been put together by Bear Grylls an extreme out of doors action man and survival expert.

This basic survival kit is priced at under $20 and as the name suggests it contains the bare minimum essential items that would help you to survive in the wild. It weighs just 6.4 ounces and measures 4.33" x 2.36" x 0.42" and its strength and weakness is probably its tiny size. Because it is small it is easy to carry in your backpack or to keep in the car but being small it restricts the size and number of items that it contains in the nylon ripstop waterproof bag to

• a Gerber Mini-Paraframe knife
• an emergency whistle
• a fire starter
• cotton ball fire tinder
• waterproof matches
• a snare wire
• an emergency cord
• Bear Grylls' informative Priorities of Survival pocket guide
• land to air rescue and SOS instructions

This kit is a more complete survival kit which is priced at under $35. It contains all of the items in the basic kit with a multi tool replacing the mini paraframe knife plus

• miniature light
• hand saw
• signaling mirror
• survival blanket
• waxed thread
• fishing kit
• sewing kit

The multi-tool has wire cutters, needle nose pliers, Phillips screwdriver, small flat screwdriver, medium flat screwdriver, fine edge knife, serrated knife, lanyard ring, bottle opener and tweezers.The increased number of items mean that the weight and size of the kit increases to 11.2 ounces and 5.22" x 2.36" x 0.39".

Multi-tools are exactly what their name implies, they are a number of different tools which are put together all in one tool. The Ultimate Survival kit above does contain a multi-tool but it is not put together to provide heavy duty use.

A multi tool may not be the best tool to do the job but it is often the tool that is to hand and it gets the job done!

If you want to provide the man in your life with a practical heavy duty use multi-tool you need look no further than the Leatherman Surge which comes with an impressive 25 year warranty.

The Surge is one of the two largest multi-tools that Leatherman produce and they describe it as a "real powerhouse" that is "built for tough jobs and the hands that do them"

This tool has the largest pliers and longest multi-tool blades that Leatherman provide and easy to use locks.

It made from stainless steel or black oxide is 21 tools in one. The 21 tools are

• Knife
• Serrated Knife
• 5/16" Screwdriver
• Large Bit Driver
• Small Bit Driver - INCLUDED BITS: Phillips and Flat Tip Eyeglasses Screwdriver Bit, Phillips #1-2 and 3/16" Screwdriver Bit
• 9 in | 22 cm Ruler
• Needlenose Pliers
• Regular Pliers
• Awl with Thread Loop
• Can Opener
• Bottle Opener
• Electrical Crimper
• Hard-wire Cutters
• Stranded-wire Cutters
• Wire Cutters
• Wire Stripper
• Blade Exchanger
• Wood/Metal File
• Diamond-coated File
• Saw
• Scissors

The tool weighs 12.5 ounces and measures 4.5 inches when closed. The blades are 3.1 inches long.

All blades and tools fully lock and there is a lanyard ring and leather or nylon sheath to carry the tool and keep it easily accessible.

There are four outside opening blades that provide quick and easy one handed access to the tools most frequently used.

Leatherman recommend it for Emergency, Hunting, Off Road and Trades. The recommended retail price is $102 so it is not a cheap Christmas present but if you shop around you may be able to make savings on this price.

The next type of gadget I've chosen to write about is a pick up tool which as the name suggests helps you to pick up things from areas which are difficult to reach. These gadgets are not expensive and could make a different yet very useful stocking filler. You just never know when a tool like this will come in handy.

I selected a 3 in 1 pick up tool from Ampro to highlight. This tool has a flexible shaft which allows you to reach small and inaccessible areas. It has a retractable claw which you can use to pick up small items. This claw can be replaced with a magnetic lighted attachment which allows you to pick up objects made from metallic material which weight up to 3lbs. You can also turn the tool around and use the hook on the handle to retrieve other objects.

The fourth gadget I've chosen to suggest as a possible Christmas present is a head lamp. The great thing about a head lamp is that it provides you with a bright light which allows you to keep your hand free. It is perfect for jobs around the house or you can use it when running, cycling, fishing or hunting. It is a little like the pick up tool you just never when you will need to use it, like changing a tire in the dark. Headlamps start at under $5 so can make an inexpensive gift or you can chose to spend a little more.

A screwdriver might seem a strange Christmas present and I'm not suggesting that this should be the only or main present that you buy your nearest and dearest but this kind of tool can be extremely useful. Nearly everybody has screwdrivers but how many have screwdrivers that can be used in small spaces.

I've selected three different screwdrivers to show you the type of thing that is available.

• The Stanley Stubby Ratcheting Multibit Screwdriver is a traditional screwdriver with Philips and slot head attachments
• The Neiko Pocket Size Close Quarters 1/4 inch Drive Mini Ratcheting Screwdriver and Bit Set. This is not a traditional screwdriver and the desigh means that it can be used in even more confined spaces than a Stubby screwdriver.
• The Picquic Teeny Turner 7 Bit Micro Driver. This tool has micro bits that can be used on electronic devices, eye glasses, models and toys