Practical Gift Ideas for Dad

Let’s face it; Dad doesn’t care much for trinkets as gifts. He can only use so many car visor organizers and screw drivers. He buys the mobile phone he wants. If he wants an MP3 player he probably already owns one. What kind of gift can you get for Dad besides socks and underwear?

Men are more practical and less sentimental than women. That’s why we need to find practical gifts for Dad.

Practical Gift Ideas for Dad: Cordless Tools

He has probably begun the transition to cordless tools, but now more and more power tools are available cordless. Also, newer cordless tools have more power. Don’t get anything less than 24 volts. You’ll probably spend around $70 or $80. Another consideration is to check out the tools he has. He may have misplaced a charger, which makes the tool virtually useless. Replace it and put his tool back in action.

Practical Gift Ideas for Dad: GPS Navigation System

Purchasing an automobile navigation system makes a nice gift for dad, but there is more to it than finding the least expensive GPS. Check out the system and see what all it can do for the user. Does it figure alternate routes? Can it make a correction once you have made a wrong turn? Does it know the location of local businesses, hospitals, hotels? What areas do the maps cover and how many will you have to download and at what cost?

The GPS system you choose to buy will depend on the needs of the man you are buying for. I’m partial to Garmin. No matter where my son goes it has the best coverage, but he has the top of the line Garmin. Nonetheless, even for less expensive GPS systems I recommend Garmin. I don’t care for TomTom. The best thing to do is consider the needs of your father and match the system to his needs.

Practical Gift Ideas for Dad: Spotlight

A spotlight is a practical gift for many uses. A handheld spotlight can be used for getting a good look under the hood of a car, or those late night excursions when we hear something outside. Work spotlights can be used to set up in a home workshop for Dad’s who need more lighting in their hobby work environment. Spotlights can be purchased from less than $10 to more than $100. Take into consideration the voltage and whether the spotlight runs on batteries or must be plugged in. If it takes batteries, place extra batteries with the gift. Large batteries that high voltage lights require aren’t cheap and it’s helpful to have an extra on hand.

Practical Gift Ideas for Dad: Gift Certificate for an Oil Change or Two

Dad likes to keep his ride tuned up and running smoothly. Find a shop or oil change service center that sells gift cards or gift certificates. I’ve had trouble finding one, so what I did was make a certificate on the computer. When it was time to change the oil, Dad was to redeem the certificate with me. I even took the car in for the oil change to give him a little time off.

Practical Gift Ideas for Dad: New Golf Bag and Cart

Maybe you can’t afford a new set of golf clubs, but perhaps you can polish up Dad’s golf look by giving him the gift of a new golf bag. During the Christmas season many sporting goods stores sell golf bags for up to 50% off. You can pick up a bag that can be used with a cart, and add a cart to the gift for around $25.00.

Practical Gift Ideas for Dad: 12 or 24 Pack of Golf Balls

You may not have realized how much Dad has to pay to keep up his golf habit. Quality golf balls are part of the equipment. A nice pack of long flight golf balls can run around $30. During the holiday season you can find them for 20% to 50% off. For $25 to $25 you can buy a nice little set of golf balls.

Practical Gift Ideas for Dad: Chargepod

I reviewed this device when it was first introduced to the market, and I still think it is a great gift idea. If you’re Dad chases a number of different cords to charge his phone, PDA, MP3 player, and other devices buy him a Chargepod. The Chargepod makes it easy to charge up to 6 devices simultaneously. It eliminates clutter and all charging can happen in one place. No more trying to find enough plugs and forgetting where you plugged your phone in the last time. Charge them all conveniently at your desk or on your bureau.

Practical Gift Ideas for Dad: Portable Hard Drive

Whether your Dad needs to move files to speed up his computer, take more files on the go than a flash drive can hold, or has a ton of documents and media to store he can use a portable hard drive. Most high tech, even low tech dads appreciate the extra storage space of a portable hard drive. The more gigabytes of storage you get, the more you will pay. Starting around $70 you can get 160GB. I think it is worth the money to get 250GB or 320GB for around $100 to $150. Again, keep an eye open for sale prices during the holidays. These are average prices.

Think outside the box when it comes to shopping for a Dad who seems to have everything. Pay close attention and you’ll find something he needs or wants to make his life a little better and easier.