Awesome Gifts

Can’t get through the day without an espresso drink? The Nano portable espresso machine is small enough to carry in your backpack and makes hot drinks from Nespresso coffee capsules or ground coffee. It can brew up to 200 cups per charge when using hot water or 5 cups per charge with cold water. It’s also available as a gift set with a sturdy carrying case.

We’ve been watching Fallout, so a post-apocalyptic wasteland is top of mind. Should such a catastrophe come to pass, the latest Worst-Case Scenario book has got you covered. Whether it’s robots, nukes, aliens, or a pandemic that ends the world as we know it, you’ll find useful pointers from experts to help you not only survive but help rebuild civilization.

This retro wallet from Fydelity features an exterior made from the shell of a cassette tape. Its body is made from synthetic leather with a zippered main compartment for cards, cash, coins, and more. Available in a variety of colors – our fave is the shiny rainbow-chrome finish.

Want to flip someone the bird? These funny hard candies from Sticky sugar-coat your true feelings. Each handcrafted piece of rolled candy offers a delicious apple-blackberry flavor while a tiny hand in its center extends its middle finger. Their shop is packed with all kinds of tasty treats.

Once Kids makes biodegradable construction toy bricks that are compatible with LEGO pieces. The natural variant of Eco-bricks are made from sustainable wood and are easy to decorate and clean. The colored pieces, on the other hand, are dyed using non-toxic water-based paint. There are also bricks made from bamboo that come with felt stickers.

This mini fidget slider was inspired by the Nintendo Game Boy. It’s small enough to carry in a coin pocket and offers a satisfying three-level sliding action thanks to clicky neodymium magnets. Its outer layers are machined from titanium, while its center layer is made from black anodized aluminum. Choose from natural, gold, or purple bead-blasted finishes.

Gear Tags are Matador’s weatherproof version of luggage tags. Their straps are made from Hypalon rubber, making them waterproof, dustproof, tear-resistant, and impact-resistant. Their writing surface works with most pens, though Matador recommends using a permanent fine-tip marker like a Sharpie. Each pack comes with two Gear Tags.

What’ll ya have, Mack? Let Chronicle’s Cocktail Dice call the shots. Roll the three dice for your answer: one die is for liquors, one’s for mixers, and one’s for garnishes. With 216 possible combos, the fun is in the surprise. The 32-page booklet further helps customize your drink with what you have on hand.

These stemless 8-oz. martini glasses from Snowfox are made from double-walled stainless steel to keep your drink cold and your hand comfortable. They’re lightweight, shatterproof, and available in a variety of colors. They’re sold in sets of two and also come in a set of four with a matching cocktail shaker. Great for frozen drinks and desserts too!

With booze co-starring in the hit Apple TV+ show Palm Royale along with the wonderful Kristen Wiig, Cocktail Courier’s Tanqueray Martini Kit is a perfect viewing party in a box. Includes everything you’d need to mix up 8-16 Martini Royales and Damn Dirty Martinis, and even comes with a 2-month Apple TV+ subscription.

This tiny keychain tool opens bottle caps in a jiffy. It’s made from durable, lightweight titanium, so it won’t ever break; plus, its keychain hole doubles as a 1/4″ hex bit driver for turning screws in a pinch. It makes a great companion to KeyUnity’s keychain flashlight.

To indulge in whiskey tastings without the need for a designated driver, Blind Barrels delivers these fun blind-tasting boxes to your door. Each box includes four 50 ml samples of hidden American whiskey gems and new craft distillery releases labeled A, B, C, and D so you can taste blindly to discover new favorites.

If you love showy smoke-infused cocktails but hate craft bar prices, do it yourself with a Cocktail Smoker Kit from Bark & Barware. The handsome wood gift box contains six wood chip flavors (like cherry, hickory, and maple), a torch (sans butane), four whiskey stones, a metal brush, and tongs.

This twisty metal pen has a bolt-action retraction mechanism and a fidget spinner at the end of its barrel to help you make decisions. Flick the smooth-spinning wheel, and it’ll offer up answers: YES, NO, NOW, LATER, SKIP, ASK, or AGAIN. It’s made from 6061 aluminum alloy and accepts Pilot G2 pen refills. Available in a grey or black finish.

This 15-in-1 multitool from Trixie & Milo looks like a T-Rex skull. The prehistoric pocket tool is made from 420 stainless steel and packs multiple hex-head wrenches, a bottle opener, a line cutter, a headphone wrap, and flat and Phillips head screwdrivers. A built-in carabiner clip lets you attach it to a belt loop or a backpack and has a lanyard hole too.

This cool, single-purpose device connects to your phone and displays album art. Instead of a standard screen, it uses a grid of 4096 individual RGB LEDs to create artful, pixelated images. It works with iOS and Android devices and is compatible with Spotify, Apple Music, Sonos, and last.fm.

If building a gaming PC is out of your budget at the moment, manifest that machine with this neat kit from LEGO knockoff brand Pantasy. The kit has a surprising amount of detail and distinct parts, including a motherboard, GPU, and storage drives. It even has an RGB light. Pantasy also has equally impressive 90s PC and 80s PC kits.

Yolopark’s upcoming Transformers G1 action figures are way too good for their price. The AMK Pro Series Optimus Prime and Megatron action figures have sweet battle-damaged paint jobs on their metal and plastic parts. They’re both about 8″ tall and come with lighting effects, weapon accessories, and a display stand.

These handsome and substantial dopp kits from Capra are made from full-grain leather. They have a water-resistant lining premium YKK zippers and are assembled with Italian waxed thread. The compact and large sizes have a top divided section and interior zippers. They come in dark brown (shown), black, green, navy, and tan.

Got a wry sense of humor? Get a Whiff makes delightfully fragrant candles with names like Sage Against the Machine, A Mustache, a Pipe, and Pretentious Behavior, and Let’s Snort Some Lavender. Each glass is filled with a hand-poured coconut wax blend with a mix of heady aromas to match its name. They also come in smaller tins and amber jars.

Unlike most compact multitools, Fetos Studio’s JOAT (Jack of All Trades) can be completely disassembled. This lets you decide which parts to take with you. You can even bring just the key loop. Its titanium modules include a screwdriver with two magnetic bits, a wrench, a pry bar, a blade, and a bottle opener.

Tech journalist and print historian Glenn Fleischman teamed up with other experts to create How Comics Were Made: A Visual History from the Drawing Board to the Printed Page. The book takes readers through 130 years of newspaper cartoons with the help of high-resolution original art, newspaper reproductions, and interviews with cartoonists.

These battery-powered tabletop alarm clocks from Seiko feature a face and bezel design inspired by the Japanese brand’s iconic dive watches. They measure about 3.7″ across and feature a backlight and snooze functions. Choose from Blue, Green, White, Black, Black/Gray, Blue/Red, and Black/Gold color schemes.