Craig Lloyd
If you’re struggling this holiday to think of a creative and thoughtful gift for that one friend who’s an avid DIYer, here are some simple ideas for gifts that most any DIYer would appreciate any day of the week.
It can be difficult to buy a specific gift aimed at a DIYer, especially because they’ve probably amassed a pile of tools already. But as a DIYer myself, there are still plenty of simple gifts that we appreciate and would get a lot of use out of.
Consumables: Always Welcome
While DIYers will often have all the necessary tools for getting projects done, those projects still require materials that you have to buy over and over again, like nails, screws, glue, towels, sandpaper, and more.
Scott Shop Towels would make for a great gift in this category, and I go through these like a person with a nasty cold goes through tissues.
If you know a woodworker, they could always use more wood glue, and Titebond II is my go-to glue for all my wood projects.
If you have a mechanic in your life, you can’t go wrong giving them a box of nitrile gloves. I personally like these from Throttle Muscle, which have a grippy texture on them that helps prevent slippage with oily components.
Specific Tools You Know They Want
I know I mentioned earlier that giving tools is generally a bad idea, but if you know that they want or need a specific tool, then that’s fair game.
You could take a chance and give them a unique, specialty tool, like this magnetic wristband for holding nails and screws or this right-angle drill attachment, but DIYers are a picky bunch. It’s best to stick with tools that you absolutely know they’ve been wanting.
Better yet, find out what tool brand ecosystem they use the most and stick to that brand when buying the tool they want. So if they use mostly Milwaukee tools and they’ve been wanting a new impact driver, buy them this M18 Fuel Impact Driver.
Often times there’s also a specific tool they’d like (but haven’t bought) or an upgraded version of a tool they have already. DIYers tend to be thrifty and lots of us have tools that still work but we’d love to upgrade.
Small, Cheap Tools They Can Never Have Enough Of
While super unique, specialty tools are a no-go when gifting, there are still a ton of other smaller, cheaper tools that DIYers go through like hotcakes and can never have enough of.
For instance, things like flashlights, utility knives, work gloves, and extra drive bits and drill bits always make great gifts for DIYers, because we either tend to lose them or just like having extras around in case one breaks.
Another good idea is giving them extra batteries for their power tools, because you absolutely can never have too many of those. Just make sure you know which tool brand they use so you get the correct batteries.
Home Center Gift Cards
If all else fails and you just cannot think of a specific gift for that DIYer in your life, you absolutely can’t go wrong with just giving them a gift card to the local home center.
More than likely, there’s a Lowe’s or a Home Depot nearby, or if you know they shop at a specific home center, you can grab a gift card from there instead.
