By Gary M. Kaye,
Chief Content Officer, Tech50+ (www.tech50plus.com)
Whether your Dad is still active, traveling, hiking, biking, or whether he’s just taking it easy with the occasional round of golf and lots of time at home or with friends, we’ve got some gifts we think he’ll enjoy:
Adirondack Firestone – At the beginning of summer it’s hard to think about winter. But if your dad has a wood stove – or likes to keep a blazing fire going– chances are he spends too much time trying to get that fire started. The fire-starting system from Adirondack cuts that to almost no time at all. It consists of a firestone on a wrought iron handle, a ceramic urn, and lamp oil to put into the urn. Soak the stone in the lamp oil, stick it under the wood, and light it with a match. In minutes he’s got a roaring fire without newspapers, twigs, kindling, or paraffin soaked sticks. Complete kit:$124.95.
CCrane CCRadio-2E AM/FM, 2 Meter Ham Band, Weather Radio - The CCRadio-2E makes weak signals strong and produces crisp, accurate audio for the spoken word. AM performance comes from a patented Twin-Coil Ferrite® AM Antenna and traditional FM reception is able to bring in a weak station clearly. This radio also has a weather band and alerts along with the 2-meter Ham band. It has the classic One of the most popular portables manufactured, it has evolved into C. Crane’s flagship radio. Price: $170.
Como Audio Solo – We’re pretty certain Dad will love this combination classic tabletop radio and current technology from Tom DeVesto, founder of Tivoli Audio, and Cambridge Sound. It has a solid wood furniture grade cabinet, a deep rich sound, plays FM radio, or streams tunes from Dad’s music library or a variety of streaming services and includes clock radio functions. We do, suggest you might want to stick around to help Dad set it up. Price: $299.
Yeti Hopper Two – 20 – This soft-sided cooler is ideal for a day on the beach or an evening picnic at Dad’s favorite outdoor music venue. This yearYeti made a couple of tweaks to the original design, such as moving the zipper from the top to the side to make loading (and unloading) easier, and increased visibility. They also changed the body shape for more comfortable hauling. The Hopper, with either ice or blue ice, will keep your picnic food cold for at least a day, maybe up to three depending on how often you open it up. Price: about $300.
Leupold Gx-5i3 All-In-One Golf Rangefinder – If Dad is really serious about his golf game, this little gadget can help him trim strokes from his score. With the GX-5i3, uses Digitally eNhanced Accuracy (DNA that provides the fastest and most accurate measurements using an incredibly precise laser. It will display distances to the nearest 1/10 of a yard. It also boasts True Golf Range, another name for the slope feature that compensates for uphill shots that play long and downhill shots that play short. It features 6X magnification, an OLED display, fog mode, and a club selector. Proce: around $550 in several online stores, including Amazon.com
Amplifi Mesh Network - Does Dad suffer from Wi-Fi dead zones - or weak coverage– around the house. The Amplifi system offers several options for giving him high caliber wi-fi that will let him use all his mobile devices, music systems, or connected health devices from anywhere in the house. The mesh network functions as additional routers, using other available frequencies to find the best way to get a signal around the house. A single Amplfi router costs just about $150 while a system with the router and two additional mesh points (please don’t call them extenders) will run $349.
Gerber Center Drive Multi-Tool – Most Dads I know either have some kind of a multi-tool on hand, or they’d like one. However – it’s not always easy to pull out the tool you want, and more often difficult to get it to work as well as a single standalone tool that does the same thing. Gerber’s Center Drive Multi-Tool solves a big piece of that issue by offsetting the shaft for the interchangeable screwdriver bits so that he will get increased torque and full rotation. It also has a 30 percent longer outboard blade and one-thumb opening sliding jaws (pliers for the rest of us). Full set of bits and a nylon sheath included. Price: under $90 at several online stores including Amazon.com.
Fossil Gen 2 Smartwatch Marshall QX Cory Richards Set –This sharp looking watch was inspired by the aesthetics of world adventurer and expedition photographer Cory Richards' original Fossil watch. Powered by Android Wear™ 2.0, this one-of-a-kind design features interactive dials (for info at a glance), automatic activity tracking, customizable watch faces, an interchangeable leather strap complete with Richards' signature and more. It’s compatible with phones running Android™ 4.3+ or iOS 8.2 and gives Dad an assortment of notifications he can customize including: Social Media / Text / Email / App Alerts / Multiple Time Zones / Alarm Clock / Calendar Alerts – plus Bluetooth for Google’s voice activation features. Price: $325.
Thule Subterra Minimalist Rolling Carry-On – Does Dad do a lot of traveling, but hates checking luggage – and those extra fees? This new carry-on bag from Swedish gear designer Thule is tough, attractive, and meets most airline size standards for a carry-on. It has an innovative packing system that ratchets down a packing panel to squeeze in more clothes while minimizing wrinkling. Perfect for those two or three-day business trips when he needs to carry enough to look good. Price: just under $280.
Worx SD Semiautomatic Driver – Handy and easy on his aging arms and wrists, the Worx SD Semiautomatic Driver looks like it draws from automatic firearms, with two different cartridges loaded with two dozen of the most popular bits that store right in the tool. To change bits, just slide the action to unload one bit and pop in the next. Ppowered by a rechargeable 4 volt LiOn battery that the company says will hold its charge for a full eighteen months. Price: $30.
Nucleus Anywhere Intercom –You need to have two units for starters, but they can be in different rooms in the same house, or in different homes – give one to Dad, keep the other at your house and he’ll be able to see you and your kids whenever you all want. Expandable system connects via Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Even though there is an app, you don’t need it for multiple units to work together from multiple locations – just establish one family account and each device will connect up automatically. Alexa enabled, so Dad will have access to information, or Prime Music. Price: $199 per unit.
CampChef Pro 90X Three Burner Stove – If your Dad loves to barbecue but doesn’t want a big grill, CampChef has a great solution. The Pro90X grill uses propane tanks, but it stands on foldable legs, sideboards for holding platters or utensils, three powerful burners and an available griddle for making anything from burgers to omelets. It als has an available carry case for a picnics, or storage when grilling season is done. Grill alone: $300.
Gary Kaye is the creator of Tech50+ (www.tech50plus.com), the leading website covering technology from the Baby Boomer perspective. Kaye has been covering high tech for more than 30 years with outlets including NBC, ABC, CNN and Fox Business. He is a regular contributor to AARP and other websites on issues regarding the nexus of technology, seniors and baby boomers.
