A Gadget Dad’s Guide to Gifting Gadgets

A few years ago, I wrote anentire odeto the Draft Top Lift, which I discovered while perusing the drawer under my dad’sbarcounter. 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 onallcan sizes, even large 24-ounce cans of iced tea.

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. My dad often uses it to make my mom’s favorite tequila cocktail, El Diablo, as well as Caesar-salad dressing and other marinades.

These measuring spoons are made specifically for mixing drinks. Designed by the mixologist Jim Meehan, author of theMeehan’s Bartender Manual, these come with a handy .06-ounce bar spoon, which any home bartender will appreciate.

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.

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.

The latest product my dad bought from ThermoWorks is this wireless Bluetooth-enabled probe kit, which he uses for smoking ribs, pork shoulder, or brisket. It’s very convenient because all that data comes directly to your phone via theThermoWorks 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.

Another pick from ThermoWorks: This powerful barbecue fan helps maintain precise temperature control and is ideal forkamado-style models like the Big Green Egg, or charcoal grills, and particularly for long and slow cooking.

My dad’sNapoleon grillhas 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.

My dad owns a Solo Stovepizza 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 shopAPizzDE,which is based in Germany, and you can find a range of other baffle doors for all kinds of popular pizza ovens.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This floating device, which connects to anapp, is what my dad uses to get chemical recommendations for my parents’ hot tub. It helps prevent the not-so-great scenario of opening the hot tub and finding green or murky water.

Since my parents live in Minnesota, their in-ground pool has a cover, which touches the water surface when it’s closed. My dad says he can’t use the Sutro monitor in the pool because it needs to float around to get a reading, so the WaterGuru is his pick for measuring pH and chlorine daily. Like the Sutro, it connects to an app that advises you how to adjust the chemicals based on the data it has collected.

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).

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.)

The Stack Systemis 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.

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.

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.

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.