Gifts for Grandpa

A calendar linked in the Frameo app can fill the screen for the next four days, a week or a month, or sit beside the photos. 32GB holds the pictures, with a microSD slot for more, and it sits on its back stand or hangs on a wall. Videos of up to 15 seconds send free; Frameo’s optional plan allows two minutes.

• No account needed to send
• 32GB plus microSD slot
• Shows your calendar

What owners say: Owners report setup and everyday use go smoothly, and they’re satisfied with the frame overall.

Laurentian Chief has made moccasins in Quebec since 1945, and this one is cut from genuine cowhide that stays light and breathable on warmer days. The leather sole is for indoor floors rather than the driveway, so keep shoes by the door for a step outside. Men’s sizes run 6 to 13.

• Cowhide leather, soft lining
• Soft leather sole, indoors
• Handmade in Canada

What owners say: Owners praise the craftsmanship and the soft, supple leather, find them long-wearing and like that they’re made in Canada.

It has no speakers of its own: the built-in preamp lets it plug straight into powered speakers or a stereo. Before the first record, set the counterweight to the 2 grams the cartridge is made for. The platter stops itself at the end of a side, it plays 33⅓ and 45 rpm records under a hinged lid, and the warranty runs two years.

• Switchable preamp built in
• Auto-stop at a side’s end
• Heavy base on isolation feet

What owners say: Owners single out the sound, find it easy, even fun, to put together and are pleased with the build and the built-in preamp. Some like its heft and some don’t.

Heads up: There’s no Bluetooth, so it can’t send a record to a wireless speaker or headphones: everything goes by cable.

The 2 L bottle is odourless PVC, and BICAREE says it holds its heat for up to eight hours; filled with cold water, it works as an ice pack. Press out the air, screw the stopper down tight and turn it over the sink to check for leaks before bed. It isn’t for the microwave.

• 2 L PVC bottle
• Soft cover included
• Wide mouth for easier filling

What owners say: Owners find it works better than a heating pad and holds its warmth, and they rate how well it lasts; the seal is the one point they disagree on.

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The four-sided bar reads 10 to 160 PSI on two sides and kPa on the other two, so turn it to whichever scale the door sticker uses before reading. There’s no battery to run down. Kept in the cab, it’s ready for a walk-around check at every fuel stop, and the loop on the end hangs it on a hook in the garage.

• Dual-head stick gauge
• Scale in PSI and kPa
• Reaches inner dual-wheel valves

What owners say: A heavy-duty gauge that checks tire pressures well and should last for years, owners say; a few find it bigger than they expected.

Heads up: It reads in 2 PSI steps, coarser than a digital gauge, which matters more on a car than on a truck.

Three of the eight modes use the sensor, which works within 15 cm, and a long press on the button dims the light when full power is more than the job needs. Each lamp has a spot and a flood that can run together, with a beam of 150 m (500 ft), and the head tilts 45°. They’re rated IPX5 against water and weigh 86 g (3 oz) each.

• Two rechargeable headlamps
• Beam 150 m (500 ft)
• Wave-to-switch sensor

What owners say: Super bright with a wide spread of light, owners say, and a pair that charge rather than eat batteries. The wave sensor is where opinions split.

Heads up: Expect 3.5 hours a charge with both beams on, or 5 with one, as Blukar’s own listing says, so charge it the night before a long outing.

A button on the handle puts it up in one move at a car door or a doorway, and 16 fibreglass ribs sit on an aluminum frame. At 99 cm (39 in) it’s carried like a walking stick, its sleeve has a shoulder strap for travel, and Royal Walk covers it against defects for two years.

• Full-length stick umbrella
• Opens at one button
• Wooden crook handle

What owners say: Owners find it strongly built and steady in the wind, big enough for two, with a wooden handle that looks elegant, though ease of use draws mixed reports.

The 4+1 head has a trimmer built in for longer hairs and tilts through 40 degrees, and the sensor checks beard density 160 times a second. It’s fully waterproof, so it can go in the shower. Hold the head flat and shave against the direction of growth, as Braun advises, and brush the foils out now and then with the brush in the box.

• Foil shaver, 4+1 head
• Up to 60 minutes a charge
• Reads beard density, adjusts power

What owners say: Owners find it solidly built, with a close, smooth shave every time, a battery that stays charged a long while and a head that’s easy to clean.

A display shows the charge left as a percentage, and a USB-C charge gives up to two hours of running time; JEETIF suggests topping up once it falls under 20%. The rounded tip only needs to go just inside the nostril. After a trim, twist the head off to the right and rinse it under the tap; a brush and a dust cap come in the box.

• Nose, brow and sideburn heads
• Runs up to 2 hours
• Cleaning brush included

What owners say: It runs smoothly and sits comfortably in the hand, and it’s so frugal with its battery that some haven’t had to charge it again yet. On nose hair it does the job without wowing anyone, and owners think it’s priced about right.

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It keeps drinks hot for up to 18 hours or cold for 24, and the stopper pours with a twist without coming out. At 475 mL (16 oz) it holds two good cups. Rinse the stopper’s thread after sugary drinks so the twist stays smooth. The name goes back to 1904, when Thermos was founded in Berlin to make Reinhold Burger’s vacuum bottles.

• Hot up to 18 hours
• 475 mL (16 oz) capacity
• Leak-proof when closed

What owners say: Compact and still hot hours later, owners say, and it does the job it’s bought for; the lid design and its lifespan are open to debate.

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