Rounding out our Holiday Gift Guide 2018 series with those small, but thoughtful additions that might fit into a stocking, but could turn out to be the most useful presents your loved ones get. We’ve done the legwork to find some of the best things to stuff everyone’s stockings with!
ChargeHub – Portable and Powerful: No one ever has enough chargers, right? But with ChargeHub, you might manage to have just enough thanks to their line of portable hubs. With a choice of three, five, or seven USB ports, these little circles of power (or square, if you prefer) can handle most mobile devices, including tablets. With a diameter of just 3.5”, they fit perfectly in anyone’s stocking. The X5 “Elite” model even comes with a USB-C port capable of charging laptops. Available on Amazon from $30-$80.
Ventev Chargesync Alloy Cables – Built for Abuse: If your household is anything like ours, cables are a very finite resource. Constantly being tugged, bent, mauled, and just generally treated badly, charging cables never seem to last long. Instead of just buying another pack of cheap, no-name charging cords why not try something a bit more metal? Ventev has an array of choices in the Chargesync Alloy line and they all provide a brushed aluminum housing and super strong braided wrap finish. Of course, if you or (more likely) one of your rowdy loved ones does manage to break an Alloy, Ventev’s expansive warranty should keep you covered. Available in four and ten-foot lengths, you can grab one on Amazon for between $10 and $30 depending on the type you require.
Beddi Collection Alarm Clocks – Smart and Stylish: With four different models, all small yet packed with features, these are the bedside alarm clocks for the modern era. The low-profile Beddi Charge is the cheapest and lacks the ability to connect to your phone via Bluetooth, but still has three USB charging ports, a color-changing mood and night light, and (of course) an alarm clock with snooze. The other Beddis do offer Bluetooth connections for listening to your tunes, app controls, multiple alarms, mood lighting, and even white noise generation. All while looking remarkably stylish. Check out the Beddi Style on Amazon for $35 or check the whole line out at Beddi’s site, where they range from $25-$100.
Sandisk SD Cards – Pricier Speed or Big Cheap Storage: There’s no such thing as too much storage, so it’s especially great how SD cards have been dropping in price lately. SanDisk has long been one of the leaders in tiny memory cards and offer two different types. The SanDisk Extreme PLUS microSDXCTM UHS-I card (128 GB for $80) is pricier than traditional SD cards but makes up for it with blazing fast read/write speeds. So, when fast is what you need, this is the card. For most people, however, SanDisk’s Ultra line is perfectly fast enough and much cheaper. The SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-I Card with Adapter offers a whopping 400GB for $100 on Amazon and prices on smaller cards drop from there.
Timber Phone Cases – A Distinctive Wood Grain for Your iPhone: For those Apple users on your list who could use both protection and something with a more unique personality to sheath their beloved phones, we give you Timber’s line of engraved wooden cases. The company focuses almost entirely on iPhones (although some cases do support certain Samsung phones) and offers a distinctive and artistic selection of cases made of actual wood. Whether you want something patriotic, retro, or floral, they have a wide range of choices. Prices range from around $20-$30 on their site.
Boosa M1 Power Bank – Power to Spare: In terms of modern first-world problems, seeing that low battery alert on your phone ranks pretty high for a lot of people. There is a seemingly endless selection of portable battery packs to get your devices back on, but few are as impressive as Boosa’s M1 Power Banks. Available in two flavors–the super-sized Macro with 10,000 mAh of power ($50) and the super-slim Midi 5000 mAh Power Bank ($40). Even the Macro is only about the size of an average smartphone and both are covered in a non-slip rubber coating with rounded edges. Better yet, they also feature two regular USB ports and one USB-C port, enabling faster charging on modern devices.
Gerber Suspension NXT Multi-Tool – Jack of All Trades: There are times when a mere pocket knife just won’t do the trick. Then, you’ll need something like the Gerber Suspension NXT Multi-tool. Its 15 tools in one incredibly small package (4.25” closed). With the NXT, you’ll have a blade, scissors, screwdrivers, wire cutters, and stripper, a can and bottle opener, an awl, ruler, and more. It even sports spring-loaded needle nose pliers. It’s almost a tool chest in your pocket! Available on Amazon for $25.
Gerber Kettlebell Compact Folding Knife – A Distinctive Take on the Pocket Knife: We’ve included some fine pocket knives in our list, but this Gerber take on the tried and true accessory bears a strong look. The 2.5” blade is tough and versatile, and the textured aluminum grip is attractive and easy to hold. Also equipped with a pocket clip, dual thumb studs, and frame lock, the Kettlebell runs $27 on Gerber’s site. (Note: Amazon is out of the newest model, but does have the previous version for $27.)
Thule Subterra PowerShuttle Mini – A Suitcase for Your Precious Small Things: Make airline travel (or any travel) a little easier with this small versatile pack. The Mini is perfect for holding passports, cables, pens, earbuds, and other easily lost important items. It’s small enough to easily fit in a backpack, purse, or airline seat pocket. A variety of elastic loops and mesh pockets holds your possessions securely, and the durable body exterior can take abuse. $15 on Amazon.
Iron & Glory Tooled Up – A Bright Mini-Tool: Although not as expansive a mini-tool set as the Gerber, this UK import has one huge advantage: an LED flashlight. It also comes with spring-loaded pliers, screwdrivers, a knife, and a file, so it’s a versatile tool whether you’re in the light or dark. Tooled Up comes in either a black or silver steel finish and at only around 3” long, is a perfect companion for your pocket. Around $20 from their site.
The Coffee Cookie – Hot Coffee’s New Best Friend: The Coffee Cookie is one of those ideas that’s so ingenious, you’ll wonder why no one thought of it early. This little circle charges via USB then sits under your warm beverage of choice and keeps it at that temperature for about twice as long as it normally would. It’s specifically designed to fit right into the usual cups certain big name coffee shops use, but if you’re using a different beverage holder, just use the Cookie as a coaster and it works as well. This Cookie is under $30 direct.
Craftsman 4-piece Pliers Set – Everyone Needs At Least One Set: It’s a fact of life. If you own a house, car, appliance, and countless other everyday items, you need at least one good set of pliers. Craftsman has long been the name to trust with hand tools and this four-pack will gift a loved one with the necessities of gripping and snipping things. This pack comes with a long nose, diagonal, arc joint, and slip joint pliers, which should be enough to get work done. Made with alloyed steel, coated in an anti-corrosive, these pliers also feature non-slip, yet comfortable rubber handle grips. $30 from Sears.
Cleer Edge Pulse Wireless Heart Rate Monitor Headphones – Fitness and Fidelity: Mixing fitness-aimed wearable tech with wireless earbuds, Cleer edges out the other fitness buds we’ve seen thanks to its mix of solid audio quality, up to six hours of battery life, Bluetooth and NFC connectivity, a high-tech heart rate monitor, and voice feedback. While you can’t use it for swimming, the Edge Pulse is shock and water resistant at least. It also has a quick charge feature that lets it run for an hour with only a five-minute charge and works with most popular fitness apps. $150 on Amazon.
Coast A25R Rechargeable Flashlight – Powerful and Rechargeable: If you want to impress with a flashlight, the shiny and incredibly bright Coast A25R is a good way to go. On the high setting, this rechargeable light can shine at 720 lumens and a distance of almost 700 feet. At only 6.5” long, it can fit in your pocket too. The low-powered mode boosts battery life from just under 7 hours to 19 and shines at 80 lumens. The light lists for $130 on Coast’s site and, currently, is actually higher priced on Amazon at $150.)
Coast Dual-Color Focusing Headlamp – For When You Need Both Hands and a Light: Headlamps are one of those invaluable tools for emergencies and handiwork, and Coast offers an array of options. We’re particularly partial to the Dual-Color Focusing models though. Available at 435 lumens (the FL75) or 615 lumens (FL85), these headlamps will light the way for hundreds of feet ahead of you. They start at around $48 at Amazon, depending on the color and model.
Coast Portable Utility Knives – A Knife for Nearly Any Occasion: A pocket knife is one of those eminently useful gifts that can come in handy for countless reasons and Coast doesn’t just make some of our favorite flashlights, but pocket knives too. We were particularly fond of several knives out their collection. For pure portability, the FX200 Frame Lock Knife with a two-inch blade and barely over three inches long when closed and the slightly longer (with a blade length of almost three inches) LX240 Liner Lock Knife are perfect everyday pocket knives. For something more deluxe, the RX350 and RX395 Blade Assist models are beefier, pricier, and open easily with a simple push of your thumb. They range in price from $15 to $47 on Coast’s website.
Coast HP3R Rechargeable Penlight Kit – Little Package, Big Light: Flashlights are one gift that pretty much everyone can use and having a range of sizes helps too. Coast’s powerful yet pen-sized light offers 240 lumens on the high setting and a rechargeable battery that you can either charge through a USB cord or actually take out and replace it with another rechargeable or two traditional AAAs, making it exceedingly useful in an emergency. $58 on Amazon.
Moleskine Classic Hard Cover Notebook (Pocket Sized) – a Classic Choice: Moleskine has long been the favored notebook for romantic scribes and stationery lovers. With dimensions of 3.5” x 5.5”, Moleskine’s pocket-sized Classic is the perfect fit for their stocking and, as the name implies, pocket (or purse, book bag, etc.). The durable, leather-like hardcover with its elastic closure keep the contents safe and the high-quality ivory-white paper inside is a joy to write on. These notebooks come in a variety of colors, sizes, and purposes. If you need to really personalize things, there’s an option for that when ordering from Moleskine’s own store (for a moderate fee, of course), otherwise, they’re $10 on Amazon.
OVLED Broadbeam Headlamp – Cheap and Bright: Lightweight and surprisingly bright, this low-cost headlamp is ideal for emergencies, nightly jogs, and just shedding some light on the situation. Using three AAA batteries, the OVLED 20-LED headlamp shines at 300 lumens and an impressive 210 degrees of illumination. Its unusual LED-band design really lightens the load on your forehead and doesn’t stick out like a more traditional headlamp would. Best of all, the OVLED is less than $15 on Amazon.
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