Gifts for the Person Who Is Impossible to Shop For — Yeah, We All Know at Least One!

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We all have that one person who stumps us every year, the person we love so much, who we want to give a truly thoughtful gift to, but what? They buy themselves anything needed, and they have few wants (that you know of!). Well, here are some thoughtful, useful, and unique gifts to help you get your creative juices going.

Many of these items were reviewed by me this year (links are in the product titles), or I purchased them and liked them so much that I wanted to share, or I found them and want one! See what you think, and if you have any other great gifts for those who are impossible to buy for, please mention them in the comments. =)

Fellowes PowerShred 79Ci

Fellowes PowerShred 79Ci Jam Proof Cross-Cut Shredder-012

This ~$175 cross-cut shredder is not playing around! It can handle stacks of paper, staples, paper clips, CDs, credit cards — (almost) anything you need to securely shred!

AlcoMate Revo Breathalyzer

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Whether you make it part of a party game (like we did during the review) or you are trying to convince a friend that they are most certainly NOT okay to drive, this $249.99 breathalyzer is the real thing; it’s ready for holiday festivities.

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Wireless

Bowers & Wilkins zeppelin wireless

I’m in the process of reviewing this $699.99 beauty, and I can tell you that it is one of the finest and most beautiful speaker systems I have ever tried. It fits into any decor, and it sounds amazing whether it’s providing background music or rocking the house.

HoMedics Air Purifier

4-HoMedics AirMaster Air Purifier Tame Those Pet Odors Once and for All!.22

What? You have a cat or a dog that doesn’t realize the power of their own stench, too? This powerful $179.99 air purifier can definitely help you (or your gift recipient) and those stinky pets live in harmony.

Dyson AM10 Humidifier

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A humidifier can provide many benefits no matter what the season, but so many people have either been burned by puny humidifiers that don’t make a real difference in a large room’s air quality, or crappy humidifiers that work well for a few days and then start spitting water on the floor. The $499.99 Dyson AM10 is powerful, effective, and it produces real results.

The Keyboard Waffle Iron

Keyboard waffle iron

I backed this on Kickstarter and liked it so much that I bought a second one (they’re $85) for my daughter’s family. =)

Own The Keyboard Waffle Iron! You will soon have the power to make the most awesome looking waffles in existence! As an added bonus, we’re including a digital download of our KWI recipe book which included 20 amazing recipes tailored for the KWI’s unique pattern!

Withings Home

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Keep an eye on your home’s contents, talk back and forth with the occupants, and monitor the air quality from anywhere. It’s even a fab baby monitor! $199 gets this HD camera multi-tool under their tree.

If you act fast, Withings has up to 60% off many of the items on their site; the sale is over at the end of the day on November 30th.

The Sabbatical by Timbuk2 and Blue Bottle

1-Timbuk2 x Blue Bottle Weekender Travel Kit, photo credit Alicia Cho

I don’t own one of these, but I love the idea of it — and I can appreciate how it would be the perfect gift for the coffee lover in someone’s life. If you love a coffee snob, I suspect that you couldn’t possibly go wrong with this $349 set.

Brinell EVO SSD Wood 250GB External Drive

08-Gear Diary Reviews the Brinell SSD EVO Wood 250GB External Drive-007

I’m going to tell you right now that when I pull this drive out, it always gets positive comments, but even more than that — I just love holding it and using it (I’m weird like that, I can admit it). Brinell makes SSD drives that are compact, beautiful, functional, fast, and all of their styles and sizes are something anyone would be proud to own. Prices start at ~$250.

Jake James Hand Forged Candle Holder

Jake James Candle Holder

Jake James is an award-winning British-born and educated blacksmith/sculptor now located in Victoria, Canada. My husband has worked on a large collaborative sculpture with him (Kev says it was the experience of a lifetime), and we are both in awe of Jake’s artistry. You can own one of Jake’s gorgeous and functional pieces from his Etsy shop for $40 – $200.

Monster Limited Edition 24K Rose Gold Headphones

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At $249.95, these headphones are on the pricier side of the spectrum; that’s going to give people pause before they order. Even so, if you want a pair of headphones that stand out in the crowd, that sound fantastic, and that sound good whether you are listening from your phone, computer, or stereo, they fit the bill!

Spot Tracking Device

trace_device

Have you got a boat, a UTV, a motorcycle, a snowmobile, a backpack, or a teen driver? Maybe you’d like to know exactly where those items (or people) are at all times. You’ll get that knowledge and even notifications if someone turns the tracker off!  With the Spot Trace, you can track nearly anything, anywhere, all the time. $99.99 gets you a Spot Trace device and a year of tracking service runs $99.98 to $199.98 depending upon how often you need the location updated.  We’ll have a full review up soon, but in the meantime, you can get one under the tree with this fantastic deal: If you buy a Spot Trace and get the Extreme tracking option ($199.98/year), you’ll get a $99.99 rebate — which is the usual price of the tracker. Giddy up!

 

Ring Video Doorbell

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The $199 Ring Doorbell gives me so much peace of mind — I know exactly who’s rolling up to my door even before they get there, and even when I am across the world. I can even talk to them when they ring the doorbell. This is the greatest invention since … yeah, I’ll say it — sliced bread! I’d love to have a Ring on every one of my house’s doors!

Right now through December 2, you can get $50 off of one Ring doorbell at the Ring site by using the code HOLIDAY-FZIH48QO!

WeBoost Connect 4G-X Cellular Booster

07-The WeBoost Connect 4G-X A Cellular Booster That Makes a Difference!.29

It would be no exaggeration for me to say that without the WeBoost, there would be no Gear Diary without me having to work off-site. I live in an area with decent cellular coverage, but my home’s metal roof and thick walls manage to make our LTE signal all but unusable when inside. When my internet goes down (less often these days, but still!), I rely on my cell phone to be my hotspot, and without this device, that simply couldn’t happen. At $899 it is pricey, but it is also worth every penny for those of us who have to deal with crappy indoor cellular reception.

Tablo DVR

tablo TV

I’ve got one of these coming to review, and I can’t wait to see if it will truly help me cut the (ridiculously expensive) Direct TV cord.

Tablo captures TV with an over-the-air antenna, and combines the functionality of a DVR with the convenience and mobility of your Wi-Fi enabled streaming devices; giving you the flexibility to stream live and recorded content both at home and on the go. Tablo is a great compliment to a la carte viewing options like Sling TV and HBO Go, as it provides a way to capture and organize viewing of local station content from your mobile device or on your TV at home.

Unlike the rabbit ears of generations past, OTA antennas can now deliver beautiful HD quality picture with up to 60 channels. You can check out the cord cutting tools on the Tablo website www.tablotv.com which show how many channels are available in your area, as well as how much you will save by cutting cable in favor of an OTA antenna paired with Tablo.”

Oral-B Precision Black 7000 Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush

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I’ve got one of these in for review right now, and while your first reaction might be “why do I need a $200+ Bluetooth enabled electric toothbrush”, I can tell you that beyond the profound teeth cleaning experience you’ll get every time you use yours, the feedback on your timed brushing is pretty cool. No more over-brushing (it’s bad for your gums), and no more shorting yourself on brushing time (stop that!).

The Oral-B Black 7000 Smartseries with Bluetooth is the world’s first of its kind with Bluetooth connectivity. Bluetooth communication allows the brush to connect with your smartphone to give you real-time feedback on your brushing habits. The professionally inspired design of the Cross Action brush head surrounds each tooth with bristles angled at 16 degrees, and 3D cleaning action oscillates, rotates, and pulsates to break up and remove up to 100% more plaque than a regular manual toothbrush. The pressure sensor lights up if you brush too hard to prevent harmful over-brushing and there are 6 modes and a timer to help you brush for a dentist-recommended 2 minutes. Best of all it’s brought to you by Oral-B – the #1 brand used by dentists worldwide.

You can get one for a bit less – $155 – through Amazon [affiliate link].

Pelican ProGear 80QT Elite Cooler

I don’t know about where you live, but in Texas we take coolers very seriously. If you hunt, camp, or tailgate, then you want a cooler that can keep your ice frozen and the cooler’s contents cold. This $549.95 beast can do all of that and more.  The Pelican ProGear 80QT Elite Cooler has a built-in bottle opener, a lid-integrated fish scale, molded-in tie-downs, and raised anti-skid feet. It is also certified bear-resistant by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee.

Blue Mo-Fi Headphones

Blue Lola 1

The $349.99 Blue Mo-Fi Headphones are beautiful, comfortable, and they sound terrific. Dan and I think they are some of the best headphones we’ve ever tried!

Boxxle Wine Dispenser

Gear Diary Reviews the Boxxle Wine Dispenser-015

Did you get the memo? There’s no shame in drinking good boxed wines — just in leaving them in their tacky cardboard boxes! So remove those recyclable cardboard boxes and put the inner plastic wine skin into the sleek $99 Boxxle; you’ll be happy to leave the dispenser on your kitchen counter, and you’ll be pleased with your easy access to the nectar of the gods.

Are you inspired? Good luck with your shopping, and have a fantastic holiday season! =D

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She started in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie is best known for her device-agnostic approach, deep-dive reviews, and enjoyment of exploring the latest tech, gadgets, and gear.