Gift Ideas for Design Engineers 2024

Some people like to think the Christmas Season starts the day after Halloween while others demand we wait for December before we crack out the Christmas music.

Regardless of where you stand on that spectrum, the holiday season is upon us and people start thinking about gifts to give each other, especially with Thanksgiving and Black Friday just around the corner.

Furthermore, if you are a designer or engineer, with formal training or not, this article is for you! But maybe even more so for that person in your life who doesn’t know what to give you for Christmas. Consider forwarding this list to them and it’ll maybe give them some ideas.

Enjoy exploring some great gift ideas we wouldn’t mind receiving ourselves (hint, hint).

The BDR editorial board wishes you a happy holiday season and hope the last couple of months of 2024 will be successful, happy, and full of good designs!  (Links and prices were respectively active and current on the day of publication)

Tools:

rOtring Mechanical Pencil and Touchscreen Stylus - $50.98

Spending $50 on a pencil might seem a bit too much, but this pencil is not only good quality, it also doubles as a stylus. Every engineer needs a good mechanical pencil, but I also see plenty of my friends using their iPads to take notes. This pencil takes the necessity of a graphite pencil and combines it with the technology needed to be used as a stylus. The pencil tip retracts into its body to be used as a stylus. Plus the pencil itself is engineered to last with extra graphite.

Rechargeable Laser Pointer - $29.99

This rechargeable green laser pointer is an epic gadget. Use it practically for presentations and in construction environments to direct attention, or explore the night sky and play with your cat. For an up-and-coming engineer, this laser is the perfect way to explore optics and the principles of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Hand Blender - $18.99

Hand blenders provide all the awesome blending power that traditional blenders have, but they are smaller, cheaper, and easier to clean. Use this ultimate combination of form and function to make anything from smoothies to soup to salsa.

USB C Hub Multiport Adapter - $9.99

An adapter with multiple uses is always essential as a student and as an engineer. This comes in handy when needing to present to a group, connect to other devices, or even when simply wanting to have a movie night.

LED Magnetic Pickup Tool - $9.99

As engineers we are contantly working on projects and they vary in size. When working on smaller projects it can be easy to lose pieces so having a magnetic tool is helpful along with an LED to help us see.

Supplies:

Tech Shield Gloves - $5.99

These touchscreen gloves have been part of my winter apparel for years. I highly recommend them for the ability to use your phone while keeping your hands warm. These ones in particular are fairly cheap and semi-waterproof.

Ultimate Arduino Starter Kit - $65.99

One of the places some designers' abilities lack is in electronics. Ρrogramming, arranging wires, balancing circuits are vital to be able to create something in this digital age. This Arduino Starter Kit includes everything you could possibly need to jumpstart your electromechanical abilities, including remotes, servos, wires, lights, and a downloadable code library with tutorials.

9″` x 12″ Spiral Bound Sketchbook - $11.99, also needs ballpoint pens

Visualization is key when designing successful products. The simplest way to do so is through pen and paper. This sketchbook is perfect for developing those skills. Even if you're not a da Vinci when it comes to sketching, the BDR has a short course on sketching that has helped some of our Editorial Board members go from nothing to pretty good sketchers.

Glow in the Dark ΡLA Filament - $25.99

Most of us have access to a 3D printer, so why not jazz up our prints with some fancy filament? With so many colors available, why do we keep printing in neutral tones? Let’s get some glow in the dark, some shiny silk, or even some wood grain filament, and bring some fun to our designs!

Books:

Engineering Black Book 3rd Edition - $31.99

This book will provide you with all your conversion and formula table needs. I always find myself looking up specific equations, but this book compiles it all into one helpful place. For engineers, I think this is a great gift to help them compile information in one.

Designing an Aircraft Textbook - $70.79 on Thriftbooks,

What engineer has never wanted to build their own plane? This book has every last detail of aircraft design spelled out in fairly simple, albeit engineering-specific, terms. You can build a bush plane, an RC plane, or even draw up designs for a principle-based Sci-Fi plane.

Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed - $10.25

As told by Ben Rich, the mastermind behind Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, this book dives into the engrossing history of the US military complex’s most famous aerospace engineering feats. From a firsthand perspective, Rich details the history of the organization behind renowned US military aircraft, from the first American jet fighter, the P-80 Shooting Star, and the U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane, to the first stealth fighter, the F-117 Nighthawk, and the king of air superiority, the unmatched F-22 Raptor.

Perspective Made Easy Instructive Sketching Book - $7.99

I’ve had plenty of humiliating experiences during group projects for my engineering classes where I couldn’t draw my ideas on the whiteboard for the life of me. This instructive book can help us as engineers to never be embarrassed while sketching again. This book specializes in drawing with a 3D perspective which is especially useful for isometric sketching.

Other:

Vintage NASA Posters - $24.99

As an avid NASA fan, this is definitely something I would love to hang on my walls. The neutral colors provide the opportunity to decorate any space reminding you of some of the amazing things humans have engineered. I highly recommend the four prints to create a gallery display for larger walls.

Van de Graaff Generator - $149.99

This electricity generator is a shockingly great gift. Use the hand crank to build a charge of up to 100 kilovolts for dramatic demonstrations of electricity or to give your friends an electrifying experience. The machine is totally safe and is a great tool for exploring voltages and currents.

Nike GORE-TEX Running Shoes – ranging from $120 - $190

Nike collaborated with GORE-TEX to make waterproof running shoes with special soles that are designed for wet terrain. This gift would be perfect for anyone who doesn’t want to let the harsh winter weather get in the way of their daily run.

Laptop/Phone/Keyboard Cleaning Kit - $12.59

When working on your laptop, inevitably there comes a moment when you realize that your keyboard or screen is disgustingly dirty. You might pick at things but never really fully clean them. This cleaning kit is portable and fairly simple. Never have a dirty keyboard again!.

Polygon Measuring Spoons - $30 - $40

I’m not a fan of washing dishes (especially hard-to-wash ones) and many measuring spoons are small and difficult to wash. The polygon measuring spoon is a perfect response. It’s adjustable to a variety of sizes, takes almost no space in a drawer, and because it can unfold and lie flat, it’s easily washable. A perfect gift for that cook or baker in the house!