Christmas Gift Ideas for Design Engineers 2020
The holidays this year will look different than any other. You might be celebrating with family over Zoom, but you can still give the gift of great design. Not sure what that designer or engineer in your life needs or wants? Need a list to send to your family to tell them exactly what you want because you don’t want another Chia Pet? Read on to see this year’s recommendations. Last year’s list has some great recommendations and it was hard to not just duplicate that list. All of these items are things that the team at the BDR have spent our own money on and can wholeheartedly recommend.
Tools
Kline All-in-1 Precision Screwdriver Set with Case $30
I bought this set and love it. Not only is it a great precision tip set that fits pretty much every possible electronics screw, but the case is hands down the best case that ever came with a set of tools.
Wiss Classic Industrial Scissors $25
These scissors are amazing. The heft, and style are without comparison. I have had this pair for many years and expect to have them forever.
This is a fantastic tool for prototyping. The cut-on-pull blade (opposite of most saws) makes it easy to create a precisely placed cut. I have used mine for wood, plastic, foam, cardboard, and foam core. The blade comes off which makes it easy to stow.
Crescent Flush Cutter Pliers (2-Piece) $15
This is a great set. Well made and useful. The wire cutters are flush cutters so they are great for cutting soldered wires close to a circuit board. The needle nose pliers have very small points, which makes them great for small jobs.
Ryobi Drill and Circular saw combo $129
Learning to build things out of wood will help you be better and designing for manufacturing and assembly. Best of all, it’s a good creative outlet. With a drill and a circular saw you can make a lot of things. Start with making a cutting board and then move up to a box. This Ryobi kit offers good quality for the price.
Unlike other competing multitools that are loaded with mediocre tools you never need, the Skeletool is lightweight, minimalistic, and practical for all occasions. I’ve owned mine for ten years. Whether at the top of a mountain hiking, or working 4-10s in a fabrication shop, this tool has yet to leave me disappointed. The leatherman skeletool CX is their top of the line model.
Fun
Plexity Labs UFO spinning top $17
This is frivolous but fun, and well done.
ROKR puzzles ($30-$60)
These aren’t your average puzzles. There are a variety of 3D puzzles with dynamic parts that will keep your engineer busy and engaged while making it and afterwards. When it is done, it is a fun project to have on display.
Office
Paperlike iPad screen protector/texturizer $34 for two
This transforms the iPad writing experience from writing on glass to writing on paper (textured screen protector feels like writing on paper). It has been really great for me since I am used to sketching on paper (not glass).
Pentel GraphGear 500 Automatic Drafting Pencil, 0.7mm $6
Pretty much the best mechanical pencil ever. 0.7 is better for sketching, 0.5 is better for solving engineering problems.
Screwdriver Pen Multitool ($13)
This pen is very functional, which is exactly what engineers like. Not only is it a pen, but it also has a screwdriver, ruler, level, and touchscreen tip. This is an especially great gift for engineering students.
Dell Monitor Starting at $120
Everyone wants an extra monitor. They just don’t know it yet. In the age of zoom, a lot more people are finding themselves working at home; having an extra monitor for more real estate elevates the quality of your work.
Whitelines Engineering Pad or Sketch Book $12
Whitelines paper is barely off white, with white lines, and four miniature QR codes in the corner, and when scanned with their free app, the white lines are removed and you are left with a high quality scan. I have fallen in love with their sketchbooks and engineering pads, this is the only paper I buy.
Knowledge
A Course from the The Great Courses - None of us are going to the cinema these days. If we are, we might be watching reruns. However, we should take the 10, 20 or X number of dollars we’re saving and put it towards an online/video-recorded course. Some of these courses can be just as entertaining and often more enriching. The Great Courses have lots of options and many are reasonably priced with sales year round. An alternative option is the Master Classes series but their cost structure is different with an annual subscription required. Both are high-quality with the Great Courses usually presented by professors and subject-matter experts, and Master Classes usually presented by celebrities or famous writers. If you or your family member is consuming content through a screen, make it good content. (Price varies $10-$180)
Field Guide to Human Centered Design $30 This easy to digest guide on the design process is excellent. It guides you through many things about making sure that you are designing for people. Sometimes in engineering we forget that our work is all about people and this book makes sure you don’t forget that. As a bonus it has excellent print quality. You can also get the PDF free here.
A Magazine Subscription magazines are often forgotten today, and many will scoff at paying for content, but we still love thumbing through the latest issue of our favorite magazine. It helps you stay up on current issues and new developments (and they are way more fun to read than an academic journal). A few of our recommendations are Popular Mechanics for seeing new or interesting tech, National Geographic for seeing world issues and excellent storytelling, and Mechanical Engineering Magazine for pure engineering news (it’s included with an ASME membership). Also check out a subscription on Medium if you like online content, it has high quality articles about a variety of subjects like AI, data science, design, business, and personal improvement. $10-$40 per year.
Other
Prusa PETG textured print plate $40
Double-sided Textured PEI Powder-coated Spring Steel Sheet. PETG is my favorite 3d printing material, largely because of its strength and its greater resistance to warping (compared to PLA). But printing PETG was difficult on a smooth printing sheet. I transitioned to the textured sheet for all PETG and it changed everything for me.
Arduino MKR Wifi $32 Get into the internet of things (IOT). This board will get you on your way to designing smart devices. Combine it with some switches and a service like IFTTT and you basically have your own easy button.
Prices listed are the prices at the time of publishing.
