The 40+ Best Gifts for Him (That He’ll Actually Use)
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Men are really not that hard to please. “There’s a misconception that it’s impossible to shop for men,” say David Fishbein and Joseph Miller, co-founders of the men’s boutique The Optimist, in Culver City, CA. “But sometimes, introducing a risk as a gift is a great way to get men to try it.”
The best gifts for him aren’t about going completely out of the box, they explain, but rather about expanding his interests or needs in a new or novel way. “We like to buy gifts that someone wouldn’t buy for themselves,” Fishbein suggests, “[and] we like to think about choosing something that would benefit their lives or upgrade where they spend time.”
Among their picks for the best gift for him: “Things for the bar, for the desk, for getaways and things that smell good,” Miller says. Think apothecary products, unique tech accessories, and utilitarian clothing. And if all else fails? “Don’t underestimate the power of giving guys a really quality, everyday item that they will use again and again,” Fishbein says.
We chose the best gifts for him based on uniqueness (i.e. not the same package of underwear) but also usability in his day-to-day life. Of course, even with this guidance, choosing that one gift can be tough. To help out, we’ve rounded up some of the best gifts for men that you can buy this season — whether he’s a sports fan, a dapper dresser, or a whiskey enthusiast.
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Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)
Image Credit: Amazon The latest AirPods Pros are our favorite piece of audio gear from Apple, and they make a great gift for just about anyone. For the 2nd Gen model, Apple has improved on all the things that make the AirPods Pro great: Noise-cancellation is more powerful, connectivity is easier, and audio quality has been upgraded with “spatial audio,” which lends my dynamic spatiality to music.
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Fluance RT82 Record Player
Image Credit: Amazon After the resurgence of vinyl a few years back, record players are getting better every year. This RT82 Fluance is the one to buy right now, making it one of the best gifts for him, whether he’s an audiophile or a music nerd.
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MasterClass Subscription
Image Credit: MasterClass If he’s been talking about taking up a new class or you want to gift him more of an experience, you simply can’t go wrong by giving him a MasterClass subscription. The online plan includes a range of fun courses that he can take throughout the year, whether he wants to learn tennis from Serena Williams or cooking from Gordon Ramsay. The bottom line: MasterClass has a lesson for everyone on your list.
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Apple AirTags
Image Credit: Amazon If he hasn’t stocked up on Apple AirTags yet, you know what to do. We like that you can slip these little devices into luggage, attach them to keys, or whatever else you’re worried about losing track of. We recommend this set of four — they’re that necessary.
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Bulova Jet Star Watch
SPONSOREDA well-designed watch is a timeless gift (pun intended) for anyone in your life. We’re massive fans of Bulova’s stainless steel timepieces, which come with (very gifting-friendly) striking looks. This sleek 1973 Jet Star blends the classic style of a dress watch with a classy merlot-colored dial, working well with just about every dude’s personal style and routine.
Powered by the brand’s Precisionist movement, the timepiece uses a unique 8-jewel quartz mechanism vibrating at a remarkable 262kHz that makes it accurate to 5 seconds per month. It’s legendary style mixed with impressive movement — a win-win in our books.
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Fire 7 Tablet
Image Credit: Amazon At just $60, Amazon’s latest tablet, the Fire 7, is a shockingly affordable gift considering its features. It brings all the most-used apps and functionalities of a tablet from Netflix to Kindle books to email and web browsing, as well as some of the best parental controls.
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PlayStation 5 Console
Image Credit: Walmart One of the hottest gaming consoles of the moment, the PS5 seems to constantly be out of stock — and for good reason. The best-selling gift features a slim design, 4K gaming, and packs faster loading times with 1 TB of storage. Put simply, it’s a gamer’s dream.
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De’Longhi Bar Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Machine
Image Credit: Amazon He makes a trip to the coffee shop to get his shot of espresso every morning, so he’ll love getting his own machine at home. This De’Longhi model checks all the boxes to pull shots, as well as craft cappuccinos at his kitchen bar too. It has its own refillable water tank, plus an easy-to-clean filter holder.
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Ember Coffee Mug
Image Credit: Amazon For the guy who loves a hot cup of coffee in the morning but doesn’t have time to drink it all before it gets cold, enter the top-rated Ember mug. He can easily control the temperature with an app on his smartphone, ensuring he can sip on a warm cup of Joe all morning long. It features an 80-minute battery life, and comes with a charging coaster and power cable.
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Marshall Acton III Bluetooth Speaker
Image Credit: Amazon The most rock & roll speaker of them all, Marshall’s Acton III takes the brand’s vintage style and gives it the Bluetooth treatment. He’ll love it for its cool looks, but it sounds just as impressive. It’s easy to instantly pair your phone to the speaker to play playlists, and it pumps out beefy bass all over the room.
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Flikr Personal Fireplace
Image Credit: Amazon One of our favorite gifts we’ve received over the last few years is a Flikr personal concrete fireplace. It’s an indoors-friendly burner that you can light with a match and isopropyl alcohol. We like the new square model, which includes its own lid.
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TheraGun Sense Massage Gun
Image Credit: Amazon Give the gift of a deep-tissue massage at home this year with Theragun’s latest Sense massage gun. He can use it to help relieve tension in his muscles after a workout or after getting home from a long commute. It includes a variety of attachments too, whether he wants to target his lower back or focus on a full-body massage. Best of all, he can use it to start a breathwork routine to wind down thanks to guided sessions in the Therabody app.
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Q Acoustics M40 Speakers
Image Credit: Q Acoustics Audiophile or not, any guy will most likely enjoy these Q Acoustics M40 mini tower speakers. They’re powered speakers, so anyone can easily plug and play without any tech knowledge or special equipment, but they also have more connectivity options than your average consumer speakers. That means he can connect them to just about anything, be it a record player, TV, or his smartphone. In our testing, the speakers offer excellent, room-filling sound, and look fantastic as well.
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The North Face Thermoball Traction Mule
Image Credit: Amazon Whether he’s walking the dog or hanging out around a campfire, he’ll love slipping into The North Face’s stylish Thermoball mules. They’re ideal for staying cozy outdoors thanks to their water-resistant upper and built-in insulation. Bonus: They come equipped with rubber outsoles to help prevent slipping on slick sidewalks.
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Sony WH1000MX5 Headphones
Image Credit: Amazon Another excellent pair of headphones to give him this year are these new Sony WH-1000XM5s. The noise-canceling cans provide a zen-like quiet and a host of clever features, like four microphones for calls, touch controls, and an impressive 30-hour battery life.
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Sonos Move 2 Speaker
Image Credit: Sonos The Sonos Move 2 Bluetooth speaker boasts a portable design that he can take with him outside. It features a water-resistant build, a 24-hour battery life, and it’s even drop-resistant. But our favorite feature is that you can still pair it with other Sonos speakers and control all of them through the Sonos app.
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Bowflex SelectTech 840 Adjustable Kettlebell
Image Credit: Amazon If he loves to work out at home but doesn’t have much space, Bowflex’s adjustable kettlebell gets the job done. He can easily dial in the weight he wants to lift, from 8 to 40 pounds, whether he wants to do kettlebell swings or use it for overhead lifts. It also includes a two-month JRNY membership trial that lets him take his workouts to the next level.
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Proof Equator Shorts
Image Credit: Huckberry These Equator shorts from Proof have the potential to become his most-worn piece of clothing. They’re hybrid shorts, so you can swim, workout, or run errands in them, but they’re still comfy enough to lounge in. Plus, they look sharp — which can’t be said for all hybrid trunks.
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Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds
Image Credit: Amazon Bose’s headphones and earbuds always top our gift-giving lists, but our current favorites are the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds. The reason? The Bose buds deliver excellent noise-canceling sound, support spatial audio, and last for up to six hours of use per charge with their included case.
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Lego Icons Porsche 911 Set
Image Credit: Amazon Who says toys can’t be cool? Fit for the classic car-obsessed and the Lego collector alike, you can’t beat this Porsche 911 set. The kit includes 1,458 pieces and lets him choose between building the Targa or Turbo model. Don’t be surprised if he wants to display it on the mantel once it’s ready to hit the road.
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Nintendo Switch
Image Credit: Amazon Trust us, the gamer who spends a ton of time on the road wants a Nintendo Switch. The portable console comes with the detachable Joy-Con controllers, and lets him play games no matter where he’s traveling this year.
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Abercrombie Essential Popover Hoodie
Image Credit: Abercrombie He’s worn the same sweatshirt for years, so why not upgrade his loungewear with this bestselling hoodie from Abercrombie? It comes in a range of sizes and stylish colors, as well as a soft-to-the-touch cotton and polyester fabric. It’s a no-brainer that he’ll wear to the gym and around the house all year long.
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Marlowe No. 123 Men’s Facial Moisturizer
Image Credit: Amazon For whatever reason, some guys (especially younger dudes) still haven’t gotten around to buying a good face moisturizer. If you know anyone like that, get him this moisturizer from Marlowe. It’s lightweight, good for all skin types, and, best of all, costs under $16.
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Echelon Fitness Mirror Reflect
Image Credit: Echelon If he’s looking to change up his workout routine, a fitness mirror like this Echelon Reflect will get a ton of miles. The high-tech device brings just about every type of workout — from boxing to strength training to yoga — into your living room (or bedroom or gym), letting you work out with classes and personal trainers at home.
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Amazon Music T-Shirts
Image Credit: Amazon Music tees are always a thoughtful gift. Amazon’s Artist Merch shop offers a great selection of official, affordable band tees to choose from, with just about every genre represented. Maybe peek at his Spotify Wrapped to see which artist tee to get.
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Anker Nebula Capsule Smart Mini Projector
Image Credit: Amazon Think of Anker’s portable projector as a a little gift for the two of you. The Nebula Capsule takes movie night up a notch, thanks to its four-hour battery life, compact size, and 360-degree speaker. It throws a 100-inch display and makes it easy to stream movies from your devices. It’s a gift you can use anywhere all year long.
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Mejuri Curb Chain Bracelet
Image Credit: Mejuri The coolest affordable men’s jewelry you can buy online? Right now that’s gotta come from Mejuri, one of our go-tos for elevating our everday style. We love wearing the brand’s chain bracelets, like this statement piece, which comes in titanium and sterling silver. He’ll love dressing it up for date night or just throwing it on for a coffee shop run.
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Sonic Editions Music Prints
Image Credit: Sonic Editions Think of Sonic Edition’s music prints like posters for grown-ups. The brand offers rare photos of iconic musicians and bands, all in high-quality frames at an affordable price. Their Rolling Stones collection is one of our favorites, but the brand offers a huge range of bands and artists from all genres.
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Leatherman Wave+
Image Credit: Leatherman If he doesn’t already have a premium multi-tool, consider getting him this Leatherman Wave+. It’s one of the best-selling pieces from the industry-defining brand and makes a useful companion for everything from backpacking to fishing to everyday use.
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Vuori Ponto Performance Pants
Image Credit: Vuori If he’s still lounging around in old sweats, update his at-home wardrobe with these Ponto pants from Vuori. They’re super soft, thanks to Vuori’s DreamKnit fabric, and double as workout trousers for cold runs or gym sessions.
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Man Crates
Image Credit: Man Crates Can’t decide on one gift for him? Check out Man Crates. The brand curates special goodie boxes for dudes, with options like a Whiskey Appreciation Crate, a Grill Master Crate, and a Chef Knife Making Kit. Each one comes with a variety of goodies, all packaged in a wood crate to make the unwrapping process more exciting.
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Dekiru 12-Pack Acoustic Panels
Image Credit: Amazon If the man in question works from a home office or likes to chill out in his own space, these acoustic panels are an easy way to help him do that in quiet. The affordable soundproof panels are adhesive, so there’s no major installation required. Just pop them on the wall and he’ll be insulated from noisy neighbors or loud kids (and you won’t have to hear his calls or TV shows).
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Manscaped Lawn Mower Groin Trimmer
Image Credit: Amazon Keeping everything well kept down there can be a real challenge, which leads some guys to forgo downstairs grooming altogether. If that sounds familiar to your husband or partner, this Manscaped Lawn Mower is an easy fix. Its “SkinSafe” ceramic blades won’t knick his privates (like buzz cutters) and the whole device is waterproof for easy trimming in the shower.
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Rolling Stone Covers Tees
Image Credit: Rolling Stone We put some of our most iconic covers on tees, including Elton John in 1976, Tupac in 1996, and Bad Bunny in 2020. If you’re shopping for a music geek (or a fan of our magazine) this is a great way to let them wear a piece of music journalism history.
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Chess Armory Wood Chess Set
Image Credit: Amazon A nice wooden chess set, such as this one from Chess Armory, is one part game one part decor. This one is foldable, so he can stash the pieces and transport the board, and the whole kit has a high-quality feel that makes moving pieces all the more satisfying.
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Levoit P350 Air Purifier
Image Credit: Amazon With pollution, smoke, and allergens creeping into many of our homes, air purifiers have been an essential upgrade this year, especially for our furry friends. This air purifier from Levoit is one of our favorites for pet parents, boasting a powerful HEPA filter that’s capable of cleaning the air in a 219-square-foot space (i.e. a large bedroom). If your giftee lives in a polluted area or suffers from allergies, this is a great way to make him feel healthier.
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Brooks Ghost 15 Running Shoes
Image Credit: Brooks Most of us runners are guilty of using the same shoes for too long. If he’s in the same boat right now, give him a pair of these highly rated Brooks Ghost 15s. With a new midsole that balances cushioning with responsiveness, they’re a good pick for almost any runner — no matter their age or gait — and work best for daily jogs.
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Rhone Commuter Pants
Image Credit: Rhone These Commuter pants from Rhone have been a hit with our readers this year, and we’re not surprised. Although they look like crisp, professional dress pants, the Commuters secretly boast stretchy Flexknit fabric that makes walking and sitting much more comfortable — whether he’s traveling, rushing to work, or hitting the golf course.
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ESPN+ Subscription
Image Credit: ESPN If he’s a sports fan and doesn’t already have an ESPN+ subscription, this is a great way to give him more content (and it doesn’t require any shipping time or wrapping paper). The streaming service delivers a huge variety of live sports content from soccer to UFC to baseball, and it can be streamed on any device.
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Fresh Clean Threads Tee
Image Credit: Fresh Clean Threads It’s almost impossible for guys to have too many well-fitting, high-quality tees. If he’s in need of a refresh, pick up one of these T-shirts from Fresh Clean Threads. They come in a huge range of colors and feature the brand’s ultra-soft cotton-polyester blend fabric.
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Caswell-Massey Heritage Classic Soap Set
Image Credit: Amazon A favorite among our readers this year, Caswell-Massey’s bar soap collection is a great way to inject some class into his shower routine. Boasting three luxurious — Almond Cold Cream, Verbena, and Lavender — the soaps are plant-based, anti-inflammatory, and a clear upgrade from basic drugstore shower gel.
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Wise Owl Portable Camping Grill
Image Credit: Amazon For less than $20, you can treat you man to a portable camping grill in the form of this Wise Owl Portable BBQ. The tiny grill collapses to a 13 x 10 x 1-inch package that’s ideal for stashing on backpacking or camping trips. When he’s ready to use the gril, just unfold it, add wood fuel, and grill up some food.