Anne's Christmas Gift Guide
This post was created as part of a paid affiliate program with the Home Depot.
For those of you wanting to get a head start on your Christmas shopping for those tough-to-shop-for tool lovers, I’ve compiled a list of a few of my favorite things for various budgets that can be purchased at your local Home Depot or online. A quick note: for battery operated tools, most folks like to stick to one battery platform because it’s a lot more cost effective in the long run. So if you’re buying tools for someone else, make sure you ask their favorite battery brand before you buy. This list shows my personal favorites in several categories, but most of the big brands offer similar options on their battery platforms as well.
Top Picks Under $100
I have used the Makita 18v Battery powered vacuum every single day for the past two years in my house. A 3.0ah battery offers 15 minutes of continuous run time (which translates to about one battery charge a week in our house), the reservoir cleans out easily, and I’m still on my first filter. At $59, this is an easy way to give the gift of cleanliness in this practical, awesome little gizmo.
I love this handy little vacuum so much, I’ve since gotten then as gifts for my best friend and my dad. To say my dad is a Clean Freak is a massive understatement. I kid you not, he vacuums his place on the couch before he sits on it. He’s probably had 10 battery powered vacuums over the last ten years, always the first to jump on any new design available, so I was very pleased to beat him to this punch with this one and even more pleased to hear his glowing review of my gift:
“Easy to use, lightweight and very flexible for tight spots and under hard-to-reach back walls. Perfect fit for gliding under furniture with an extension and reach to a back wall. Ample space for dirt and dust collection. Easy cleaning of the filter and dust bin. And enough battery to clean a 1200sq ft house with battery power to spare. Quick recharge time, and all in all, a great vacuum for your money that won’t clean out your wallet!”
These 4.5’ Stepladders by Gorilla are a sturdy, lightweight solution to so many things around our homestead, from picking fruit and pruning to painting, fixing gutters, and reaching stuff around the house and shop. At $50, these aluminum hybrid ladders are a great buy.
As a bit of a neat freak myself, I am in love with the Dewalt Stackable Small Parts Storage/Organization system. I was able to rid myself of a huge pile of partially collapsed fastener boxes and store them in a way that is not only easy to find whatever I need when I need it, but also becomes portable. I take the little cup out and use the fastener wherever I’m working, then gurantee everything goes back where it needs to go, because I’m too anal to let a missing cup go un-noticed. When I’m done, the whole thing gets stacked back together, and if I ever run out of storage, I can pick up another stacking box for $14.97.
For the Craft Lover in your life, I’ve found the 12V battery powered Dremel 8220 Series rotary tool to be exceptionally handy. For detail carving in tricky grain, sanding and cutting when other tools can’t get access, I love having an easy, portable option. I’ve found it most useful for detail jobs in handtool restoration and in chairmaking. At the $99 price point, this tool comes with 30 accessories, a charger, and a carrying case. This tool was another winning gift for my dad last year.
Whether you are hanging pictures, putting up drywall, setting light placement, or building tiny houses, this self-leveling laser level by Bosch is worth every penny of it’s $79 price point. It’s got its own clamping mounting hardware but also has threaded inserts to mount it on standard camera/tripod mounts as well.
Top Picks Over $100
I have it on good authority that toolboxes go on sale during the holidays, and this rolling workbench from Husky is a wonderful option to look at. With ample built in storage, quality drawer slides, it’s well-balanced, with built in power strips, has a wood workbench top, and SOLID casters. This is a truly great budget workbench. Even fully loaded, the drawers fully extend without flex.
When Milwaukee came out with it’s lawn trimmer with multiple attachments last year, I couldn’t have been more pleased- or impressed. A string trimmer that can also act as a hedge trimmer, edge trimmer, or pole saw? A single battery operated tool that would replace several other seldom used small gas engines? SIGN ME UP! I’ve used this tool a TON over the past year and a half. From pruning fruit trees, to keeping up with our MANY rhododendrons, to keeping the lawn maintained, this tool is worth its weight in gold around the homestead.
In a similar vein, Ryobi, Dewalt Makita, and Milwaukee all make battery powered chainsaws which are fantastic options as well, and a perfect choice for a homeowner who only seldom needs a chainsaw. It fires up every time, you don’t need to keep fresh gas on hand, they’re light, durable, and have PLENTY of power. Though I have several larger gas chainsaws, my battery powered options offer more than enough power for 95% of jobs I face working around the homestead and harvesting green wood for bowl turning and spoon carving. If you’re looking to give an especially extravagant gift this Christmas, ask the giftee which battery platform they already use and invest accordingly.
If you’re looking at other power tools this Christmas, be sure to check out my many other reviews in the Tool Reviews section of the website! Most of the tools I’ve reviewed are available at Home Depot, and I have it on good authority that many of them will have special Black Friday shopping deals!