Valentine’s Day Gifts for Every Type of Man

Under $25

Fancy Belgian chocolate seashells filled with hazelnut praline are an unexpected twist on the standard box of chocolates.

If his neck is crunched from spending all day looking at screens, this neck stretcher beloved by opera singers and Broadway stars will offer relief.

This is my favorite incense from Japanese brand Nippon Kodo — it smells better than a scented candle and is less expensive. (And it comes in a very giftable box.)

[Editor’s note: This item may arrive after Valentine’s Day depending on your shipping location.]

A made-in-Italy pasta board to get his gnocchi alla sorrentina restaurant-level perfect.

Dye-free, fragrance-free, all-natural mineral bath salts from Japan.

Buy a man an oyster and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man how to use an oyster knife and you’ll feed him for life.

According to chess players, nothing beats an affordable, portable, roll-up chess set. Grandmaster Susan Polgar, a three-time chess world champion, likes this one, praising it as an “an inexpensive but durable set that’s perfect for casual or tournament play.”

[Editor’s note: This item will arrive after Valentine’s Day, but it’s still a great gift, even if a few days late.]

Novelist Haruki Murakami’s meditative book on running “is about so much more than just what is running, how to run, and how to run fast,” says runner Rich Roll.

This insanely good French butter is beloved by Dominique Ansel, inventor of the cronut. “You have to experience it to be able to understand it,” he says. “It’s higher quality than most butter you can find in the U.S. because of the cows and what they eat in France.” (And yes, it’s great for making croissants.)

A display-worthy chunky metal mechanical pencil from Czech company Koh-I-Noor. (For 99 more pens, pencils, and markers for every taste, click here.)

We learned about this anchovy-boosted chili crisp from chef James Park, who literally wrote the book about everyone’s favorite spicy condiment.

This is podcaster Marc Maron’s favorite comb — it’s handmade and folds into an efficient pocket-size package.

Yahae’s luxurious Japanese socks are a favorite among fashionable guys. (In an issue of Secret Strategist, William Frederick designer Bill McNicol called them out as an important component of his holiday-party outfit.)

These espresso-filled chocolates are sold only in the colder months in Italy, so they’re in season right now.

Under $50

If he keeps sending you links to biscuit joiners, he’ll appreciate this introduction to Japanese carpentry written by architect Kiyosi Seike that highlights 48 different joint styles.

One of our favorite weighted blankets, this cotton-and-glass-bead weighted quilt is a game changer, according to Strategist assistant editor and (formerly) restless sleeper Jenna Milliner-Waddell. “I now define my life as pre–YNM blanket and post–YNM blanket,” she says.

These disposable cameras are easy to use and produce surprisingly high-quality black-and-white prints.

If you’re worried that another week of single-digit temperatures might break him, this box of tropical fruit (passionfruit, Meyer lemons, cherimoya, and more) will help him hold on till spring.

This slim card-size tracker fits right into his wallet and can connect to an iPhone’s “Find My” function. (Joel Kim Booster named it as one of the things he can’t live without.)

Claus Porto, a brand that barbers love, has been making its luxe soaps in Portugal since 1887. This soap from the company’s Musgo Real line has notes of sandalwood and patchouli. (It’s also a Zeigeisty shade of gross green.)

The pros go through tasting spoons faster than kitchen towels. This one is so thoughtfully designed that it’s become one of Strategist food and dining writer Emma Wartzman’s most-used tools.

This cute little gadget is half-toy, half-instrument, winner of the “High Target Toy Prize” at the 2010 Japanese Toy Awards. Use the slider on the “tail” to make notes and squish its silicone cheeks for changes in tone.

This CBD salve beloved by cyclists and Deadheads will help soothe achy muscles.

This powerful clip-on fan is “a firestarter’s best friend,” according to chef Jean-Paul Bourgeois. It’ll get tons of air to the coals and get the fire burning hotter faster.

I discovered this almost SFW nude from designer Milton Glaser, the co-founder of New York Magazine, via my co-worker Liza Corsillo’s roundup of the best butt-themed home décor.

A brightening vitamin C serum that’s one of 39 products in Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams’s skin-care rotation, as he told our friends at The Cut.

Under $100

This useful device plugs into a headphone jack and connects via Bluetooth to your AirPods, eliminating the need for headphones on flights (and for unplugging your setup when your seat partner stands). This model can be paired with up to two sets of AirPods in case you’re watching something together.

A dog-size chore coat for an American workwear fan.

A back massager with a long wand that can unknot the hard-to-reach places a massage gun can’t reach.

Escentric Molecules 01 is something of a meta-fragrance: It contains a high concentration of a synthetic molecule used in perfume-making, which gives it a woodsy, unisex scent that’s quite subtle and smells different on everyone.

The design of this stainless-steel butt plug is rarely updated because the brand got it right on the first try, according to sex educator Lola Jean. Its steel construction makes it heat conductive and easy to clean.

This app-controlled sex toy is the “the Cadillac of cock rings,” according to Samantha Bard, co-owner of the Williamsburg sex shop and event space Shag. It can be controlled via smartphone app from anywhere, a feature that makes it really popular, she says.

Under $200

Van lifers Megan Hogate and Ciara Ladroma say that this portable, durable loveseat is a “romantic” camping chair — “that’s the reason we got it.”

This Alessi stovetop coffee maker is a design classic and will make his coffee-making ritual a little more indulgent.

These comfy, cork-soled woolen slippers are a splurge, but they last forever, according to chef and farmer Phoebe Cole-Smith.

Continue his fresh pasta journey with this chef-favorite, hand-operated appliance from a company that has been making pasta machines since the 1930s.

This easy-to-use console is an upgraded version of one of our favorite gifts for gamers that can now pair with a range of devices from iPhones to tablets. Strategist tech writer Jordan McMahon writes that “after trying the Pro for several months, I can’t see myself going back. Its improved ergonomics and more premium controls make long gaming sessions more enjoyable.”

The Wahl Magic Clip is “the top product to own if you want to re-create a barbershop experience in the comfort of your home,” says Miles Wood-Smith, master barber at Murdock London. It’s popular among barbers for its power, sharp blades, and a good range of guard options for getting his beard length just right.

Latex pillows are a splurge, but for restless sleepers, they’re worth it. The material is bouncy and not as easily compressed as foam pillows, and this Naturepedic model is made from organic latex with an organic-cotton cover.

Strategist contributor Leon Hedgepeth tried nine gray sweatshirts to find the very best, and Merz B. Schwanen came out on top. (Hedgepeth’s original pick sold out, but this one is almost identical.) The brand is also the maker of Jeremy Allen White’s white T-shirt from The Bear.

Ultrawarm cowhide gloves that will wear in beautifully over time.

The Loftie alarm clock is great for removing devices from the bedroom, and it lulls you in and out of sleep with gentler noises than an alarm blaring. “It has greatly improved my sleep quality,” says Julianne Fraser, the founder and CEO of digital-marketing agency Dialogue New York. “I fall asleep to the sound baths and use the breath-work and meditation features instead of scrolling through my Instagram feed.”

Guitar-store owners say this Gretsch guitar is a great (budget-friendly) choice for both beginner and amateur players: “The small body makes it easy to hold, and the quality is outstanding, especially considering the price,” says one guitar seller.

Used by one data-obsessed doctor to track exercise and sleep: “If it ever broke or got lost, I would replace it immediately. I feel lost without it,” he says.

$200 and above

This undyed wool sweater, knit in Vermont, is one of our favorite items from the Secret Strategist gift guide.

If he’d rather outsource brewing coffee to a machine, gift him the Technivorm Moccamaster. It delivers a “consistently better cup,” according to Jim Munson, founder and president of Brooklyn Roasting Company, and is made with “solid construction and better parts” than similar models, per Suyog Mody, co-founder of Driftaway Coffee.

The catalogue of a 2018 Morgan Library exhibition of works by photographer Peter Hujar sold out immediately, but you can still find copies from resellers on eBay and on Amazon.

When Strategist tech writer Jordan McMahon asked professional DJs and vinyl collectors about the best turntables for beginners, this Audio-Technica was one of their go-to recommendations (and the least expensive of the bunch).

“If you want to see a grown chef cry, gift them an Ooni,” Strategist food and dining writer Emma Wartzman writes. The steel oven can get to very high temperatures, ideal for a good char on pizza crust.

Most people don’t need a $200 pepper grinder. But if he is obsessed with pepper and wants to maximize his yield per grind, it’s the best in the biz.

Jay Duplass swears by Novaalab’s light pad, which helped calm soreness when he was filming a horror movie that had him “running around like an idiot, getting beat up, and doing fight scenes, screaming and yelling, and your body hurts.”