For a dad who spends weekends in the garden, cooks for everyone or has a hobby room full of kit, a present connected to that interest gives you somewhere useful to start. These gifts for dads cover practical equipment, books and smaller additions to the things he already enjoys.
Think about the job he does most often or the part of his hobby he talks about. Tools and accessories are easiest to choose when you know what he already owns.
Small gifts means size, not price.
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43 gift ideas
MEATER Plus is a meat thermometer with no wires at all. The probe reads both the meat's internal temperature and the heat around it, and the MEATER app estimates how long the cook has left. It connects over Bluetooth at up to 165ft, and the probe goes in the dishwasher.
Read the bbq lovers guide
If they prune their garden regularly, these are a substantial tool to give. The blades are hardened steel and the handles are aluminium, and worn parts can be replaced. This is the right-handed model for medium to large hands, so check which hand they prune with before you buy.
Read the gardeners guide
This compact Hario hand mill lets them grind their own beans. It has adjustable ceramic burrs and a 24 g grounds container for small batches. The plastic body keeps it portable, though turning the handle takes more effort than using an electric grinder.
Read the coffee lovers guide
Neil MacGregor, the former director of the British Museum, tells human history through 100 things people made, from a stone chopping tool found in Africa to modern objects. Each chapter is short, so it's easy to read one object at a time.
Read the history buffs guide
Most guitarists want to practise more but can't crank an amp at home. The Mustang Micro plugs straight into the guitar and turns any headphones into an amp, with 12 amp models and 12 effects. It streams backing tracks by Bluetooth, records to a computer over USB and runs about four hours on a charge.
Read the guitarists guide
Good binoculars change birdwatching completely, and the Nature DX gets the basics right for not much money. The 8x42 size is the one most birders choose, bright enough for dull mornings in a hide. They're waterproof and fogproof, focus down to 2 metres for close birds and come with a limited lifetime warranty. Celestron sponsors the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Read the birdwatchers guide
Every watch lover enjoys the story behind a watch, and this book is full of them. Matt Hranek photographed 76 watches and their owners' stories, from Paul Newman's Daytona to the Rolex Edmund Hillary wore up Everest. It's a beautiful book to leave on the coffee table.
Read the watch lovers guide
The AeroPress Go makes a cup of coffee in about two minutes, and the whole press packs inside its own mug. It comes with paper filters, a stirrer, a scoop and a lid for the cup. The mug is shatterproof, which helps when it's rattling around in a kit bag.
Read the campers guide
The AeroPress is a compact manual brewer that presses water through ground coffee and a filter. It works as an everyday brewer or as a second coffee kit for travel. The Original suits someone with little cupboard space who enjoys making coffee by hand. It’s a manual press, so don’t expect a pump espresso machine.
Read the coffee lovers guide
Audio-Technica's record care kit has a velvet brush pad and a bottle of cleaning solution. The solution feeds to the front edge of the pad from a reservoir inside, lifting dust, fingerprints and static from the grooves. A storage base keeps it all together.
Read the vinyl lovers guide
Working at home often means a dim spare room or a kitchen table after dark. The BenQ ScreenBar sits on top of a monitor and lights the desk without any glare on the screen. A sensor adjusts the brightness to the room, and it runs from a USB port, so it takes up no desk space at all.
Read the home workers guide
The Spot 400 gives them hands-free light for camp tasks and dark paths, with adjustable brightness and a red-light mode. This dark-olive version runs on three AAA batteries. It can also use the separate BD 1500 rechargeable battery system.
Read the outdoor lovers guide
A proper set of cheese knives means each cheese gets the right blade, from soft brie to hard parmesan. Boska's Mini Copenhagen set has four small knives made entirely of stainless steel, sized for a cheeseboard at the table. They go in the dishwasher and look smart enough to bring out when guests are round.
Read the cheese lovers guide
The Kneelo gives them a cushioned spot to kneel whenever they weed, plant or work at ground level. It’s moss-coloured, with an EVA foam core, memory-foam cushioning and a water-resistant neoprene cover. The carry handle also gives it somewhere to hang between jobs.
Read the gardeners guide
Houseplants need the odd trim, and kitchen scissors are clumsy for it. Burgon & Ball's mini snips are 11cm long with short, razor-sharp blades for deadheading and snipping herbs.
Read the houseplant lovers guide
Chris Packham's guide is written for people who are just getting into birds. It explains where and when to look, whether that's a garden, a local park or the coast, and it doesn't assume expensive kit. It's fully illustrated, so it suits someone who has started noticing birds and wants to know more.
Read the birdwatchers guide
Restringing is a chore every guitarist faces, and the Pro-Winder makes it quick. It combines a peg winder, hardened steel string cutters and a bridge pin puller for acoustics in one tool, so there's nothing else to hunt for.
Read the guitarists guide
Anyone who plays club or tournament chess needs a proper clock. The DGT 3000 is approved by FIDE and has every timing system they'll meet, from simple blitz to increments and delays, with a big clear display. It runs on two AA batteries.
Read the chess players guide
If they already have a brewer they like, bean storage adds something new. Twisting the manual Atmos lid removes air, and an indicator shows when a vacuum has formed. This is the clear-glass 1.2-litre version.
Read the coffee lovers guide
This rechargeable light sits around the neck, leaving both hands free to hold a book. Each flexible arm can be positioned separately, with three colour modes and adjustable brightness. It’s an alternative to clipping a light onto a paperback’s pages.
Read the book lovers guide
The clear glass lets them watch the tea develop, and a broad stainless-steel basket gives loose leaves room to open. At 450 ml, this Hario is a small pot for a quiet tea break. It's too small to serve a table of guests. Choose it if they like making a pot and pouring it slowly. If they always brew one large mug, the OXO basket below may get more use.
Read the tea lovers guide
Removable rings set this beech pin at five pastry thicknesses, from 2 to 10 mm. That helps when a biscuit recipe calls for an even sheet and judging it by eye gets frustrating. The rings twist off, and the pin works without them too. If they roll dough often, it's a sensible upgrade. Bear in mind that the wood and the rings both need hand washing.
Read the bakers guide
This beech stand holds a ball of yarn on a shaft that turns on ball bearings, so the yarn feeds out as they knit and the ball stays put. Rubber pads underneath stop it sliding about, and the steady feed helps keep their tension even. It suits anyone who's tired of chasing a ball across the room.
Read the knitters guide
Lamy's Safari is a tough, glossy plastic fountain pen with a shaped grip that guides the fingers into place and a springy clip. It takes Lamy T10 cartridges, and one comes in the box. This is the umbra finish, a dark charcoal grey.
Read the writers guide
These three-section aluminium poles adjust in length with external Speed Lock Plus levers. The selected pair covers 100 to 135 cm and has EVOCON grips with adjustable straps. They're a substantial present, best kept for a walker who already likes using poles or has asked to try them. Check the length range suits them. Telescopic poles shorten for transport, but they don't fold into small sections the way a running-pole design does.
Read the hikers guide
A grill press keeps steaks, chops and chicken flat against the grill for a better sear. Lodge's is cast iron, made in the USA and comes pre-seasoned with vegetable oil. It works on any heat source, from the barbecue to the hob.
Read the bbq lovers guide
Tech lovers spend all day with a mouse in their hand, and the MX Master 3S is the one many of them rate as the best. Its MagSpeed wheel flies through long documents, the clicks are almost silent and it tracks even on glass. It can switch between computers, and the shape fits a hand properly.
Read the tech lovers guide
This inflatable lantern packs flat to about an inch and twists open to about six inches. It's waterproof, it floats, and its 2000mAh battery gives about 50 hours of light. It can also give a phone about one charge through its USB port.
Read the campers guide
Hot yoga and fast flows mean sweaty hands. Manduka's eQua hand towel is soft microfibre that soaks up sweat and dries quickly, and it adds grip laid over the top of any mat.
Read the yoga lovers guide
The PIXI is a small tabletop tripod that weighs 190g and holds up to 1kg. One button frees the ball head and letting go locks it, so setting up a shot is quick. With the legs closed, it doubles as a handgrip for filming.
Read the photographers guide
The Marcato Atlas is the pasta machine Italian nonnas and chefs have used for decades. It rolls dough through ten thickness settings, from thick sheets for lasagne to fine sheets for ravioli, with anodised aluminium rollers and a sturdy chrome-plated body. It clamps to the worktop and has a two-year warranty.
Read the pasta lovers guide
Marshall's Emberton II is a small Bluetooth speaker with 360-degree sound, so it fills a room from the middle of the table. It plays for more than 30 hours on a charge, charges by USB-C and is IP67 rated against dust and water.
Read the music lovers guide
This slim tool handles citrus zest, hard cheese, ginger and nutmeg. The fine stainless-steel blade comes with a protective cover and a soft-grip handle. It’s a small gift that makes sense when they cook often but have little room for another appliance.
Read the home cooks guide
Cuff is a small wrist strap that uses the same Anchor Links as Peak Design's other straps. The loop locks open or cinches down on the wrist, and a magnet holds the loose end out of the way. Peak Design says each Anchor holds over 90kg.
Read the photographers guide
The PuttOUT trainer has a curved ramp that sends a putt back to them. If the ball rolls back, the putt would have dropped. A small target inside only holds the ball when the pace and line are spot on, and the base is the width of a real hole. It folds small enough for a golf bag pocket.
Read the golfers guide
Stanley's vacuum-insulated steel mug has a handle and a press-fit lid for drinks at camp or in the garden. The matte-black 0.35-litre version holds a manageable coffee. It's made for sipping, so don't expect a sealed bottle they can put inside a rucksack.
Read the outdoor lovers guide
A No. 4 plane is the first hand plane most woodworkers buy, and they use it for years. Stanley's has a cast iron base, a hardened steel blade and an adjustable frog to suit different woods. With a sharp blade it takes off thin shavings and leaves a finish sandpaper can't match.
Read the woodworkers guide
The Book Seat is a bean-filled support that moulds around a lap, chair arm or bed surface. It holds a book upright, so they don’t have to take its full weight. This is the Agapanthus Blue model.
Read the book lovers guide
For tea on a commute or a walk, the Stainless King has vacuum-insulated steel and a closing DrinkLock lid. Its built-in tea hook holds a bag or a compatible infuser. This is the handled 470 ml cranberry-red mug. Don't mix it up with the handle-free tumbler in the same range.
Read the tea lovers guide
The Traveler's Notebook is a cult favourite among stationery fans. It's a hand-made leather cover that holds slim notebooks on elastic bands, so they can add diaries, sketchbooks and pockets as they go. The leather darkens and softens with use, so every one ends up different.
Read the stationery lovers guide
Sliced vegetables and small pieces of meat have a habit of falling through the grill. Weber's Deluxe Grilling Basket holds them on the barbecue instead, and it goes in the dishwasher afterwards. It's 30 by 35cm and fits 47cm charcoal barbecues and larger.
Read the bbq lovers guide
A chimney starter is the quickest way to get charcoal going without lighter fluid. Weber's Rapidfire is aluminised steel with two handles, and a couple of lit lighter cubes underneath get the coals started.
Read the bbq lovers guide
Home workers make a coffee, get pulled into a call and find it stone cold an hour later. YETI's Rambler mug is vacuum insulated, so the drink stays hot right to the end, and the MagSlider lid stops splashes near the keyboard. It's dishwasher safe and has a proper handle.
Read the home workers guideTry another interest or clear the search.
These products are selected from our researched interest guides. Open the guide beside a product for its selection notes, limitations and sources. A recipient tag is an editorial suggestion, so choose the interests that fit the person you are buying for.
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