The 40+ Best Gifts for Him (That He’ll Actually Use)
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Men are really not that hard to please. “There’s a misconception that it’s impossible to shop for men,” say David Fishbein and Joseph Miller, co-founders of the men’s boutique The Optimist, in Culver City, CA. “But sometimes, introducing a risk as a gift is a great way to get men to try it.”
The best gifts for him aren’t about going completely out of the box, they explain, but rather about expanding his interests or needs in a new or novel way. “We like to buy gifts that someone wouldn’t buy for themselves,” Fishbein suggests, “[and] we like to think about choosing something that would benefit their lives or upgrade where they spend time.”
Among their picks for the best gift for him: “Things for the bar, for the desk, for getaways and things that smell good,” Miller says. Think apothecary products, unique tech accessories, and utilitarian clothing. And if all else fails? “Don’t underestimate the power of giving guys a really quality, everyday item that they will use again and again,” Fishbein says.
We chose the best gifts for him based on uniqueness (i.e. not the same package of underwear) but also usability in his day-to-day life. Of course, even with this guidance, choosing that one gift can be tough. To help out, we’ve rounded up some of the best gifts for men that you can buy this season — whether he’s a sports fan, a dapper dresser, or a whiskey enthusiast.
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Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)
Image Credit: Amazon The latest AirPods Pros are our favorite piece of audio gear from Apple, and they make a great gift for just about anyone. For the 2nd Gen model, Apple has improved on all the things that make the AirPods Pro great: Noise-cancellation is more powerful, connectivity is easier, and audio quality has been upgraded with “spatial audio,” which lends my dynamic spatiality to music.
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Fluance RT82 Record Player
Image Credit: Amazon After the resurgence of vinyl a few years back, record players are getting better every year. This RT82 Fluance is the one to buy right now, making it one of the best gifts for him, whether he’s an audiophile or a music nerd.
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MasterClass Subscription
Image Credit: MasterClass If he’s been talking about taking up a new class or you want to gift him more of an experience, you simply can’t go wrong by giving him a MasterClass subscription. The online plan includes a range of fun courses that he can take throughout the year, whether he wants to learn tennis from Serena Williams or cooking from Gordon Ramsay. The bottom line: MasterClass has a lesson for everyone on your list.
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Apple AirTags
Image Credit: Amazon If he hasn’t stocked up on Apple AirTags yet, you know what to do. We like that you can slip these little devices into luggage, attach them to keys, or whatever else you’re worried about losing track of. We recommend this set of four — they’re that necessary.
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Bulova Jet Star Watch
SPONSOREDA well-designed watch is a timeless gift (pun intended) for anyone in your life. We’re massive fans of Bulova’s stainless steel timepieces, which come with (very gifting-friendly) striking looks. This sleek 1973 Jet Star blends the classic style of a dress watch with a classy merlot-colored dial, working well with just about every dude’s personal style and routine.
Powered by the brand’s Precisionist movement, the timepiece uses a unique 8-jewel quartz mechanism vibrating at a remarkable 262kHz that makes it accurate to 5 seconds per month. It’s legendary style mixed with impressive movement — a win-win in our books.
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Fire 7 Tablet
Image Credit: Amazon At just $60, Amazon’s latest tablet, the Fire 7, is a shockingly affordable gift considering its features. It brings all the most-used apps and functionalities of a tablet from Netflix to Kindle books to email and web browsing, as well as some of the best parental controls.
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PlayStation 5 Console
Image Credit: Walmart One of the hottest gaming consoles of the moment, the PS5 seems to constantly be out of stock — and for good reason. The best-selling gift features a slim design, 4K gaming, and packs faster loading times with 1 TB of storage. Put simply, it’s a gamer’s dream.
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De’Longhi Bar Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Machine
Image Credit: Amazon He makes a trip to the coffee shop to get his shot of espresso every morning, so he’ll love getting his own machine at home. This De’Longhi model checks all the boxes to pull shots, as well as craft cappuccinos at his kitchen bar too. It has its own refillable water tank, plus an easy-to-clean filter holder.
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Ember Coffee Mug
Image Credit: Amazon For the guy who loves a hot cup of coffee in the morning but doesn’t have time to drink it all before it gets cold, enter the top-rated Ember mug. He can easily control the temperature with an app on his smartphone, ensuring he can sip on a warm cup of Joe all morning long. It features an 80-minute battery life, and comes with a charging coaster and power cable.