The 12 Guys of Christmas: The Do-It-Yourselfer

Today’s handyman is far more than a mere fixer of household problems. Experts in everything that cause undue grief and strife, they are renaissance men with a modern edge. Armed with knowledge and the right tools, no task is too complex for their capable hands, from fine carpentry and engine work to maintaining wi-fi-based home ecosystems. They deserve celebration and appreciation — and yet, as you’ve undoubtedly noticed, they are an incredibly humble breed, their most cherished rewards being the result of a hard day’s work.

Everyone out there knows this man. Some of you are this man, and others still are striving to become this man. To lend a hand when it comes to the right stuff under the tree, we’ve put together a dozen gift ideas guaranteed to boost enthusiasm, bolster abilities and foster talents for the do-it-yourselfer in your life.

Now, On to the Gifts

12 Guys of Christmas
The Techie
The Adventurer
The Athlete
The Globetrotter
The Do-it-Yourselfer
The Dapper Man
The Mediaphile
The Outdoorsman
The Driver
The Chef
The Designer
The Mixologist

Logitech Harmony Ultimate Home

Your Home, In Your Hands: The Harmony Ultimate Home, by Logitech, provides household domination and automation in an intuitive and familiar form. Working with third-party products from the likes of Nest, Hue, Roku and Sonos — as well as over 270,000 remotely controlled home entertainment products — the Ultimate Home remote centralizes and simplifies multi-app(liance) manipulations. Working within your wi-fi ecosystem, the Ultimate Home system can also be run from an iOS or Android device, should the remote ever be beyond your couch-bound grasp.

Dewalt Mobile Work Center

It’s Always Tool Time: Minus his tools, a handyman is just a man with hands. To keep everything he needs at the ready, the Mobile Work Center from DeWalt offers three tiers of impact-resistant rolling tool storage. A single, metal latch at the front unlocks the ball-bearing equipped system to reveal a large lower bin, medium-sized organizer and an upper toolbox, complete with a removable tray. Pick up a second one and all of those decorations can neatly disappear before New Year’s.

Stanley Hand Tools Quick Vise

Your New Main Squeeze: Every man needs a vise. No, not cigars and single malts, but the kind gets you out of trouble — the one spelled with an “s”. Stanley’s Quick Vise is a go-anywhere workstation that clamps to any flat, stable surface. Its sliding jaws quickly fall into position before clamping down to surrender control over difficult materials. At barely 12 x 5 inches, the Quick Vise should slide into your new work centre with room to spare.

Knipex Pliers Wrench

Get a Grip: The Knipex Pliers Wrench could quickly become any do-it-yourselfer’s favorite hand tool. These German-engineered Channellock/Crescent wrench hybrids employ a cam adjuster that easily allows their smoothly finished parallel jaws to match a multitude of bolt sizes. Once locked on, the ratcheting action maintains grip and ensures heads won’t be rounded in the process, and even rusted fasteners don’t stand a chance against its 10-1 leverage ratio.

Seek Thermal Imaging Camera

Hot Blooded: The Seek Thermal Imaging Camera is an iOS and Android device that gives you Predator vision. That’s enough for most men to have it on their list, but Seek’s hot-blooded eye is pretty useful too. Just plug it into your compatible device to find hot and cold zones (ranging from -40C to 330C) to maximize efficiency, identify plumbing clog locations or use it to creep out Jesse Ventura with infrared selfies.

The Philips Hue Lux Connected Kit

Light ‘Em Up: The automated home is in the palm of your hands with that Harmony Living Ultimate Home remote; now shed some light on things with the Philips Hue Lux Connected Kit. Unlike previous Hue kits, the Lux version ditches the pressure of settling on a color palette for your man cave by emitting only a warm, white glow. The kit comes with two, 25,000-hour, LED, app-controlled bulbs as well as the Hue Hub to enable ecosystem expansion.

Gerber Bladeless Multitool

On-the-Fly Fix-It: Crafted with a stealth black oxide finish and nary a blade in sight, the Gerber Multi-Plier 600 is an EDC essential for frequent fliers and maintenance men working in “no-knife” establishments. At just a tick over 5 inches folded, the MP-600 houses a dozen tools, including needle-nose pliers, wire cutters, scissors, multiple screwdrivers and a replaceable RemGrit saw. Single-handed operation and a quick-draw sheath complete the package.

Blue Spruce Toolworks Mallets

Bludgeoning Beauty: Blue Spruce Toolworks’ wooden mallets are the most beautiful means of blunt force you’ll ever lay eyes on. Their milled maple heads are infused with an acrylic polymer resin that fills the cellular gaps inherent with wood. This increases density by 50 percent, making the mallets incredibly balanced and easy to wield. It also strengthens and protects each tool for a lifetime of abuse. If Thor were a carpenter, this would be his Mjölnir.

Rockwell Sonicrafter F50

Great Vibrations: The Rockwell Sonicrafter F50 is the fastest oscillating tool on the market today. Whirring away at 20,000 opm (oscillations per minute) the F50 can slice through chores five times faster than its closest rival. The Rockwell Sonicrafter F50 will work with any make of blade thanks to the Universal Fit System, and it features an integrated task light and Rockwell’s patented Vibrafree counterweight technology. Just try to contain yourself when Aunt Edna overcooks the turkey.

Apolis Wool Chore Jacket

Jacket of All Trades: Even the most rugged handyman appreciates looking good at the end of a hard day. The Apolis Wool Chore Jacket is handcrafted in America using indigo-dyed Italian wool, nickel rivets and buffalo horn buttons. That means it’s built as tough as Mike Holmes and grabs second looks faster than Scott McGilvray. The four exterior pockets are robust and can easily handle light tools, while hidden Napoleon pockets will keep your smartphone or little black book safely stowed.

Ovadia & Sons Midwood Blue Plaid Flannel Shirt

Aren’t You Plaid It’s Christmas: Few fabrics transcend cultural bounds as readily as flannel. The soft, brushed cotton offers excellent warmth and, with a plaid colorway, immutable style. This Midwood Blue Plaid Flannel Shirt by Ovadia & Sons was designed with the renaissance handyman in mind. The Italian cotton is rugged enough to handle a day on the tools and, thanks to details like a button-down collar and genuine shell buttons, handsome enough to tackle date-night duties afterwards.

Original Chippewa for J. Crew Plain-Toe Boots

Das Boot: Few things exude the rugged capabilities of a well-honed handyman better than his boots. Chippewa has been shodding everyone from loggers to laborers since 1901, and these Original Chippewa for J. Crew Plain-Toe Boots are the epitome of utilitarian luxury. Handmade in the U.S.A., these 6-inch work boots are a recreation from Chippewa’s earlier years: the 1930s. These deep brown leather utility boots feature a twill vamp and a Vibram sole to ensure they last longer than you, let alone an eggnog hangover.

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