Gift ideas for dad coming from every direction, analog, digital and for all budgets starting at $12 will surely do the trick on father’s day. And make sure to hug dad on his special day!
Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 MAX
With dust, debris and allergens wreaking havoc in your home, not to mention the recent forest fire smoke scares, dad will appreciate the over-the-top Shark Air Purifier 3-in-1 MAX ($550). Its Pure Air Microforce technology delivers fast and quiet purification using a large tubular high quality 99.98% HEPA filter, plus a carbon filter for odour suppression from literally anything. It’s plenty powerful with fast air changes covering a generous 1,000 square feet. Its imposing tower is topped off with a multi direction heating fan for those chilly nights. But it also reaches across the room as a plain fan. Nice!
Ninja DualBrew Pro Specialty Coffee System
The Ninja DualBrew Pro Specialty Coffee System ($270) is on steroids with a small footprint delivering classic, rich, over ice, and specialty brews from dad’s favorite coffee grounds or if in a rush, K-Cup coffee pods. Customize personal brew with nine grounds sizes from single serve to carafe and four pod sizes from 6 to 12 oz. The Thermal Flavor Extraction DUO technology enhances flavour for grounds and pods with even saturation and precise temperature control for the perfect cup of java every time. The handy fold-away frother tops off cappuccinos and lattes. Alternatively, dispense hot water from the independent hot water system to make tea, instant soups, oatmeal, or hot cocoa. The 60-oz Multi-Position Water Reservoir allows for positioning on the side or rear of the machine to fit your space, plus it is removable for easy refilling. Easy cleaning, dishwasher-safe parts, and a removable K-Cup pod adapter allow you to easily deep clean your unit. The unit also features a Keep Warm function, Delay Brew, fold-away frother, paper filter kit, 12-Cup glass carafe, K-Cup pod adapter, and Ninja Smart Scoop.
Huawei WiFi Mesh 7
If dad’s WiFi Mesh network system (which could be in your family home) is several years old, it’s time for a refresh. New Mesh networks can be pricy so my trick is to balance performance features against price. The HUAWEI WiFi Mesh7 tri-band ($400) powered by Huawei’s HarmonOS, gives a big bang for the dollar featuring unique network experiences. Like delivering Wifi 6 “Plus” up to 6,600 Mbps speeds anywhere in a home with its 600 m² coverage. Or one-touch setup with supported NFC-enabled phones by simply tapping your phone to the marked NFC part of the Mesh 7 to create an instant Wi-Fi connection. There’s no need to enter Wi-Fi name and password. Practically, I experienced consistent speeds of up to 58MB/sec in the same room as the unit down to the 39-49MB/sec in the farthest part of my two-story home. The downloadable AI Life app manages your Wi-Fi Mesh connection at home and helps detect and solve network problems like creating a graphical heat map of your home and displaying coverage accurately and vividly on a visualized coverage map. Great for finding dead spots. You can connect up to 250 devices, and use simplified parental controls as well as a guest user check-in.
Philips OneBlade
For the father-figure in your life who’s always playing with their style, the Philips OneBlade Face+Body ($65) is a versatile, unique hybrid styler that can trim, shave, and create clean lines and edges, on any length of hair – anywhere, from head to toe. The compact OneBlade does it all to offer a quicker, more streamlined grooming routine with a dual protection system to make shaving easier and more comfortable. Its shaving technology features a fast-moving cutter (200x per second), and attachments ensuring efficiency and smoothness even on longer hairs.
TCL 40 XE 5G
Affordability is a key differentiator for the TCL 40 XE 5G ($320) Android smartphone priced right for those consumers who don’t necessarily have the budget or desire to purchase a higher end alternative. This rear triple camera system with a 13MP camera and additional 2MP depth and 2MP macro lenses, as well as an 8MP front camera might be perfect for dad. It does a descent job capturing everyday pictures and videos as well as travel photos and sharp selfies with a good wide view background to show where you are. It handles everyday tasks with little lag, is lightweight, and its 5,000 mAh battery lasts all day long. The bright 6.56″ HD+ display has a refresh rate of 90Hz and a touch sampling rate of up to 180Hz for smooth scrolling, fluid animations, and improved screen appearance. It has 4GB RAM and the 128GB onboard storage memory is ample and expandable up to 1TB via microSD card (sold separately). With face unlock and smart side-mounted fingerprint biometric security plus keyboard sign-in, your new phone is secure. The phones comes in Starlight Black.
Kingston Workflow Station and Readers
I have talked about this digital disk/reader organizer before but it’s still front and centre on my desktop or laptop, and never equaled. If dad is deluged with digital media at home or on the go, the customizable USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kingston Workflow Station ($112) controls the flow of music, pictures, movies, and other data on connected desktop or portable computers. The station features four slots for four top level (backward compatible) dual readers and includes one Type A USB and type C USB combo reader. Additional optional dual SD/microSD readers ($43) meet specific needs. It also includes a generous 6-foot Type A USB cord for connecting to computers over and under desks. If all four station slots were populated this means you could have two SD, two microSD, two USB sticks, and two directly connected devices like phones or cameras, all available to manage in one sitting. If traveling light, just grab a couple of readers you may need as each connects with USB cables, too. It requires a power outlet connection.
48 Pocket Tool Holder
Now that we have dad’s digital life organized with the Kingston Workflow Station above, how about a smart way for him to organize his analog stuff? Check out the smart and handy 48 Pocket Tool Holder ($29). Everything has a place and it’s all in sight. Mounted on a bucket you supply, it holds an incredible number of easily accessible tools in its 34 outside pockets and 14 pockets just inside the lip, and you still have the bucket centre for levels, hammers, hand drills, and more. It may not be pretty, but it is effective and portable. Made of polyester with well-reinforced pocket corners. Use with a standard 3 1/2 to 5-gallon bucket. It’s available at my favourite analog store across Canada, Lee Valley.
Multitool LED Light
Also at Lee Valley, the Multitool LED Light ($12) wth an adjustable-beam flashlight at one end and 11 fold-out tools at the other, packs a lot of utility into a compact, light and affordable package kids could afford for dads. The flashlight has three settings: full brightness (90 lumens), a low setting to conserve battery life, and a strobe setting. Sliding the telescoping lens housing adjusts beam focus from a narrow spotlight to a wide-angle floodlight. Concealed in the contoured ABS handle are a 1 1/2″ knife blade (which comes sharpened to a serviceable edge) scissors with 5/8″ blades), a #0 Phillips screwdriver, 1/8″ and 1/16″ flathead screwdrivers, a can opener, a bottle opener, two cutouts that serve as 3/16″ and 1/4″ hex wrenches, and a window breaker and seatbelt cutter for use in automotive emergencies takes three AAA batteries (not included).
See more Father’s Day gift ideas in our Father’s Day Tech Gift Guide.