My Dad’s Gadget Gifts 2026 (original) (raw)
A Gadget Dad’s Guide to Gifting Gadgets
By ,a writer at the Strategist covering clothing basics and bath and body. She joined the Strategist as a junior writer in 2022 after interning at the site.
Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Tim Goertzen
Last year, I wrote the first edition of our “gadget dad” gift guide, inspired by my own gadget-obsessed dad, who loves things like mixology spoons and golf-swing trainers. This year, I’m back with his latest gadget picks, wish-list gadgets, and some of his old favorites. For context: My dad is an interventional radiologist, a job that my mom always explains as being like a “human plumber” because he performs minimally invasive procedures on blood vessels and other internal structures. He uses imaging techniques (such as fluoroscopy and ultrasound) to guide small devices (like catheters or angioplasty balloons) during surgery. From guide wires the size of a human hair to aortic stents as big as a one-and-a-half-inch pipe, he uses all kinds of medical gadgets every day.But it’s not just at work that he uses gadgets — he’s just as into gadgets when he’s off duty, too. He is truly a gadget dad.
He has always hunted for gadgety solutions to fix a range of everyday dilemmas — like a custom baffle door for making back-to-back artisan-level pizzas — to the point that, one past Father’s Day, my mom and I even gifted him a white T-shirt that says LET ME DROP EVERYTHING AND WORK ON YOUR PROBLEM. He takes great pride in the research process, reading countless reviews, scouring Kickstarter and Consumer Reports, and watching hours of videos on YouTube. His research has led him to a charging station that he uses to power all his devices at once, a fan that lets him precisely control the temperature of his smoker, and even a waterproof phone case for capturing photos and videos of seascapes.If this sounds like your dad and you’re stumped on what to get him this Father’s Day, you’re in luck. Here, I’ve rounded up all of my dad’s gadgety picks for Father’s Day, including a few he’s currently trying out and one that’s on his wish list.
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A few years ago, I wrote an entire ode to the Draft Top Lift, which I discovered while perusing the drawer under my dad’s bar counter. It cuts and lifts the top off a can — think LaCroix or Diet Coke — essentially creating an open metal cup, which elevates the flavor profile of your favorite beverage. I love using it to garnish a seltzer with a lime or lemon.Last year, Draft Top re-engineered this gadget and launched the updated Lift Universal, which works on all can sizes, even large 24-ounce cans of iced tea.
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My dad uses these handy stainless-steel cooling balls to make iced coffee at home. They chill a hot espresso shot in seconds, which he can then pour over ice.
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To use this cold-brew maker, all your dad has to do is pour coffee grounds into the center strainer, add water, and leave it in the fridge overnight for a smooth, creamy cold brew. There’s a built-in tap so he can refill his glass each morning for up to a week.
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The uKeg Nitro is another cold-brew coffee maker my dad swears by. It uses a pressurization system to infuse your coffee with nitrogen and keep it chilled for weeks.
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Bru’s ceramic-lined travel mugs are one of his favorites because they don’t taint the taste of drinks, and they’re designed to fit all standard car cup holders. They’re also AeroPress-friendly, which I’m personally always looking for in a travel mug.
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This flat-folding juicer is super-easy to store and works for all citrus fruits, from lemons and limes to large oranges and even grapefruits. As a hobby mixologist, my dad often uses it to make my mom’s favorite tequila cocktail, El Diablo, as well as Caesar-salad dressing and other marinades.
The Fluicer next to a lime for size reference.Photo: Tim Goertzen
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My dad also has his eye on this juicer. The narrow spout gives him pro-level precision when he’s pouring freshly squeezed juice into a jigger.
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Every home bartender needs a strainer like the one my dad owns, which he uses for filtering ice and large fruit pulp from shaken or stirred cocktails.
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These measuring spoons are made specifically for mixing drinks. Designed by the mixologist Jim Meehan, author of the Meehan’s Bartender Manual, these come with a handy .06-ounce bar spoon, which any home bartender will appreciate.
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From my dad’s wish list: these glass straws that look like bamboo.
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Another wish-list item is this funky electric polisher for quickly eliminating water spots from wine glasses.
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My parents already own the smaller Ninja Slushi, but the brand launched a new-and-improved model last month. It has two independent chambers instead of one, so you can dispense two flavors simultaneously.
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The Utah-based brand ThermoWorks is quite the gadget establishment for any home cook or grilling geek.After trying an earlier version of the brand’s thermometer, my dad upgraded to the improved Thermapen One, which provides temperature readings almost instantaneously. It’s waterproof with an IP67 rating and features a backlight display for grilling after dusk, plus it boasts a great foldable design that keeps the probe secure.
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My dad also appreciates this wireless Bluetooth-enabled probe kit from ThermoWorks, which he uses for smoking ribs, pork shoulder, or brisket. It’s very convenient because all that data comes directly to your phone via the ThermoWorks app. “With the older version, when you were opening and closing your smoker, you would catch the wires, but not with this cord-free Bluetooth model,” he told me.
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The surface heat can vary widely across the griddle of his Blackstone, so this infrared thermometer is ideal for making sure the temperature is just right.
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Another pick from ThermoWorks: This powerful barbecue fan helps maintain precise temperature control and is ideal for _kamado_-style models like the Big Green Egg, or charcoal grills, and particularly for long and slow cooking.
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My dad’s Napoleon grill has a wavy cooking grid, so he prefers this cleaning brush. The coiled stainless-steel wire doesn’t shed like other barbecue grill brushes, and the curved handle helps give him more leverage.
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My dad owns a Solo Stove pizza oven, and after reading about ways to quickly increase the temperature during preheating and maintain the heat between pizzas, he decided to buy this custom-made oven door. It’s sold by the Etsy shop APizzDE, which is based in Germany, and you can find a range of other baffle doors for all kinds of popular pizza ovens.
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He keeps these tiny adaptors on hand because they can connect USB-C cables with USB-A ports, which is what you’ll often find in hotels, airplanes, and on older charging blocks.
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This is the charging station I mentioned earlier, which powers an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods simultaneously. It has a small footprint, and the iPhone stand, which provides fast 15W charging, can display the time like an alarm clock when your phone is in a landscape position.
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This travel charger from Mophie is highly packable and offers up to 15W charging. It folds neatly into a small square that can fit into your pocket.
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Although my dad is always wearing gloves at work, he doesn’t like wearing gardening gloves when doing lawnwork because most are too bulky, he says. He’s fine with the odd splinter or thistle as long as he can remove them with his illuminated magnifying glass, which looks a lot like something you might find in an aesthetician’s office.
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As a former lifeguard and barefoot water-skier, my dad is a water nut. He practically grew up on a lake in southern Manitoba, and he has scuba dived and snorkeled in Hawaii, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, and more. The ProShot Touch 2.0 case is waterproof down to 50 feet, so it’s ideal for snorkeling or shallow dives. The case gives you complete camera control via your phone’s volume buttons, which is handy for taking pictures and videos underwater.
A sea turtle my dad photographed in Grand Cayman with his ProShot Touch 2.0.Photo: Tim Goertzen
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Since my parents live in Minnesota, their in-ground pool has a cover, which touches the water surface when it’s closed. Since he can’t use a floating monitor to check the pH and chlorine daily, my dad likes the WaterGuru, which connectsto an app that advises you how to adjust the chemicals based on the data it has collected.
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On my dad’s wish list is this underwater scooter, which allows you to cruise around at three different speed levels. He joked that he’d use it to propel himself to further distances while snorkeling to find the wedding band he lost in the lake near our family cottage (he searches for it every summer).
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Like many dads, mine is also a golf guy. He says it’s mainly because it takes him outdoors and he revels in the challenge. He’s constantly trying to improve his game by reading, watching YouTube videos, and trying new golf gadgets — like this one, which was invented by Fraser Mann, a Scottish professional golfer. Golf’s Essential Mover, a.k.a. the GEM, is one of my dad’s favorites because it attaches to the shaft of your club and helps you “groove your swing” without even hitting a golf ball. Essentially, you can use it to practice anywhere. (My dad even introduced the GEM to his golf pro, which I take as proof that it’s a relatively under-the-radar tool.)
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If he wants to practice his swing at home, the Divot Board gives instant feedback about his club-face angle and ground contact. Simply place your ball in the yellow circle, swing normally, and as you sweep the surface, the two-toned sequins leave a trail on the board.
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The Stack System is an app-based gadget and training device for improving your golf game indoors or at a driving range. “Every golfer’s dream is to outdrive their 19-year-old son,” my dad tells me with a smirk. The brand’s radar monitor is used to measure swing speed and ball speed and to calculate an estimated carry distance. The app can also guide you through customized training programs.
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Here’s a fancier putting mat that has an automatic ball return and allows you to create different slopes on the green by using the pumps along the sides. It gives you a range of realistic practice options — putting uphill, downhill, and a left or right break — with just one single putting mat.
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The PooPail is excellent for cleaning up waste in a multi-dog household. My dad found it on Kickstarter after he realized how messy and laborious it was to rake Great Dane–size poop into flimsy garbage bags. The PooPail has wheels and an ergonomic handle, and the four-gallon capacity makes the backyard cleaning process a lot easier. Just note: This is the upgraded version of the original PooPail with wheels that my dad owns.
[Editor’s note: The PooPail is currently sold out, but check back soon to see if it’s back in stock.]
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This refrigerated wet-food feeder is a newer gadget that my dad is still trying out with our family cat, Selke. Selke can be picky about her food, but she seems to like the feeder, which naturally returns chilled food to room temperature 30 minutes before her mealtimes. It’s ideal for pet parents who aren’t home in time for feedings or are away for a day or two.
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