12 Guys of Christmas: The Do-It-Yourselfer

Handyman, craftsman, mister-fix-it, Dad. Call him what you like, but the Do-It-Yourselfer on your list gives his all for you, no matter the task. Be honest: that beautiful new deck that causes envy in the eyes of all your friends would’ve been a creaking pile of splinters were it not for him, and you’d probably be sharing space with Fido out in the yard — in the K9 condo he designed and built no less — had he not stepped in to save your recent en suite experiment. Like most men of his ilk, your handyman rarely receives anything more than a hot coffee to start his day and a cold brew to finish it, which is fine by him. Isn’t it about time you gave him something more? Here are a few gift ideas that should ensure your calls for help continue to get answered.

DeWalt 8V Max Gyroscopic Screwdriver

We don’t like to admit it, but sometimes breaking out the big guns can be overkill — nobody needs a return trip to Ikea because an itchy trigger finger delaminated cabinet doors. To dial things back to “just right” while ensuring you need not stoop to manual labor levels, DeWalt created its 8V Max Gyroscopic Screwdriver. Activated by the same directional motions of your wrist, the professional-grade cordless driver is our kind of twisted, intuitively delivering up to 24 lb-in of torque to make light work of light-duty tasks. He’ll never stop playing with it, trust us.

Dropcam Pro Wi-Fi Wireless Video Monitoring Camera

Keeping an eye on the old homestead is becoming an increasingly easy task. Tethered to your home wi-fi network and viewable via your favorite iOS device, the Dropcam Pro is the simplest security set-up yet. Mount the Dropcam where you need it most, boot up the accompanying iOS app and within a few swipes and taps your new favorite channel is ready to watch. The Dropcam watches your stuff in 1080p quality with an 8x zoom and a 130-degree field of view; the optional cloud-based video recording subscription service will ensure absolutely nothing gets by you. Just don’t forget to unplug once in a while. Nobody likes being called creepy.

Craftsman Lighted Pliers

If you’ve never had to hold a flashlight between your teeth while working both ends of a bolt, on the side of the road, in the rain, you probably lease your vehicle may have just been saved that indignity. Craftsman has hopped on the LED bandwagon in the most useful way we’ve seen yet. Their new line of lighted pliers is nothing short of a toolbox essential. Each model — linesman, long-nose and diagonal — features an LED (completely sealed against oil and water) that rotates with the jaw-action to keep the work surface illuminated. Insert “bright idea” joke here.

RoboReel Ceiling Mounted Power Cord System

If you haven’t yet fully subscribed to the cordless realm of electric power tools, wrapping up extension cords is still an all-too-annoying reality — but it doesn’t have to be. The RoboReel Ceiling Mounted Power Cord system features a motor-driven retractable 50-foot, 12-gauge extension cord that tidies up at the touch of a button. A full 360-degree rotation and self-leveling mount means you can install the RoboReel anywhere without fear of entanglement.

Cub Cadet RZT S-Zero Electric Zero-Turn Riding Mower

Weekends are precious. Having to wait for neighborly hours to tackle the lawn sucks. The Cub Cadet RZT S-Zero electric riding lawn mower is the world’s first all-electric, zero-turn, silent swathe cutter to hit the market, and we want one. Much like Cub Cadet’s other RZT mowers, the S-Zero offers unparalleled performance and ergonomics, minus the noise, oil, fuel, maintenance and heat of its gas-powered stablemates. A full charge is good for one hour of work, whenever you damn well please.

MakerBot Digitizer

So, you followed our advice last year, but your handyman’s homemade model making has stagnated since? Fear not dear friend: the MakerBot Digitizer desktop 3D scanner will have mister-fix-it back in a plastic-fantastic state of mind in no time. After just a couple of clicks on your part, the Digitizer takes a three-dimensional photo of any object rotating on its scanner bed and preps a watertight rendering that can be easily edited before heading to production. If you opted to look elsewhere for his 3D printing fix it matters not: the MakerBot Digitizer plays just as well with others as it does with its own kind.

Bradley 6-Rack Digital Smoker

Doing man’s work requires sustenance…preferably, the meaty kind. A thick juicy steak on the grill may be de rigueur for most, but few foods start us salivating like those of the smoked variety. Spoil your do-it-yourselfer (and yourself in the process) by squeezing a Bradely 6-Rack Digital Smoker under the tree this year. The Bradley Digital eliminates the need to monitor the slow-cooking process by offering up to 8-hours of cool, controlled smoke. It even sports an automatic briquette conveyor that delivers a more constant source of smoke than a Snoop Dog concert in Tijuana.

Philips Friends of Hue Lightstrips

Looking to add a little ambience to your newly minted kitchen? Did you think far enough ahead to pre-wire your cabinetry? How about behind your speakers? Don’t sweat it. The Philips Friends of Hue line of malleable LEDs easily attaches to any solid surface to add accent lighting wherever you like. The best part? Like all Hue products, these LED lightstrips are controlled by your favorite iOS device and feature an on-the-fly adjustability to shine any one of 16 million color combinations. Just don’t go too crazy — even Disco Stu doesn’t advertise.

Dremel 4200-8/64 77pc Platinum Edition

Rotary tools are a workshop essential, and Dremel makes the best, bar none. Their new 77-pc Platinum Edition kit ups the ante by featuring the highest performing Dremel motor to date, now with better venting to allow for cool(er) runnings. Dremel’s patented EZ Drum, Lock and Change features are all present, as are 77 different ways to put this variable speed spinner to work. Chances are you’ll run out of work before you get to use every attachment, but it’s always nice to be prepared.

Wall Control Galvanized Steel Pegboard

Your do-it-yourselfer has just about every hand tool known to man. He takes care of them like they’re his children and proudly displays the most exceptional of the bunch. The only problem is, they hang precariously from a wilting card stock pegboard he inherited from his dad that, sadly, is not worth the six-penny nails it’s secured with. The Wall Control Galvanized Steel Pegboard Tool Organizer offers up the requisite toughness for keeping his trophies on display while adding the right amount of bad-ass bling to make his workshop really shine.

Pebble Smartwatch

On the job, most contractors are forced to forego fancy wrist wear for fear of scratches. Ditto smartphones, which need ballistic packaging to keep from cracking or getting zapped by stray water. Kill two birds with one pebble this Christmas by wrapping up a new Pebble Smartwatch. Built with a scratch- and shatter-resistant lens, the Pebble will do more than just remind him when it’s quitting time. Using Bluetooth technology, the Pebble links to his smartphone to deliver texts and emails at a glance while also offering up some remote controls. We like the high-vis orange colorway for obvious reasons…it matches his hard hat.

Gladiator Chillerator

Gladiator Garageworks builds the kind of workshop kit even the most discerning handyman drools over; tough, strong and exquisitely finished, their cabinetry and workbenches are favorites around GP headquarters. Now they’ve gone and added an industrial-duty refrigerator to their lineup. Finished in diamond-plate accented stainless steel and featuring the same locking castors found on most tool-boxes, the Chillerator is all business. Nineteen cubic feet of temperature-regulated storage will hold enough afterwork refreshment for the whole crew. Now if we could only find our bottle opener…

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