With Valentine’s Day coming up, men all over the country are struggling to find great gift ideas for the women in their lives. It is guaranteed that flowers and chocolates will be expected by most women, but this doesn’t meant that a practical gift cannot be thrown into the mix as well. Here are five practical unconventional gift ideas that you may want to consider, for Valentine’s Day and otherwise.
1. Victorinox Swiss Army Classic Pocket Knife - These keychain and purse-pocket-sized tools can be found in female-friendly colors such as pink, translucent ruby, and amethyst, as well as in several flower motifs. My wife uses the one I gave her quite frequently, and reports that the scissors and nail file are the tools she uses the most.
2. Maglite Solitaire - This is another keychain tool that my wife now carries everywhere she goes. I almost always have a more powerful LED penlight on me, but in my absence the Maglite Solitaire handles all of my wife’s illumination tasks with ease.
3. Maglite Mini Flashlight - My wife is quite fond of her Maglite Solitaire, so I gave her a Maglite Mini to keep in her desk at work, just in case she ever needs it.
4. PB Swiss Tool Set for Her - This compact tool set provides most of the screwdriver types that one might need to drive, remove, or adjust typical household fasteners. The Tool Set for Her comes with a soft-grip handle, precision handle, and interchangeable screwdriver blades. Alternatively, there is the PB Swiss Tool Set for Him, which includes a hard-grip handle and a slightly different attachment assortment.
5. Peltor Noise-Cancelling Earmuffs - No, this is not a joke. My wife likes to use various kitchen gadgets that can be uncomfortably noisey. While quality earplugs work equally as well, they are difficult to apply and adjust when one’s hands are coated with cookie batter or worse. Peltor’s earmuffs can be quickly and easily washed, but they can also be comfortably put into place by another person - something you might not want to try with earplugs.
We purchased all of the above products at Amazon.com, but they are also widely available online and at local sporting goods and hardware stores.
3 Comments
I really like these, what a relief to have a choice of gifts that aren’t going to make me fat or wilt on my counter. Really. I could definitely use #5, the earmuffs… during the summer I like to relax outside and can’t stand the constant hum of neighbors mowing.
Thanks for the ideas. This article was a wake up call for me that V-day is coming!
No problem! The gift ideas are valid all year round, but be careful… The sight of a pink Victorinox classic or purple Maglite emerging from a purse invokes an “oooh I want one too” expression from all the other women in a room.