For the Cooking Dad: Graviti Pepper Mill
Some chefs scoff at the different kitchen gadgets that are available, but many dads are going to appreciate some of the different doodads that you can find to facilitate his cooking passion.
One such product is the Trudeau Graviti Battery-Operated Pepper Mill. The matte silver finish is already pretty attractive already, but this pepper grinder is even more special. There are no buttons; simply flip it upside down and it’ll start grinding up your peppercorns (or sea salt). Flip it back and it’ll stop. You can still adjust the fineness of the grind using the provided knob and you can check the amount of remaining pepper through the clear window.
The Trudeau Graviti Pepper Mill sells for about $25 which is reasonable and should make his day when it’s time to fire up the BBQ grill this Summer.
For the Carpenter Dad: Swinging Power Drill
If your dad more closely resembles Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor, then he may enjoy a new power tool to join his growing arsenal (or perhaps you should keep them away from him). At any rate, regular power drills are fine for regular Dads, but your Dad deserves the Mastercraft Swing Drill.
With over 18Vs of grunt to its unique contortionist frame, there’s plenty of power. It comes with a unique dual swing head that rotates 360 degrees and swings zero to 90 degrees. This allows it to drill in even the most awkward of angles. And yes, it’s cordless.
You can find this gift at Canadian Tire for $150 or at the US equivalent (whatever that may be).
For the Secure DIY Dad: Cell Phone Door Lock
You could almost say that this is the ultimate cell phone accessory. It’ll require a little bit of work on your father’s part, but the net result could have him (and you) grinning from ear to ear with this interesting DIY project that you and the old man can tackle together. Check out this great tutorial from Ashish that allows you to convert a regular door lock into one that can be used with a cell phone.
In short, it reads the “beeps” that are associated with each number of your keypad, corresponding said beeps to a pre-defined password. He used a cheap cell phone connected to the door latch, so you can effectively “call” the door from just about anywhere to lock or unlock it. Buy your dad the necessary bits for the project, direct him to the tutorial, and he’ll have so much more fun than another necktie or jigsaw puzzle.
With the exception of the parts, the value of spending time with the old man doing something cool is priceless.
For the Green Dad: Solar Trickle Charger
Is your old man concerned about the environment? Has he been outfitting the home with low-flow toilets and compact fluorescent lights? Is he trying to convince Mom to give in to buying $40 a piece LED lights? Give him yet another way to go green by getting the house off the grid.
You can start at the lower end with something like the Sunforce 5-Watt Solar Battery Trickle Charger ($130 for the twin pack), giving a power source for an electric fence, RV, ATV, and more. It’s both indoor and outdoor friendly too so you won’t electrocute your old man.
Or, if you have more money and want to be more aggressive with the green initiative, treat your dad to some larger roof-mounted solar panels to generate enough electricity to handle all your household appliances. Another father and son (or daughter) weekend project! It’s called bonding time.
What About Your Dad?
Every dad is different. Maybe he’s more of a shutterbug and he could use one of those cool micro four-thirds digital cameras. Maybe he’s rather have a new turbocharger for his muscle car. Whatever the case, he’s your dad and he deserves whatever gift you choose to give him. Even if he cuts off your hand with a lightsaber in the process.