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lifehacker.com: Sometimes, the best gift you can give is the ability to make something completely new. For the DIYer in your life, a solid new tool, starter kit, or organization tool will make them as happy as can be.
14 comments:
Marisa Rinchiuso
said...
I think this is a wonderful gift idea. For people who are hard core DIYers, myself included, sometimes the best thing to get is something we can make! I love the idea that with each of these gifts you are giving people something they can choose what to do with. They can make it whatever they choose and it kind of gives it an open ended sparkle. I also think this is a fantastic idea because it is something interactive and entertaining you are giving the object itself gives joy but the activity involved with it is a fun activity. Some of these items I would not necessarily market as DIY gifts, since DIY has become a different idea then craftsbuilding or carpentry. DIY has started to be marketed toward people who want a hobby, or something fun to do and make something out of it. I think finding a more specific market group would make the sales of these more successful.
I love the variety of all the kits! There really is something for everyone. It is also great that the attention if being drawn away from buying the latest tech gadget as a gift. Over the years I've found that as we delve deeper into technology, the holidays are overtaken by children sitting in corners glued to a screen with headphones in. Hands on gifts bring families together and promote creativity and curiosity. I can imagine the clip on holder specifically has many uses and can appeal to a number of individuals. I myself wouldn't mind one! I fully support a DIY gift that continues to keep on giving and inspiring. This holiday season I will certainly keep this in mind when shopping for my loved ones.
I have never heard of a lot of these items before. I am not a DIY person and I don’t know anyone who really lives that way but it is some interesting stuff. I wish that this article explained a little more what these items do because a lot of them are not well known at all. Me as a non DIY person I don’t understand a lot of these terms or how they are useful. If I was buying for someone I would like to know more and they do have links to the items but I don’t want to have to click on every link because then that just takes too much time. This does get me excited to do crafts and take some time to just work with my hands and not be in front of a screen constantly. This is a good place for those who like to invest in their hobbies.
I really like all of these kits! Some of the products I don’t recognize though. What is a Raspberry Pi? Oh it’s a tiny computer for programming. How interesting. I feel like there’s a slew of computer and programming equipment I know nothing about because I know nothing about programming to begin with. These kits are all pretty well thought out, I’ve been thinking about asking for a tool kit for Christmas, maybe I can use something like this as inspiration for what I actually want. I also like Sugru, it seems extremely helpful for anything dealing with electronics. In the picture it looks like it’s used to help prevent cable fatigue on the beginning and end of chargers. I can’t even count how many phone chargers I’ve had to toss because the cabling at the USB port started to fray and eventually break. I’ll have to look into tool kits as well as some of these other products.
This is a good gift idea. I think that as quick and easy as it is to get new technologies and things today, with Amazon Prime and delivery services, that DIYs can be really fun. The LittleBits Smart Home Kit, is a little crazy, but I think would actually be fun to try. I always thought that all the Bluetooth connected devices like lights and door locks was a bit extreme and for lazy forgetful people, but if I could have the satisfaction of know I set it all up, then it might just be fun to use. I don't really understand how the Sugru is a DIY kit, but I think that phone charger looks much more indestructible than the normal Apple kind. I do find it amusing how it has the tool bag and multitool on here, because in theater we use those frequently and their have been a few times on crew that I am building something that is total DIY, like for Design for the Stage we have been building our own boxes to hang projectors from the ceiling with.
I'm going to forward this article to my family. I'm going to speak a little bit (lol) on little bits because I have adored their company since conception. The company was started by an african american female engineer who wanted to bring the concept of circuitry to any kid who wanted to try it. It's an introduction to STEM for anyone who wants to try it plus I love supporting a business made by a woman in STEM. I actually bought my 10 year old sister this kit a few years back fro christmas and I love the product and quality and message it sends. Pretty much the gist of this list was there's a lot of starter kits and beginner packs for getting into the maker space. The maker movement is changing the way products are invented and there's a big need in the workforce for a variety of DIY skills that these gifts could introduce us to.
This kits are really cool. As someone who like to either make or fix most of my own stuff this kits I feel are right up my alley. From the small electronics tool kit that gives you more versatility in the fixing or tinkering projects that you can do to the simple leather tool bag for storing ones work tools efficiently and well. In fact it probably the letter tool bag that I mostl definitely want, because I hate trying to fish around for tools when I'm working on a project and I feel that the tool badge would help alleviate this. That being said I am also interested in the different programming DIY kits on the list and my end getting my brother one so he can tinker around with them.
These are all great useful products, and many of which I am now very interested in. One part of this list that I find particularly important is the Leatherman Wave--Leatherman tools are fantastically useful and I've wanted a wave for years--and they're incredibly well made. The other thing I found cool on this list is the arduino starter pack--arduino and Raspberry Pi are two of the coolest things you can buy for under 50 bucks--the possibilities are endless with both, and their emergence in the market has inspired huge amounts of innovation and ideas from those who can really program them. And arduino have theatrical uses too-certain companies sell DMX shields where potentially you can make your own DMX devices from them that can be controlled from a lighting console. All of this to me is incredibly cool and offers a lot of innovation in the coming years.
I really liked this article, mainly because i would love to start on a bunch of these kits, especially the arduino kit, as i havent done much with arduino in the past. I also think this makes starting something like this easier for those who don't have nearly as much exposure to the field as we do. Much of what i love is fixing things, or building them from kits, and i'm thinking of getting a kit for myself to tinker with in my spare time. It is also really great that these kits are teaching practical skills, because in our screen dominated society, it can be hard to engage people in something that doesn't include a smartphone.
While most of these I own, have owned, or have an analog for, I am intrigued to see Sugru make this list. I have been hearing about the wonders of Sugru all over the internet for a couple of years now, but have yet to try it myself. I also haven't heard anybody I know personally talk about it, which leaves me wondering why it is exalted all over the DIY side of the internet if none of my maker friends have ever found a need for it. I am not sure I have a use for Sugru right now, but I am starting to think I will have to pick up a packet just to see what all the fuss is about. If it is really that cool, I probably have some projects that could benefit from it. Also, from what I have seen of it so far, it seems like it would be an awesome product for scenic designers to use in their models.
Yes! I'll remember the day my dad brought back a big bag from his lab with An eclectic collection of old tools, including an engraver, a soldering iron, pliers. It was better to me than any kit I could have paid for because all of the tools in there had life, were scarred, chipped, or painted. I love kits, my first Arduino came in a kit, but I do think that big part of DIY is the part where you figure it out yourself. I do think that to get an introduction to something, sure buy a kit, but it isn't something one should be too reliant on. In my junior and senior year, I built a computer from only components, without a guide or anything, simply research. And that's really all it takes, just a quick Google search!
I WANT THEM! I never really received any DIY stuff like this, except a “create your own crystals” set in the fourth grade, and I loved that set so much. I have worked on an Arduino before, but I didn’t have much time to explore it fully. All the others I haven’t heard about, like the Raspberry or the Sugru or the LittleBits Smart Home Kit, but I would definitely would like the opportunity to just sit down, by myself, and explore what these kits has to offer me. I am a very learn by doing type of person, and the longer I work with something the better I get it. If I had to choose three items on this list that I would want right now that would be the Arduino Kit, the Leatherman Wave (I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED A MULTITOOL), and the Solder Kit (I have soldered before and find it quite fun).
Hey, these are some pretty cool DIY gifts. Although I'm not sure how well any of them stand on their own. As someone who just bought that Arduino starter kit for class, you need a bunch of tools to manipulate what you are doing. And you kind of have to buy additional hardware to do anything cool with it. And the hardware cabinet and the precision screwdriver set is also awesome, but really only benefits somebody who is already into DIY and fixing things.
On a separate note, I had no idea the Leatherman Wave was that expensive. I thought that it was more in the $50 range, not $90. I've never been really impressed by them at school, and have found other brands of multi-tool - like Gerber - to be a lot more handy. The Wave does have the replaceable screw bit, but I find that that means the bit just goes missing more often than it gets replaced.
So beyond the fact that self-setting rubber is cool, the use for it is so incredibly smart. Those parts of cables, especially those made by Apple, break through the casing all the time, so adding those rubber supports is incredibly smart. Also, the “case” they made for the phone is also ingenious. My gripes with many phone cases are solved with this. The only time I have broken my phone was due to the screen becoming separated from its connectors due to being dropped minorly many times. This case provides support to the phone through the corners while also holding the front glass to the rest of the phone. I do worry that those corner points will become shock points opposed to being distributed across the length of the side of the phone. The case also provides ample room for the headphone jack which usually requires its user to remove the case. I do worry about the corner pieces falling off since they are not secured, but I do not know what the status of the back of the case is.
14 comments:
I think this is a wonderful gift idea. For people who are hard core DIYers, myself included, sometimes the best thing to get is something we can make! I love the idea that with each of these gifts you are giving people something they can choose what to do with. They can make it whatever they choose and it kind of gives it an open ended sparkle. I also think this is a fantastic idea because it is something interactive and entertaining you are giving the object itself gives joy but the activity involved with it is a fun activity. Some of these items I would not necessarily market as DIY gifts, since DIY has become a different idea then craftsbuilding or carpentry. DIY has started to be marketed toward people who want a hobby, or something fun to do and make something out of it. I think finding a more specific market group would make the sales of these more successful.
I love the variety of all the kits! There really is something for everyone. It is also great that the attention if being drawn away from buying the latest tech gadget as a gift. Over the years I've found that as we delve deeper into technology, the holidays are overtaken by children sitting in corners glued to a screen with headphones in. Hands on gifts bring families together and promote creativity and curiosity. I can imagine the clip on holder specifically has many uses and can appeal to a number of individuals. I myself wouldn't mind one! I fully support a DIY gift that continues to keep on giving and inspiring. This holiday season I will certainly keep this in mind when shopping for my loved ones.
I have never heard of a lot of these items before. I am not a DIY person and I don’t know anyone who really lives that way but it is some interesting stuff. I wish that this article explained a little more what these items do because a lot of them are not well known at all. Me as a non DIY person I don’t understand a lot of these terms or how they are useful. If I was buying for someone I would like to know more and they do have links to the items but I don’t want to have to click on every link because then that just takes too much time. This does get me excited to do crafts and take some time to just work with my hands and not be in front of a screen constantly. This is a good place for those who like to invest in their hobbies.
I really like all of these kits! Some of the products I don’t recognize though. What is a Raspberry Pi? Oh it’s a tiny computer for programming. How interesting. I feel like there’s a slew of computer and programming equipment I know nothing about because I know nothing about programming to begin with. These kits are all pretty well thought out, I’ve been thinking about asking for a tool kit for Christmas, maybe I can use something like this as inspiration for what I actually want. I also like Sugru, it seems extremely helpful for anything dealing with electronics. In the picture it looks like it’s used to help prevent cable fatigue on the beginning and end of chargers. I can’t even count how many phone chargers I’ve had to toss because the cabling at the USB port started to fray and eventually break. I’ll have to look into tool kits as well as some of these other products.
This is a good gift idea. I think that as quick and easy as it is to get new technologies and things today, with Amazon Prime and delivery services, that DIYs can be really fun. The LittleBits Smart Home Kit, is a little crazy, but I think would actually be fun to try. I always thought that all the Bluetooth connected devices like lights and door locks was a bit extreme and for lazy forgetful people, but if I could have the satisfaction of know I set it all up, then it might just be fun to use. I don't really understand how the Sugru is a DIY kit, but I think that phone charger looks much more indestructible than the normal Apple kind. I do find it amusing how it has the tool bag and multitool on here, because in theater we use those frequently and their have been a few times on crew that I am building something that is total DIY, like for Design for the Stage we have been building our own boxes to hang projectors from the ceiling with.
I'm going to forward this article to my family. I'm going to speak a little bit (lol) on little bits because I have adored their company since conception. The company was started by an african american female engineer who wanted to bring the concept of circuitry to any kid who wanted to try it. It's an introduction to STEM for anyone who wants to try it plus I love supporting a business made by a woman in STEM. I actually bought my 10 year old sister this kit a few years back fro christmas and I love the product and quality and message it sends. Pretty much the gist of this list was there's a lot of starter kits and beginner packs for getting into the maker space. The maker movement is changing the way products are invented and there's a big need in the workforce for a variety of DIY skills that these gifts could introduce us to.
This kits are really cool. As someone who like to either make or fix most of my own stuff this kits I feel are right up my alley. From the small electronics tool kit that gives you more versatility in the fixing or tinkering projects that you can do to the simple leather tool bag for storing ones work tools efficiently and well. In fact it probably the letter tool bag that I mostl definitely want, because I hate trying to fish around for tools when I'm working on a project and I feel that the tool badge would help alleviate this. That being said I am also interested in the different programming DIY kits on the list and my end getting my brother one so he can tinker around with them.
These are all great useful products, and many of which I am now very interested in. One part of this list that I find particularly important is the Leatherman Wave--Leatherman tools are fantastically useful and I've wanted a wave for years--and they're incredibly well made. The other thing I found cool on this list is the arduino starter pack--arduino and Raspberry Pi are two of the coolest things you can buy for under 50 bucks--the possibilities are endless with both, and their emergence in the market has inspired huge amounts of innovation and ideas from those who can really program them. And arduino have theatrical uses too-certain companies sell DMX shields where potentially you can make your own DMX devices from them that can be controlled from a lighting console. All of this to me is incredibly cool and offers a lot of innovation in the coming years.
I really liked this article, mainly because i would love to start on a bunch of these kits, especially the arduino kit, as i havent done much with arduino in the past. I also think this makes starting something like this easier for those who don't have nearly as much exposure to the field as we do. Much of what i love is fixing things, or building them from kits, and i'm thinking of getting a kit for myself to tinker with in my spare time. It is also really great that these kits are teaching practical skills, because in our screen dominated society, it can be hard to engage people in something that doesn't include a smartphone.
While most of these I own, have owned, or have an analog for, I am intrigued to see Sugru make this list. I have been hearing about the wonders of Sugru all over the internet for a couple of years now, but have yet to try it myself. I also haven't heard anybody I know personally talk about it, which leaves me wondering why it is exalted all over the DIY side of the internet if none of my maker friends have ever found a need for it. I am not sure I have a use for Sugru right now, but I am starting to think I will have to pick up a packet just to see what all the fuss is about. If it is really that cool, I probably have some projects that could benefit from it. Also, from what I have seen of it so far, it seems like it would be an awesome product for scenic designers to use in their models.
Yes! I'll remember the day my dad brought back a big bag from his lab with An eclectic collection of old tools, including an engraver, a soldering iron, pliers. It was better to me than any kit I could have paid for because all of the tools in there had life, were scarred, chipped, or painted. I love kits, my first Arduino came in a kit, but I do think that big part of DIY is the part where you figure it out yourself. I do think that to get an introduction to something, sure buy a kit, but it isn't something one should be too reliant on. In my junior and senior year, I built a computer from only components, without a guide or anything, simply research. And that's really all it takes, just a quick Google search!
I WANT THEM! I never really received any DIY stuff like this, except a “create your own crystals” set in the fourth grade, and I loved that set so much. I have worked on an Arduino before, but I didn’t have much time to explore it fully. All the others I haven’t heard about, like the Raspberry or the Sugru or the LittleBits Smart Home Kit, but I would definitely would like the opportunity to just sit down, by myself, and explore what these kits has to offer me. I am a very learn by doing type of person, and the longer I work with something the better I get it. If I had to choose three items on this list that I would want right now that would be the Arduino Kit, the Leatherman Wave (I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED A MULTITOOL), and the Solder Kit (I have soldered before and find it quite fun).
Hey, these are some pretty cool DIY gifts. Although I'm not sure how well any of them stand on their own. As someone who just bought that Arduino starter kit for class, you need a bunch of tools to manipulate what you are doing. And you kind of have to buy additional hardware to do anything cool with it. And the hardware cabinet and the precision screwdriver set is also awesome, but really only benefits somebody who is already into DIY and fixing things.
On a separate note, I had no idea the Leatherman Wave was that expensive. I thought that it was more in the $50 range, not $90. I've never been really impressed by them at school, and have found other brands of multi-tool - like Gerber - to be a lot more handy. The Wave does have the replaceable screw bit, but I find that that means the bit just goes missing more often than it gets replaced.
So beyond the fact that self-setting rubber is cool, the use for it is so incredibly smart. Those parts of cables, especially those made by Apple, break through the casing all the time, so adding those rubber supports is incredibly smart. Also, the “case” they made for the phone is also ingenious. My gripes with many phone cases are solved with this. The only time I have broken my phone was due to the screen becoming separated from its connectors due to being dropped minorly many times. This case provides support to the phone through the corners while also holding the front glass to the rest of the phone. I do worry that those corner points will become shock points opposed to being distributed across the length of the side of the phone. The case also provides ample room for the headphone jack which usually requires its user to remove the case. I do worry about the corner pieces falling off since they are not secured, but I do not know what the status of the back of the case is.
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