Unique Gifts for Men that Don’t Suck: 35+ Fresh Ideas at Every Price

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gift guide for men: gifts for men that don't suck with over 30 ideas at all price points.

I love making gift guides. It's like being a personal shopper for you, where I can share all the cool things I've come across on the internet. I know it can be hard to shop for the grown man in your life, he often owns everything he thinks he needs. I think this gift guide has plenty of gifts for men that don't suck.

So many gift guides for men include the same things: whisky stones, ties, and some sports memorabilia. Well I don't include ANY of these items, yet I have a variety of gifts in a range of price points that are sure to please, whether it's your husband, boyfriend, son, relative, friend, or even yourself!

Not only did I search the internet for unique gifts for men I also asked a few guys in my life for their honest thoughts. They nixed a few, and suggested some I hadn't known about! I hope you like it, and if you have any ideas for gifts for men that don't suck, please share them in the comments!

Gifts for Men That Don't Suck: 30+ Fresh Ideas

gifts for men that dont suck

Do you have any tried and true gifts for men that don't suck that aren't on this list? Please share them in the comments! And know that there are comments from previous years. Instead of creating a new gift guide each year, I update the old one with new products, new versions, and items I've bought for guys that have gotten rave reviews. Who knows, your recommendation may pop up in this gift guide next year!

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46 Comments

  1. Such a creative and fun list every year, Allison! Thank you for the hundreds of hours you put into compiling them for us. I’ve bought more than one thing on here in the past few years. Here’s another fun idea for all on your list: A professional quality, unfinished ukulele just waiting for your creative personal touch. You can paint them, woodburn them, decoupage them…. the options are endless. Plus they sound good too. Check it out: https://www.butterflyukes.com/

  2. Wow! Your gift guide for men is the only one I make sure I don’t miss, so many good ideas over the years. My sons and I have all started taking boxing classes this year, so that doorway boxing pad is perfect for our house. Thank you!

  3. OK, I am immediately suspicious of 90% of gift guides out there, but this is GOOD. I found several things on here that my DH would like. How brilliant is that tool wristband?!

  4. Hi Alison! Once again, thank you for a great list! You helped me back in 2019 find a backpack for my son in law so I thought I’d ask for help again. I am looking for 1) a cordless vacuum cleaner that is good with pet fur, 2) a nice quality knife set, and 3) good pair of headphones to wear on the plane to watch movies on a tablet.
    If you or your readers have any ideas, I would greatly appreciate it!

  5. Love this list! My husband has one of those Levi’s lined trucker jackets that’s older than our relationship and still going strong. We also have a Tom Bihn bag for every member of the family now that we upgraded our teenagers from their old tween duffles. And I think I remember looking at that Pendleton sweater last year and giving it some serious consideration.

    For a gift idea that’s super personal, here’s something my husband discovered this year and has loved: ballpark-style underwear. These are boxers or briefs with a built-in pouch to gently support the balls. That’s not a need I’d ever thought of, but they seem to genuinely make his life better. His favorite are by Saxx (https://www.saxxunderwear.com/), but there are other brands out there.

    To get philosophical about underwear, these have also been a good self-care exercise for my husband. These are much more expensive than he’s used to paying for underwear. (They run around $25-$35 per pair, which costs more than a pack of the fancy Hanes from Target.) But I want him to feel the same mix of indulgence and self-care as I do when I put on my expensive, comfortable, well-performing underthings! I love all your pieces on how quality underwear helps us feel better, so I thought you’d like to know about this option for the men in our lives as well.

  6. Thank you so much for this, it was so helpful! I purchased a customized Yeti (son in law), the history by mail (daughter) and a credit card game for each of them.

  7. Thank you for coming through for me when I was blanking out on what to get my brother. The credit card size PacMan and Space Invaders have just been purchased! Men are always the worst for me to get gifts for so this list is much appreciated.

  8. Hey, if those throwing axes entered this house, my husband would have a quick choice to make — it’s either me or those axes. They totally freak me out!

    I second your recommendation for Knomo and Timbuk2 backpacks (in the comments) — my son has one of each, and I think both are super high quality and will likely last for years.

    1. PS. I should add that my son considers the Knomo his “dress backpack” and the Timbuk2 his “working backpack.” LOL! High maintenance!

  9. This is a sun gift guide! I haven’t clicked through everything yet, but I’d love it you could recommend some plus size menswear options last year, or mention the size range in what you recommend. My husband is a 3x/4x.

  10. I live & work in a town of actual Rocket scientists. & we’re pretty much all of the age to be the 1st to have played video games. The pocket games would be great for a gift exchange, stocking stuffers, etc.

  11. Another great list! I always look forward to your gift guides and have discovered a couple things for hard to buy for men. Thanks!

    1. Great list Alison, nice and unique ideas. My husband was peering over my shoulder as I was looking at those shirts and immediately pointed to one he liked. Thanks for all the hard work you put into these, much appreciated.

  12. As someone with a husband and son, I support and endorse this list! My guys have several of these items (between them) and love them all!

  13. Hi Alison! If there is a way to make this product get you affiliate credit, it might be worth adding to your list: https://bit.ly/3wwTsOi.I got one of these rechargeable lighters for my husband and it is great. It is great for lighting candles and firepits and since it really truly recharges via USB I feel like it’s better for the environment in some ways, too?! Win/win! My husband has size 15 feet and I have 15YO and 17YO sons who are currently size 14 (please let their feet stop growing soon) so appreciate the slipper recommendations from you and Karl, too! Thanks!

  14. Hi Allison,
    Thank you for the great gift suggestions. I just received a wish list from my son-in-law. Do you (or Karl) have any suggestions for a work backpack for men? Preferably under $200.
    Thanks so much!
    Karen

      1. Thank you so much for such a quick response. I really like the TIMBUK2. It is very tricky buying something like this for someone else but at least Nordstrom has free returns. I love all of your posts. Thanks for being real and relatable!

  15. I was tickled to see the shoe care kit in your list. We have the one just like this that my FIL used all the time. When he passed away, it was something of his I wanted to keep. Not sure when he got it but I joined the family in ’81 and it already looked like it was used regularly; I know he used it frequently.

  16. I always look forward to your gift guides, as they’re some of the only ones I find actually useful! This one sorts my brother and nephew – please please tell me you’re doing another teen list again this year!!

  17. I rarely find gifts for DH on shopping guides BUT there are at least 2 on here I will be getting for him. He has no interest in fashion, so a few weeks ago I mentioned he’d look great in some chukka boots and he told me he doesn’t “see the point of them”?!?!! He will be getting these for sure! Those outdoor gloves will be great too- our new house is requiring a lot of outdoor work! And of course the Bluetooth paper airplane.

    1. Every member of my family has a pair of Clark’s desert boots. My daughter and I got them first and the boys followed shortly after.

      Great list BTW!

  18. Some great ideas here! I think every man in my life will get one of those multi tools this year. Like others have said, I appreciate the early gift guides as I try to do all of my Christmas shopping by the end of November. And I especially appreciate that this guide is one of the first as my father is almost impossible to buy gifts for! He is that terrible combo of buys himself everything he wants/has quirky taste/is not at all into clothing. Thankfully, my husband is MUCH easier to buy gifts for and is delighted that I enjoy doing all of his clothing shopping for him. 🙂

  19. Just purchased a 5 pack of the multi-tool. I went to buy one just for myself, then figured I could give to my father and brother in law as well. Since the 5 pack was cheaper than the 3 pack, my husband will get one, too, and I’ll have an extra. Thanks for the great suggestion!

  20. Many great ideas here. I have a terrible time buying my husband gifts, because he just goes out and buys himself whatever he wants. Maybe something here will be just right! For instance, that multi tool that fits in a wallet is something unusual that he would appreciate I think. (But BTW, the link doesn’t work.)

    Sidenote: I know I am not the only woman who has this situation where the husband buys himself whatever he wishes for right away! The related piece is that I dither and dither about buying myself anything new most of the time, so the imbalance in this situation is an “interesting” dynamic. You would think after being married for 38 years we would have figured this one out!

  21. I’m so relieved that my partner and I don’t ‘do’ Christmas (and since we are in the UK certainly not Thanksgiving), because he wouldn’t want any of these. Not that they are bad gifts. But, for example, why would he want a holdall when he has a perfectly good one that he bought 25 years ago? Or a cashmere jumper, when he has one he bought 15 years ago? Etc. The only gift giving we do is on birthdays and I usually buy a couple of books and a tshirt with a penguin on because he loves penguins and some of his favourite tshirts are past their best after 20 years or so (especially if bought secondhand). Anybody else have a partner like this? I must add that he is a wonderful man.

    1. As we all accumulate more and more stuff over the years, I really prefer to give and receive nice dinners and drinks out instead. Or else, get people magazine subscriptions (If they’re not hoarders) and ebooks.

  22. Thank you for posting these before Thanksgiving. I know you explained your timing to use in a previous post. I love to begin thinking about holiday gifts in early November, so that I have my shopping plan ready by the time Black Friday deals begin. I do not shop well under pressure, starting early keeps it fun for me. Great ideas on you list, too!

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