Gift guide · 12 ideas
Birthday gifts for him
For a boyfriend or husband’s birthday: presents for his music, game day, the backyard and the golf course.
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Buying for a partner should be the easy one, and somehow it never is. You know him better than anyone, but anything obvious he’s already bought himself, usually the cheapest version. These are the presents that feel like a treat: the better headphones, the record player he keeps mentioning, a fire pit for fall evenings in the backyard, the gadget for his Saturday round.
Each idea comes with our pick from one of our top lists, where it was compared with the best of its kind, and chosen here as the one that makes a birthday present rather than the cheapest that does the job. Most are bigger gifts, with a few smaller ones that go well with a card and dinner out.
Noise-canceling headphones
For the flight, the commute and the open office: headphones that shut the noise out so he can actually hear the album. The upgrade most men put off for years.
Bose QuietComfort Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones (Sandstone)
$150–$200
Quiet mode shuts out as much as it can, Aware mode lets the gate announcements in, and plush cushions keep them comfortable on a long-haul flight. A carry case and cable are in the box.
What owners say: Comfort for hours on end leads the praise, with the sound, the noise canceling and a long-lasting, quick-charging battery close behind. A few find the price too high, and some report dropped connections or a pair that stopped working.
A closer look: The cable has an in-line mic and keeps them working even with a dead battery, which suits a plane’s seat screen. The ear cushions are removable, so they can be replaced when they wear rather than buying a new pair.
- 24 hours with noise canceling
- Connects two devices at once
- Carry case included
Heads up: Bose also makes the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen), with lossless audio over USB-C and spatial sound; this first version gets the same 24 hours a charge.
View on Amazon See our top 5 noise-canceling headphones →A record player
He’s rebuilding his record collection, or keeps saying he will. A turntable of his own gets the old albums out of the closet and onto a Saturday night in.
Audio-Technica AT-LPGO-BT Fully Automatic Bluetooth Turntable
$150–$200
Press start and it lowers the arm, plays the side and lifts the arm back by itself, so nobody has to handle the stylus. Bluetooth sends the record to a wireless speaker or headphones, and the cartridge is Audio-Technica’s own: the company started out making phono cartridges in Tokyo in 1962.
What owners say: A good first turntable, owners find: the start and stop buttons keep it simple, and Bluetooth links up quickly with the speakers already in the house. Old albums sound good through it.
A closer look: Set the preamp switch to LINE for powered speakers or a stereo’s aux input, and to PHONO only if the amplifier has its own phono input. When the stylus wears, Audio-Technica lists the ATN3600L as its replacement, so there’s no need to change the whole cartridge.
- Fully automatic play
- Bluetooth to speakers, headphones
- Stylus can be replaced separately
Heads up: It has no speakers of its own, so pair it with a Bluetooth speaker or plug it into powered speakers or a stereo.
View on Amazon See our top 5 record players →A fire pit with a grill
Weekends already find him at the grill. This keeps him outside after the burgers, with a fire going and everyone pulling their chairs in close as the evening cools.
Hykolity 2-in-1 Fire Pit with Swivel Grill (31 in)
$75–$100
A 31-inch steel bowl with a cooking grate that swings 360 degrees on a post and moves up or down, so the burgers can go over the embers and then the grate swings aside for an evening around the fire. Star-shaped vents low in the bowl help the logs draw air and burn brighter.
What owners say: Owners enjoy grilling over it and find it fits a small patio yet seats a group of four to eight, and the grate and spark cover both get a thumbs-up. Rust is the divide: some have seen none, while others found spots within a couple of months.
A closer look: Set the grate to the height you want and tighten its screws before lighting, then let the flames settle to glowing embers before the food goes on. Once dinner is done, swing the grate aside and put the spark cover on for the rest of the evening.
- 31 inches across
- Spark guard and cooking grill
- Swiveling, height-adjustable grate
A golf rangefinder
For the Saturday golfer: the exact yardage to the flag, adjusted for slope, so he picks the right club instead of guessing. The rest of the foursome will want to borrow it.
Bushnell Tour V6 Shift Laser Rangefinder with Slope
Over $300
Slope-adjusted distances with an outside switch to turn slope off for competitions, a red ring that flashes and a buzz when it locks on the flag, and a magnetic mount that sticks to a cart. It’s waterproof to IPX6, so a downpour doesn’t end its round early.
What owners say: Accuracy and speed get the most praise, along with clear optics and a magnet that holds firm on the cart; the pin lock grabs the flag in a fraction of a second. Some find it pricey.
A closer look: It runs on a CR2 battery (one comes in the box, with a case and a cloth), so tuck a spare in the bag rather than relying on a charge. Flip the slope switch off before any competition round; with it on, the readings allow for uphill and downhill shots.
- Ranges 5–1,300 yards
- Slope on/off switch
- Magnetic cart mount
A smartwatch
He checks his phone all through dinner. With messages and calls on his wrist, the phone can stay in his pocket until dessert.
Apple Watch SE 3 (GPS, 40mm)
$200–$300
The SE 3 now has an always-on screen and a daily sleep score, and covers the essentials: messages, calls, Apple Pay and workouts tracked with its own GPS. It charges quickly, with 15 minutes giving up to eight hours.
What owners say: Easy to set up and easy to live with, owners say, with plenty of useful features and sleep and activity tracking they trust. Battery life gets a mixed hearing, older iPhones can’t pair with it, and the 40mm case is just right for some and too small for others.
A closer look: The 40mm case suits slimmer wrists, and the 44mm leaves more room for reading messages. Fall detection can call for help after a hard fall, a reassuring extra for older wearers, and the temperature sensor feeds the Vitals and Cycle Tracking apps overnight without anything to switch on.
- Battery up to 18 hours
- Built-in GPS
- Fall and crash detection
A leather wallet
His wallet is held together by habit, and he won’t replace it until it falls apart. A good leather one is an upgrade he’d only ever get as a present.
Fossil Derrick Leather Bifold Wallet (flip ID)
$50–$75
Fossil’s Derrick: a dark brown leather bifold with eight card slots, two flip-up ID windows, two sliding pockets behind the slots and a single bill compartment, lined to block RFID readers. At 4.5 x 3.5 in and half an inch thick it’s the classic back-pocket size, with a small metal logo on the front.
What owners say: The leather and the sturdy stitching draw most of the praise, along with its looks and the room for cards; some wish the bill compartment held more than a little cash.
A closer look: Slide the cards used daily into the two sliding pockets behind the main row, the quickest to reach without opening the wallet flat. The bill compartment is a single sleeve, so fold cash once and keep receipts elsewhere, and wipe the leather with a dry cloth rather than anything damp.
- Bifold with flip-up ID
- Genuine leather
- Half an inch thick
A cozy bathrobe
The robe he has now dates from college, and it shows. This one is warm enough for a slow coffee on a cold Saturday morning.
NY Threads Shawl Collar Fleece Bathrobe
$20–$30
Fluffy coral fleece with a classic V-shaped shawl collar, warm without much weight, and two front pockets big enough to bury cold hands in.
What owners say: Owners love how soft it is, even after many washes, and liken putting it on to a warm hug on a cold day; opinions split on the sleeve length and on how well the stitching lasts.
A closer look: The relaxed fit leaves room for pajamas underneath, and it goes through the machine as often as you like; leave out the fabric softener, which mats a fleece pile. The pile can look a shade lighter or darker depending on the light, which NY Threads notes is the fabric rather than a fault.
- Soft polyester coral fleece
- Machine washable
- Two big front pockets
A cooler for tailgates
Tailgates, the boat, long days at the beach: he’ll use it every chance he gets. It’s the kind of thing he looks at in the store and walks past, which is what makes it a treat.
YETI Roadie 24 2.0 Hard Cooler
$200–$300
Rotomolded walls like a big expedition cooler, in a tall, narrow box that stands behind a car seat. A padded DoubleDuty strap takes the weight on the walk to the beach or the boat, non-slip feet stop it from sliding, and a drain plug empties the meltwater.
What owners say: Owners rate how long it keeps ice, often for days, and like it as a mid-size cooler for day trips, with a strap strong enough for the load.
A closer look: Thick walls mean the inside is smaller than the outside suggests: about 13 inches deep, so most bottles stand up. A bag of sacrificial ice the night before cools the walls, and the real ice lasts longer; drain the meltwater through the plug instead of tipping the cooler.
- Holds 22 quarts
- Weighs 13 lb empty
- Fits behind a car seat
Heads up: At about 13 lb before anything goes in, it’s heavy for its size, the cost of thick rotomolded walls, so use the strap once it’s loaded.
View on Amazon See our top 5 coolers →A soundbar for game day
For Sunday football and movie nights: the TV’s own speakers can’t do a stadium crowd or a car chase, and a bar with a subwoofer can.
ULTIMEA Poseidon M60 5.1 Soundbar with Subwoofer
$150–$200
A bar and a wired wooden subwoofer together, with five drivers in the bar, two of them firing sideways to spread the sound, and Dolby Atmos decoding over HDMI eARC. VoiceMX lifts dialogue out of the mix, and the ULTIMEA app has a 10-band EQ for fine-tuning.
What owners say: Dialogue comes through clearly, owners say, and setup is quick. They like having bass, treble and surround to adjust in the app, and phones connect over Bluetooth at once and stay connected.
A closer look: The subwoofer is wired to the bar, so it needs a spot within reach of the cable, usually on the floor beside the TV stand. One HDMI cable to the TV’s eARC port carries Atmos, and once HDMI control (CEC) is switched on the TV’s own remote can usually work the volume.
- Wired subwoofer in the box
- Dolby Atmos sound
- Dialogue boost mode
An instant camera for days out
Nights out and road trips together come home as prints: one for the fridge door, one for the inside of his wallet.
instax mini Evo Hybrid Instant Camera
$150–$200
Check each shot on the 3-inch screen and print only the keepers, so a pack of film goes much further. It also prints photos from your phone over Bluetooth, which turns it into a pocket printer for vacation pictures.
What owners say: Printing straight from a phone is the big draw, along with the retro looks, the easy controls and plenty of filters to try before printing. Image quality divides owners, though: sharp to some, pixelated to others, and a few balk at the price.
A closer look: Every shot is saved to its memory, about 45 pictures, or to a microSD card (sold separately), so it doubles as a small digital camera. The free instax mini Evo app lets you shoot remotely, handy for getting everyone into the group photo, and it takes instax mini film.
- 3-inch screen, prints from phone
- Rechargeable, about 100 prints
- Remote shutter from the app
A travel pack for weekends away
Trips away together go quicker with no checked bag and no wait at the carousel, because this pack fits under the plane seat.
Osprey Daylite Expandable 26+6 Travel Pack
$100–$150
Osprey’s personal-item pack, sized at 16.9 x 13 x 6.3 in to meet most major airlines’ under-seat limits, with a main compartment that unzips 2 in to add 6L when a trip calls for it. A ventilated AirScape back panel, a tech sleeve, two stretch bottle pockets and a pass-through for a suitcase handle, all in recycled, bluesign-approved fabric.
What owners say: Travelers call it a quality pack that measures as a personal item and sits under the seat, with deep pockets and smooth zippers that open it like a suitcase, and say it carries comfortably.
A closer look: Leave the expansion zipper closed on the way out so the bag stays within the personal-item size, and open it for the trip home. The tech sleeve sits against the back panel, where a laptop rides safest, and the front pocket is cut for a quart liquids bag, which speeds things up at security.
- 26 liters, 32 expanded
- Weighs 1.85 lb
- Front pocket fits liquids bag
A cocktail making kit
For the one who orders a cocktail every time you go out and reads the drinks menu like a wine list. With his own kit he can mix a round at home, and date night starts in the kitchen.
Bare Barrel 16-Piece Mixology Bartender Kit with Stand
$50–$75
Built the way bartenders work: a 28 oz two-tin Boston shaker, a Japanese jigger, and both a Hawthorne and a fine mesh strainer for double-straining out ice chips and pulp. A zester, ice scoop, bottle stoppers and 35 recipe cards fill out the bamboo stand, and Bare Barrel gives a three-year warranty.
What owners say: It does everything a home bar asks of it and looks the part on the counter, owners say. Opinions split over the finish, which rubs off for some, and over the ice scoop, which doesn’t sit well in the stand for everyone.
A closer look: To seal a Boston shaker, set the small tin into the big one at a slight angle and tap it home; a firm smack where the tins meet opens it again. The silver tools can go in the dishwasher, but wipe the bamboo stand with a damp cloth instead.
- 16 pieces with stand
- 28 oz Boston shaker
- Zester and ice scoop
Tips for his birthday present
- The Apple Watch only works with an iPhone (an iPhone 11 or later), so check his phone before you buy it.
- The record player has no speakers of its own: it plays through a Bluetooth speaker or powered speakers, so add a speaker if he doesn’t have one.
- Wrap a pack or two of film with the instant camera, in the size that camera takes, so he can start shooting right away.
Photos are illustrative, some computer-generated. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. How we pick · How this works.
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