Gareth's Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales - Issue #140

13 Great Tool Gift Ideas

YouTuber Chris Notap offers up a baker's dozen of tools he acquired in 2022 that he loves and highly recommends. He gives very thoughtful little reviews of each. Some of the highlights for me were the Fiskar Weed Puller (no bending down!), ThermoPro TP03 Digital Kitchen Thermometer (which we have and love), the DeWalt Oscillating Tool, the Kasa Smart Plug, the Wyze Indoor/Outdoor Video Camera, and the DeWalt Shop Vac. Everything on this list looks like a winner to me.

Gifts for Makers

One of the things I love about holiday gift exchanging is getting to ask your loved ones for things you might not normally think about buying for yourself. That's the premise behind this video on A Glimpse Inside. Honestly, I was expecting less common, everyday tools, but the stuff on here is definitely things you might not think about or know about that would make great practical gifts. A couple of things he mentions that I think fall into that special "I wouldn't likely buy this for myself" category are the Viewtainer storage system, the GRABBO electric vacuum cup lifter, and a benchtop tape dispenser.

Project Farm's Best-Tested Tools of 2020

Here's a round-up video from Todd at Project Farm of his top ten best-tested tools of 2022. There some great gift ideas here. Some standouts: Daytona Floor Jack (Harbor Freight), S-K Ratcheting Combination Wrench, Craftsman Tap & Die Set, and the Ryobi Stapler.

42 Great Video Production, Desktop Productivity, and Design Tools

This Scott Yu-Jang video is an absolute treasure-trove of great gear that Scott uses in video production, desktop productivity, and art and design work. Amongst all of the high-tech gadgetry, I absolutely love the idea of using blank, white plastic hotel keycards as dry-erase post-it notes and for story boarding panels. You can also use dry-erase blank playing cards. Some other stand-outs: UGREEN Tablet Holder, the Visual Timer, Magnetic Helping Hands, Deburring Tool (for 3D printing), and Auto-Retracting Utility Knife.

Support This Newsletter, Buy My Merch

If you're looking for great gift ideas for any maker on your shopping list, consider my two Amazon best-selling tips books (Volume 1, Volume 2). They are filled with tips on things like cutting, gluing, fastening, painting, finishing, electronics, soldering, 3D printing, hobby tips, and much more. The books are designed to appeal to DIYers of all skill levels and interest areas.

Isn't it time you gave yourself (or someone else) a little Artistic License? Years ago, I created these cards and they've been a hit for the holidays. Perfect stocking stuffer! They are $5 each or 5 for $20 (post paid). They come in a wax-sealed white envelope. The cards are credit card sized on thick, laminated card. If interested, email me and we can arrange payment and shipment. Foreign orders will require full postage.