The Best Christmas Presents for Men 2015
Whilst it may seem a tad keen to start shopping for Christmas presents so early in the year, now is the perfect time to buy these products. This is due to the fact that by the time black Friday comes, a lot of the things that you would want to buy would have their prices over inflated, and then “put on sale” to make them seem like great buys. However if you buy them just now then you’re actually going to be saving money.
Obviously you can’t do this for everything, such as the latest video games which may come out in the autumn/winter months, but for other products you can get well on your way at this point and snap them up just now. For the sake of ease, I’ve based all of these ideas off of Amazon since they offer the cheapest prices when compared to retail stores as well as their customer service policy being second to none.
Also, if you use the included links, I'll get a small commission from Amazon for this, but it won't make any difference to the cost of you buying it. If you live in the UK, please consider using this link to search for these items, and if in Canada please consider using this link to search for these items.
Panasonic AX800 4K TV
The first list on recommended Christmas ideas is a pretty expensive option however its one of those products that will last you for at least five years. I’ve personally just bought this television to replace an ageing unit. It’s the Panasonic AX800 Ultra HD 4K television and it’s a high end TV at the mid point price range. Not only is it future proofed for 4K transmissions, you can also get Netflix on it (region dependent) in 4K if you’re that way inclined. Further, it plays games in 4K extremely well. The laptop I’m using to write this on just now (Asus G751) can play games in 4K and is the perfect companion to the AX800. Back to the TV itself, it has two 4K HDMI ports as well as a third HDMI port for normal high definition footage. Although if you’re just going to be using 1080p content for the time being, you can use any of the three ports. There are also two USB ports so that you can use a pen drive with multimedia files on them and view them on the TV. There are a plethora of options you can tweak on the TV, meaning that you can tweak it until you’re perfectly happy with how the TV looks. A nice addition to it that you don’t get on cheaper models is the fact that you turn on the ambient light sensor. What this does is that during the day when the room is flooded with light, the backlight on the TV will increase in order to maintain a great image quality. Likewise, when it’s darker in the room, the light will change accordingly. You don’t need to use this feature, but it’s a handy option if you want it on.
Standard definition content on the TV looks great, and HD content looks even better. For testing purposes, I tried GTA V on PC in 4K mode on the TV and it looks incredible. It’s a testament to Panasonic and also Rockstar for making such great quality content.
Gibson SG Standard 2015
For those that love all things guitars, one name is synonymous with rock and heavy metal to everything else in between and it's rightfully earned its place on the best Christmas gifts for men 2015 list. Gibson have been pioneers in music for decades, and they’ve just released their latest iteration of the fabled SG line of guitars. Unlike other guitar manufactures, all the guitars, including the SG Standard 2015, from Gibson are professionally set up in the factory before they are sent out to the public.
This means that you’ll not have to worry about how the guitar will sound, whether you’re a beginner or not. Whilst it’s an expensive item for you to spend your money on as a present, the quality of the guitar means it’s the only one you’ll need to buy for your loved one for many years to come.
One of the biggest things that sold me on buying a Gibson SG Standard 2015 for myself was the tuning system in it. In the past, I’ve broken countless strings when I’ve either had to completely re-tune the guitar, or tune it up or down depending on what song I’m wanting to play. However, with this SG, it contains Gibson’s G-Force tuning. All you need to do is select the tuning profile that you want for the guitar and it’ll tune if for you automatically!
As you’d expect from Gibson, the quality of the SG 2015 in terms of sound is amazing. This wouldn’t look out of place at a professional gig or venue but it’s also perfect for using in a bedroom or for social occasions. The sound is crisp and bright, however you’ve also got the ablility to make it sound as light or as heavy as you want depending on what song you’re expecting.
The body is also of excellent quality with it comprising of a mahogany body and neck as well as the bridge of the guitar being a chrome Tune-o-matic. You can get this in a variety of colours, although I believe that many people will end up stumping up the cash for the cherry finish that is so famous with the Gibson SG.
To protect the body, Gibson have taken the extra measure to include all of the SG Standard’s 2015 edition with a protective hard case to make sure that no matter if you’re storing or travelling with your guitar then it’ll be properly protected.
Sony Playstation 4
Despite it being out for nearly two years now, the Playstation 4 is still a great buy, and it’s now even better value for money. The Playstation 4 despite its infancy boasts a great software library (including the remastered version of GTA V) and has an impressive 500 GB hard drive as well as 8GB of DDR5 RAM and wireless internet connectivity means that you can play the latest games on and offline in perfect conditions.
Further, it also contains a Blu Ray drive and with there being so many households now that have HDTV’s, you can watch your movies in the very best format available just now. Linked to this movie watching is the ability to download and use various apps. These include YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video to name a few.
This means that the whole family is able to use the Playstation 4 and not it’s not just for playing games so you're really getting great value for money.
Nintendo Wii U
A lot of people initially wrote off the Wii U (wrongly, in my opinion) and it never really got out of the starting block the way it should have done. However, it’s the only true game machine available on the market just now. It simply plays games, and with the unique Gamepad (which has a screen on the controller), it offers a totally new way to play your games.
With the release of blockbuster games like Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros Wii U, it’s seen a soar in popularity of the console. It isn’t as powerful as its competition i.e. the Playstation 4, but many people feel that it’s a lot more fun. It’s great family entertainment however it also has more adult orientated games such as Bayonetta 2 and also Devil’s Third.
With the 30th anniversary of Super Mario being in September this year, Nintendo are even releasing their latest game in the Super Mario series; Super Mario Maker. This revolutionary game allows you to create your own Super Mario levels (in the guise of the original Super Mario Bros game, Super Mario Bros 3 and New Super Mario Wii U), and not only change them on the fly, but it also allows you to share them with other Nintendo fans so they can play your levels and they can play yours.
This is something that the fans of the franchise have wanted to do for years and with the release of Super Mario Maker on Wii U, it’s now a possibility. With the release of Star Fox Zero, a new Mario Tennis this year and the Legend of Zelda next year, it’s never been a better time to pick a Wii U.
Philips AT890 Aquatouch Shaver
This is a more modestly price gift, but it’s something that will cater to a lot of men, and it makes an excellent Christmas present. It’s perfect for using as a dry shaver as well as a wet shaver, and to further boost its selling appeal, it also has a pop up trimmer built right into it for those hard to reach and touch up areas. It also charges extremely quickly so on an hours charge, you’ll get 50 minutes worth of shaving time so the battery will last for ages.
Thankfully, the rotary head blades are built to last as well, with Philips recommending that you only need to change them once every two years (although mileage may vary depending on how hairy your face is) and the blades themselves are modestly priced. This really is a great little present be it someone’s first electric shaver, or a replacement for one they previously had. As with the other items, you can purchase this from Amazon in the USA from the widget below.
I really hope these items have given you some inspiration for Christmas presents in 2015, and thank you for helping to support me by using the embedded links. They don’t add any additional cost onto the purchase price, but Amazon pays a small commission to me as a thank you for sending them visitors.