10 Best Holiday Gifts for the Home-Improvement DIYer in Your Life

by Kim Causey
a small wrench set decorated with a bow as a gift

We all have at least one in our family: the person who fixes, maintains, updates and upgrades everything themselves. Be it a leaky faucet, a hole in the wall, kitchen remodels or some rotting deck boards, they've got it under control. These jack-of-all-trades types can handle seemingly any minor to mid-level home repairs and home improvements — and they're also likely among the hardest people on your list to shop for when the holidays roll around.

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You know they deserve a thoughtful gift and you want to give them something they'll actually use and enjoy. So what exactly do you buy the person who's always tinkering with something and seems to have it all taken care of? To help you worry about one less thing this holiday season, we present to you a shopping list we've compiled — specially selected for this easy-to-love, difficult-to-buy-for individual.

Here are 10 great holiday gifts for the DIYer in your life:

1. Flexible, Extendable Miniature Flashlight

Anyone who has ever tried working under the sink, crawling in the attic or peering down tight, dark spaces knows how important it is to have light handy. It's not always easy to find a flashlight compact enough to fit into small areas. That's where a flexible-and-extendable flashlight — like those seen here — comes in handy. Watch their face light up when they unwrap it!

2. Rugged Work Gloves That Work With Touchscreens

Have you ever seen someone working on a project and their phone rings or they need to send a quick text? Or perhaps they need to watch one more YouTube video to make sure they're following instructions correctly. Instead of having to constantly pull their work gloves on and off, why not get them a pair they won't have to remove? With gloves like these, they can keep their hands protected and stay connected at the same time.

3. Magnetic Wristband

When you're constantly juggling home-improvement projects, it can be difficult to keep track of all the tiny screws and nails you're working with. That's where a magnetic wristband (like those shown here) comes into play. This clever cuff fits snugly around the wrist, keeping all the little pieces of hardware and tiny tools organized and always within reach. It's exactly the type of thing no one realizes they need until they get one — then they wonder how they lived without it for so long.

4. Personalized Hammer

Every do-it-yourselfer needs a hammer — why not make it a personalized one? Have their hammer engraved, then every time your friend or loved one picks up the hammer and swings it, they'll think of the person who gave it to them. As an added bonus, a fellow nail-pounder will be less likely to walk off with it accidentally. On the other hand, they may decide their inscribed hammer is too pretty to use and wish to display it instead — but either way, you've hammered home the message that you care.

5. Multitool

Trying to do projects around the house without a multitool is kinda like going hunting and forgetting the bullets. It's just not going to work. A multitool is just that: It can be used for almost any and everything you can imagine. Versatile implements like these can squeeze more than a dozen tools into one compact package that every handyman, woman and child should have within reach.

6. A How-To Book

Even the most intrepid DIYer can sometimes get stumped and not know which step to do next. Why not give them a book full of repair and maintenance guidance? All handymen and do-it-yourselfers can benefit from a resource like this, even if they just stick it on the bookshelf for now. They might think they know everything they need to know but, trust us — they'll crack the spine on it at some point and thank you later (and then you can thank us for the suggestion).

7. Starter Tool Kit

Everyone has to start out somewhere and you might have a special someone in your circle who's just now getting into home-repair and -improvement projects. A basic starter tool kit (like those seen here) could be the perfect gift to get them going. Make sure it has a hammer, screwdriver with multiple bits, pliers, some shears and some precision drivers — and before you know it, they'll be reshingling your roof and replacing your garbage disposal.

8. Oscillating Tool

Is it a sander? A grinder? A cutting tool? We might not know how to officially categorize it, but a DIY enthusiast is going to be too excited about receiving one of these must-have power tools to care how its classified. They'll literally be looking for stuff to tear up and fix just for an excuse to use their oscillating tool. This small-but-powerful tool can cut, grind, sand and trim, and offers several attachments to make it even more useful. It's a regular jack-of-all-trades — just like the person you're buying it for.

9. Digital Tape Measure

No toolkit is complete without a tape measure, but now you can bring your DIYer's arsenal into the digital age. Whether you're buying for a semi-amateur handyman who needs all the help he can get or a seasoned pro who values perfection at every square inch, they'll measure your love for them by their new digital tape measure. Gone is the need for guesswork as to which mark to read when the device itself calculates the exact span it's measuring. Pro tip: You might want to buy two and keep one for yourself.

10. Tool Box

Now that they have all the tools and books that they could possibly need, what better way to store it all than a brand-new toolbox. Keeping all the tools together from the shop to the house to the deck to the truck is important, and no one wants to have to chase down tools that go missing. If you know someone without a toolbox or who has an old battle-scarred one, treat them to a new, affordable one this holiday season.