Everyone has a tinkerer in their life. It might be your kid, your dad, your cousin who won’t let you get off the phone. It’s the person who’s always jumping in to try and fix your broken gadgets. The person who always reminds you about new updates for your phone. It’s the weirdo who does hacky little tweaks to the stuff in their life so they just work a little better. The maker you know who loves to build things from scratch. They’re hard to buy for, but easy to get engaged. So here are our selections for ways to gift the doer in your life.
Pro-Knot Best Rope Knot Cards
Knots are hard. And there are roughly one million of them you could possibly learn. Why not make it easy by starting with this simple kit: two pieces of rope and a waterproof, pocketable set of cards teaching you the 20 most essential knots out there.
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$8.96 at Amazon
pi-top laptop with Inventor's Kit
The Raspberry Pi is the ultimate tinkering device. A tiny, single-board computer that can do just about anything you can throw at it. Finally someone figured out how to give it a proper, all-in-one, expandable, portable housing. Retro games on the go? Coding workstation you can completely hack? Weird green laptop no one else will ever have? Yes to all.
$299.95 at Adafruit
Leatherman Squirt PS4 keychain multitool
The person you're buying for this year probably has a multitool. But they probably don't have one for their keychain. This ingenious little device not only makes for a handy way to keep all of your keys in one place, but with a knife, pliers, screwdrivers wire cutters, scissors, and a bottle opener, they'll never be without the necessary tools anywhere they go.
$39.95 at Amazon
Klein Tools multicolored canvas zipper bags
If you know someone who likes to make (or break) things, then you know someone who could use some storage. These Klein bags are not only built to last a lifetime, but their strangely trendy color coding makes it easy to create organization in an otherwise chaotic environment. Whether they're in a drawer or in a bag, they make keeping all the little stuff in one place easy.
$34.93 at Amazon
Rama Works U80-A SEQ2 keyboard kit
If you're like us, you love mechanical keyboards. Rama Works makes the sexiest, sturdiest, coolest mechanical keyboards money can buy (and it's a lot of money.) The U80-A SEQ2 is the company's latest take on the tenkeyless variety, and with myriad options like brass plates and hot-swappable switches, this is a typist dream and a gadget-lover's ultimate fantasy.
From $400 at Rama Works
Fujikawa Okyo Japanese 6-piece chisel set
Chisels are the cornerstone of Japanese woodworking, and a small set like this is all you need to get someone started on the journey of handcrafting objects. These sizes should provide enough range for just about any household project, from furniture, to art, to repairs — these will be invaluable in any tinkerer's studio. But make sure you get some sharpening stones...
$167.99 at Woodcraft
King 1000/6000 grit sharpening stone
You can't get much use out of your fancy new chisels unless you have something to sharpen them with. Enter the King 1000/6000 grit stone, which should give you enough of the coarse and fine sharpening you need to keep your chisels and planes at a razor's edge.
$31.97 at Amazon
SUIZAN Ryoba Japanese saw
You'll need a saw to go with those chisels, and the SUIZAN Ryoba will be just what you need in about any situation. With one side a crosscut and the other a rip, the new woodworker to whom this is gifted will have almost any sawing situation on lock. Even better, if this blade craps out, you can simply replace it with a new one.
$38.80 at Amazon
HACHIEMON 406g Japanese hammer
A midweight hammer that can jam on your chisels all day long. You need it. You want it. You're gonna pound it. Don't wait. Grab it now.