Cool gifts for Dad - ideas

Isaac

Isaac

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Feel free to throw up here any ideas you have for me to get my Dad a birthday gift. He is 86 years old and lives in a harsh rural Wisconsin climate with long, cold winters and he does any grass mowing / snow shoveling himself. He likes to take care of his own cars and is very much a DIY guy, always in some project painting, nailing, cutting, moving, planting, etc.

Things I've gotten him before that he liked: Mega-powerful flashlights, road hazard Flares, Swiss army knife from Switzerland, Cordless drill.

What I'm really after is you know those advertisements on webpages for random cool products? Like a drill that turns into a waffle maker (just kidding, but creative, one-of-a-kind stuff like that).

If you see anything advertised on the web that looks like one of those really creative, unheard-of items, let me know. I asked ChatGPT but it can't seem to produce output based on existing web ads. I'm looking for specifics.
 
How about a helicopter?
That's a very hands on sort of thing for a practical type of guy.
Plenty to keep him occupied with all those dials and levers.
 
I bought my daughter a mini-hedge trimmer from one of those ads. It is easier for her to handle than the full sized ones so your dad may appreciate that too. Last year I bought everybody fire blankets to keep in a kitchen drawer near the stove.

I also saw some battery powered light bulbs. They screw in and work like normal bulbs but they have a backup battery so you can have a couple of lamps around the house that have power when the lights go out.

If he likes flowers, get him some local wildflower and wild grass seeds so he can turn half the lawn into a wild garden that takes care of itself.

If he likes toys, I'd go with a drone that has a camera.
 
I just bought an internet radio. Like your dad, we live in a rural environment which means that the local radio stations tend to be junk. So, should your father enjoy listening to the radio and has internet access, than that may be a good gift.
 
I'm not sure you can find something for your father in the following site, but I used to buy a lot of funny things from them for my wife.
odditymall.com

Odditymall: Unique Gifts, Odd Gadgets & Gift Ideas

Unique gifts, geeky gadgets, outdoor gear, uncommon home products, and novelty gifts. Unusual gift ideas for men, woman, children, and even pets.
odditymall.com odditymall.com

Edit ; At the bottom of the page, click Gadget. You may find something.
 
For the older crowd, I have three options that have always been popular.

One is I would get a 12 month organizer, decorate it, and for each month type up a list of the family's birthdays, anniversaries, and any special occasions coming up like weddings, communions, graduations, etc. Then I would purchase a card for each one of these occasions and file it by month. I would print up return address labels and include postage. Once wasn't enough, they wanted it refilled every year!

Two is when my love of photography comes in handy because I will make up a photo calendar. Each month had photos of everyone celebrating a special occasion that month with the dates listed. Not only was this requested over and over, but the siblings nagged me to print up one for them.

Three, digital photo books. These were themed, such as when I found my Dad's old album from his WWII Army days and I scanned them all in and made books for my two sisters (and myself).
 
Isaac said:
Feel free to throw up here any ideas you have for me to get my Dad a birthday gift. He is 86 years old and lives in a harsh rural Wisconsin climate with long, cold winters and he does any grass mowing / snow shoveling himself.
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How about a retirement place in Florida with a warden assisted facility should he need it. The gardens are taken care of by an illegal Mexican. All he has to do is relax and enjoy.
Col
 
AccessBlaster said:
How about 100 singles and a strip club? 😉
Click to expand...

Funny (to me anyway) story. I work for a company with operations in Las Vegas. Years ago I was there working on big upgrade, late at night. Somebody joked "we should go to a strip club after". I joked, "gee, I'll have to go get some singles". Our operations manager said "10's and 20's Paul, not singles". :eek:😬
 
ColinEssex said:
How about a retirement place in Florida with a warden assisted facility should he need it. The gardens are taken care of by an illegal Mexican. All he has to do is relax and enjoy.
Col
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If he had any interest in moving and if I had more money that would be a consideration
 
Hearing protection, Bluetooth headphones. Maybe add an old school MP3 player with his favorite tunes.
 
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