5 Best Inexpensive Tool Gifts For Men – Father’s Day Gift Ideas

What can I gift my dad on Father's Day? Find out the 5 best tool gift ideas for dads that won't cost a fortune.

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What gift can I give my dad for Father’s Day or Christmas? I know that is the question that comes to mind every time you need to gift your dad or any significant male in your life. I know it is not easy to find the best gift for him but one thing for sure is that you can never go wrong with tools.

Any man likes to have some handy tools that he can use to carry out simple home improvement projects and car repairs.

Even if your favorite man is not a handy person, the masculinity in him will always challenge him to attempt to repair things by himself before inviting a professional.

This is why it is the man of the house (most of the time) who figures out how to mount the new TV on the wall or fit new appliances.

So, why not gift the special man in your life with a cool tool this gifting season? Whether it’s your brother, dad, boyfriend, or husband, it’s a great way to express your appreciation for their presence and the positive impact they have on your life.

In this article, I share the 5 best tool gift ideas for a dad or any important male in your life that he will find extremely useful in his daily endeavors.

Best Tool Gift Ideas for Men

1. Multi tool – Perfect for the outdoor dad

A multi tool is a hand tool that combines multiple functions in a single unit. It can have as little as three functions and as many as 20 different functions or more.

A multitool is also known as a survival tool because it helps tackle so many small problems on the go that otherwise would require an entire toolbox.

leatherman wave plus multi tool pliers
Leatherman Wave Plus

Outdoor activities have so many surprises. That’s why gifting outdoorsmen with a multitool can be the best thing. Your outdoor dad can use it to cut twigs on the way and tighten things up among other things.

If he loves cycling, then the multitool pliers would be handy for fixing the bicycle on the go. If he loves fishing but finds himself on a river without a fishing hook, he can craft one with a multitool very easily.

For a camping dad, a multi tool with pliers and cutters can have a million uses including cutting, sharpening, and gripping. In short, multi tools have so many uses than you can imagine.

Leatherman is one of the best multi-tool pliers brands. There is a variety to select from but the Leatherman Wave+ is the most versatile model, IMO. It has 18 tools, including combination pliers, scissors, saw, knife, and screwdrivers.

But note that small multi tools are only useful for light-duty tasks and are best carried in the pocket or a holster.

Multitools cannot replace a toolbox. So, don’t get mad when he still carries his trusty toolbox to the worksite even after buying him a multi-tool.

2. Magnetic Pickup Tool or Magnetic Sweeper – Perfect tool gift for old dads

If your dad is old, he’s probably a baby boomer. And baby boomer dads are mostly handy people who like fixing things around the house.

Unfortunately, this age group struggles quite a lot with back problems. Therefore, gifting them with a tool that would eliminate bending over would be such a relief.

That’s how magnetic sweepers and pickup tools come in handy.

If your dad likes to assemble or fix faulty appliances and electronics, a magnetic pickup tool would be ideal. This light-duty tool is useful for picking up screws and other fasteners that fall to the ground and roll to tight corners and under seats.

The best magnetic pick-up tools have an LED light for illuminating dark spaces and an extendable handle that can extend their reach to far places. My favorite is the Cranach magnetic pickup tool with light.

If your old man loves outdoor repairs such as remodeling the house or fixing the fence, then a magnetic sweeper would be the best gift for him.

It is a heavy duty magnetic pickup tool for picking large and many objects at a time. He can use it to collect nails that fall on the ground.

The best magnetic sweepers have a release feature and wheels for rolling the magnetic bar over the ground.

3. Woodworking Tool – Best for the woodworking daddy

If your dad is a woodworker or likes woodworking, the best gift for him is a woodworking tool. You do not have to buy him an expensive power tool. There are so many inexpensive yet thoughtful woodworking tool gifts you can get for under $50.

Tools such as a pocket hole jig, woodworking clamps, wood moisture meter, and work apron are inexpensive but very useful. Woodworkers never have enough of them.

For instance, as a woodworker, I never have enough clamps and woodworking pencils. So, I am sure your dad will appreciate them even if he has them already.

best gifts for dads - Woodworking clamps

But you should know that professional woodworkers are picky with tools.

However, you should understand that professional woodworkers are extremely picky with tools. And most of the time they have a high affinity for premium tools.

So, to avoid disappointment when your woodworking dad doesn’t regularly go for the fancy tool you bought for him, it’s best to purchase something that he already has.

I recommend buying an exact match of a small tool that he loves so that he can swap them. This is better than purchasing something he may never use.

4. Universal Socket Grip – for typical dad home repairs

This is a handy socket wrench that accepts different types and sizes of fasteners. It eliminates the need for a whole set of socket wrenches.

You can use a universal socket grip to fasten nuts, bolts, and fasteners such as J-hooks that have unconventional heads.

For example, I use the socket wrench to drive small J-hooks into the wood frame for hanging art and picture frames.

Generally, a universal socket wrench is a very handy little tool that any dad should have for installing and removing small fasteners in a typical home repair project.

The Cranach chrome vanadium universal socket wrench can be a good option. It comes with an adapter bit ready to fit in your drill or driver.

5. Handy Dad’s Home Repair Kit – Best for Homeowners

If you are lucky to have a handy dad (I believe most are if not all), then he deserves a homeowner’s home repair kit. The kit includes all the important basic hand tools including a hammer, pliers, and common wrenches needed to fix common household problems.

The repair kits are inexpensive, typically costing less than $50. They also come in a nice plastic molded package to keep everything in place when not being used. The repair kit is best for handy dads that do not have a basic tool kit yet.

Here is a review of the best home repair kits for homeowners for under $50.

Conclusion

There you have it!

Wander no more looking for the perfect gift for that special man in your life while there are these tools to choose from.

Did I leave a tool that you think would make a great gift for Father’s Day? Please let me know in the comment section.

Julius
Julius

Hey there! I am an field electrical engineer by day, a blogger by night, and DIYer on weekends. Throughout my career, I have used many tools and learned that getting the right tool for the job is the first step to getting the job done right. This is why I write about tools and tests/reviews them on this blog.