gifts – Humble Mechanic

Some may find it hard to buy holiday gifts for the gear head in their life. This Christmas season, don’t chance getting the wrong gift for that car fanatic. Here are some of my recommendations for “Gear Head Gifts”

Jack and Jack Stands
This is a must for anyone doing their own car repairs. The jack so the car can be lifted to work underneath, and the stands for added safety. This kit is great because it also comes with wheel chocks. That is an important part of lifting a vehicle. One thing that may be worth adding is these Jack Pads. They will help prevent damage to the pinch welds on the car. You could also cheat and use a hockey puck.

Vehicle Service Manual
This is a great addition to every gear head’s book collection. A repair manual will give important information like torque specs, how to’s, and other important repair information. There are a number of different companies that make repair manual. Most cars have a Chilton or Haynes manual. If your gear head owns a German car, Bentley manuals are the best. There may also be sites a PDF may be available for download.

Dash Cam
To me a dash camera is becoming more of a need than a want. With all the crazies on the road, its nice to have proof of what is going on. The hope is you never need that type of footage. Maybe of us gear heads like to record our drives. A dash cam is great, and may be more reliable than certain “action” cameras. Don’t for get the SD cards. This one will only support 32gb max. You can even get one like the Waylens, that connects to your OBD port.

Jump Start Pack
This is something that I use all the time. I actually did a review of this Noco Genius. This is the best jump pack I have owned, and is one of the best ones we have in the shop. It is great to toss in the car and keep it for emergencies. In addition to being a great gear head gift, it’s great for back up power. During a recent hurricane, it kept my wife’s cell phone charged for 2 days.

Emergency Car Kit
This is something that every car on the road should have. And while kits like this may not be everything you will ever need, it’s a great start. Having a kit with first aid kit, jumper cables, basic hand tools, a flashlight and more is a great start. An emergency car kit is one of the things you hope you never need, but you will be glad when you need it. I have found that I use my stuff like this help out others more than I need it.

Portable Tool Kit
As an addition to the emergency car kit, a portable mechanic’s tool kit is a great gift. Having a kit with a blow molded case like this is awesome. Your gear head can have plenty of tools in a neat and organized package. This also prevents tools from flying around the trunk of the car or back of a truck. This is just a suggestion for a kit. Check out Sonic Tools for more great portable tool kits.

Car Memorabilia
This is the stuff that most all of us gear heads love. For me, it’s all about old VW signs. I have them hung all around my shop. Some gear heads have their favorite brands, while other can appreciate all types of cool collectible car art. If you’re not sure what your car fan loves, you can’t go wrong with old school signs from the brand of car they drive, or the tools they own. I also have a place in my heart for old oil containers too.

Heated Jacket and Cold Weather Gear
If you’re in Florida, this may not be the best gear. But in much of the country there are times of winter it gets cold. For me, I have a hard time working on cars when it’s cold outside. My hands don’t seem to function right when they are cold. One of the neat ways to stay warm is a heated jacket. This Milwaukee Tools jacket run on the M12 battery, and has heater elements in it. Heated gloves are also an option, but I find it hard to work while wearing bulky gloves. This is on my personal list (if you happen to read this honey) 😉

Qalo Ring
This is a gift that goes far beyond gear heads, but is perfect for them. My wife wears her 2 Qalo rings all the time. They are designed with a mechanic in mind, but are perfect for anyone. The rings are made of silicone so no need to worry about carrying current, or getting caught and causing unhappy finger damage. I wore a Qalo for a while, but I am too fidgety and couldn’t stop playing with it. LOL

Thermal Image Camera
This is a tool I love having in my toolbox. I did a review of the Flir One so you can see it in action. This thermal camera connects to your smart phone. They make a version for iPhone and for Android. I have used it to diagnose engine issues, seat heater issues, and more. You can also use it around the house to find places the may need attention for letting the outside climate in.

These are some of the best gear head gifts I could find. There are countless things that people love. I hope that these inspire you to find the perfect gift for that car guy or gal on your list. I have also created an Amazon store with plenty of other “Humble Mechanic gift recommendations”

As always I love to hear your thoughts. Please post them in the comments section below. Also if you have an idea for a show you can email me, or use the contact me form!

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Happy Father’s Day It’s that time of year again. Time to find that perfect gift for dad. As a new(ish) father myself, It’s fun to shop for all the cool things I would want my daughter to get for me. She is only a year and a half old, so she needs some help. But hey, we can all use a little help in this department. Buy a gift for Father’s Day can be tricky. So I want to give you guys some ideas to really WOW your dad!

The mindset of buying a gift for dad.
Odds are your dad is a super busy guy, that works hard for the family. Just like mom, he sacrifices more than we give him credit for. So consider getting him something for Father’s Day you all can enjoy. While another tie may be fine, why not give dad a great memory in addition to the newest Steve Harvey tie collection. Now I am not saying you should pull a Homer Simpson, and buy him a Homer bowling ball, but be thinking of things the family can enjoy. Odds are he wants that as much as a new Drone. (Oh, and he REALLY wants a new Drone too)

There are a few fun ideas I would like to pass on. Some of these will depend on your location. So if search around locally, you will find where you can do these fun activities. I highly recommend doing these WITH dad!

A day of indoor electric Go-Kart racing.
Sporting clays, or skeet shooting
Guided fishing tours
Lazer tag! (who doesn’t love that)
A day at the ball park. Here the sport does’t matter!
A trip to the water park

Now that I have given you some fun activities, lets talk gifts. I am going to list my top favorites here. I also make a store on Amazon. Check it out for even more awesome Father’s Day gifts.

This is really a one of a kind. Giving dad a custom made knife. Patrick is a true knife craftsman. In addition to these neck knives, he makes other amazing custom knives. From had sharpening, to rare material handles, and even a class on how to properly sharpen knives, you can really hook dad up.

You can buy the Genesis Knife on Amazon. You can only get Patrick’s custom build knives on his website. Check out MTKnives.net. I personally have the Genesis Knife. It is so much better than any other knife I own.

If you have followed the blog for any length of time, you know that I love flashlights. This Streamlight Stinger is among my favorites. I have two of them at my house. Heck even Mrs. Humble loves these lights. Mine came with a wall charger, that doubles as a car charger. It even comes with an extra battery.

I have a blue one just like the picture, but you can get it in a few different colors. We have a few techs at the shop that use these lights as their primary light. I can’t recommend this flashlight enough.

It is probably no secret that ~~dads~~ everyone love clean cars. But finding time to keep the car clean is very challenging. When I find the time, I enjoy washing my car. Well, as long as I don’t find another scratch on it. Having a car care kit makes keeping our cars and trucks clean a little easier. In fact, I am ordering the Scratch remover when I am finished here. The Tiguan suffered a little battle wound.

I have been using Meguiar’s cleaning products since I was washing my first car, a Jeep Wrangler for those that want to know. Meguiar’s has all the right products for all the cleaning needs. We even use it at the dealership on new and used cars.

Having a good set of tools is important no matter who you are. Having the right tools can also be the difference between doing a job in an hour, or in a weekend. And while buying dad a complete set of Sonic Tools may be out of your budget, think small. Think about getting dad a small tool kit to keep in his car. A ratchet, a few sockets, and a screwdriver may just get him out of a jam. Heck he may even use that to get you out of a jam, THANKS DAD!

As a technician, I have hundreds of loose bolts. It would probably take 15 of these bolt organizers, and 2 months to get all of my stuff nice and neat. Good thing is, most dads will not have this issue. Staying organized in the garage is extremely important. It also saves time when looking for the right bolt. It doesn’t matter if you are rebuilding a car, or hanging a picture.

You know you wouldn’t get a gift list from me without some type of VW gear. I personally own this sweatshirt. It was basically my winter coat last year. It is thin enough to be comfortable in the spring, and to wear under a coat in the winter.

Now, if dad is not a VW fan, that’s cool. If he loves his car, get him something like this. I am often geared up with VW shirt and hat, while driving my VW. VW nerd alert!

Okay, I am including this Drone for one reason. I want a Drone. So I have to assume that many other dads will want one too. A ton of us guys are gadget junkies. And what is hotter right now than video taken from 100ft up in the air. I have been working hard to justify buying one for myself. Maybe your dad has been too. (this is only partly a wish list)

Finally I want to finish up with an Amazon Prime account. The big push of Amazon Prime is Two-Day Free Shipping. But I use it for so much more. You get online movie rental, I am watching Star Wars as I write this, free TV shows and movies. Amazon Music has tons of free music for download, and you can make your own station. I have also downloaded a few audio books to pass the time while driving or on airplanes. A year of Amazon Prime is a home run gift for dad!

These are my top gifts. But I also made a Store on Amazon with a ton more awesome things for dad. I hope that you all have a wonderful Father’s Day. For me, it means the world to know my kiddo had as good of a day as I do.

Tag Archive for: gifts

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