Best gifts for men that he will actually love

Women's Fashion
8 Dec 2023 • 1:30 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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If you’re searching for the best gifts for men, you’ve come to the right place, because we have gathered some brilliant options across a range of categories, so you are sure to find that perfect present for your brother, dad, son, boyfriend or best friend.

Whether the man in your life is a reader, loves a tipple, is a fashionista, wants to get into cooking or just needs some new pyjamas, get some inspiration for romantic gifts, anniversary gifts, birthday gifts and much more for him, with our curated selection of the best.

Give him something he’ll actually love and, more importantly, actually use. We have included gifts that he would wear, cook with and display, and we can guarantee all have been tested for their quality and value for money.

We have also mentioned which gifts have next-day delivery options, in case you’ve left your present buying until the last minute. Don’t worry, we’ve all been there.

How we tested

We have selected gifts from a wide range of categories – including jewellery, alcohol gifts, fashion, homeware, grooming and more – to make sure we’ve got something for everyone. We will be updating this constantly to make sure we’ve got the best gifts a man can get.

The best gifts for men for 2023 are:

  • Best gift for men overall – Kindle 11th generation: £84.99, Amazon.co.uk
  • Best sunglasses gift – Ace & Tate omari sunglasses: £110, Aceandtate.com
  • Best ring gift – Mejuri oval gemstone signet ring: £98, Mejuri.com
  • Best woody fragrance gift – Diptyque tempo eau de parfum: £148, Diptyqueparis.com
  • Best knife set gift – ProCook professional x50 chef knife set: £89, Procook.co.uk

Amazon kindle 11th generation

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The solution to every book lover’s problems: the Kindle. No more eating cereal while trying to turn pages with one hand. No more elbowing the person next to you in the stomach on the tube with book in one hand and your work bag in the other. No more switching sides every time you turn the page while reading a book in bed. You get the picture.

Our tester found the 11th generation Kindle to be lighter than a book so it’s perfect for travelling or putting in his bag for commuting to the office and it actually encouraged him to read more than usual. The screen lights up so it’s perfect for reading at night as well as no glare so you can read outside during the warmer months. The battery lasts a very long time too. This is the perfect gift for a man who likes reading or is interested in getting into reading.

Buy now £84.99, Amazon.co.uk

ProCook professional x50 chef knife set

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This five-piece set of knives from ProCook is the perfect gift for a budding chef with an eye for design. The knives themselves are of a classic design and the convenient magnetic wooden block is slim enough to slip in next to the microwave or display proudly. The knives are razor sharp and the different sizes can slice and dice anything you want to cook from vegetables to meat, bread and fruit with ease. Your boyfriend, husband, friend, grandpa or son will be a professional in no time.

Buy now £89.00, Procook.co.uk

Diptyque tempo eau de parfum

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This is a heady scent from the luxury Parisian fragrance brand Diptyque. Tempo is an ode to patchouli, which rose to popularity in the Sixties, when Diptyque was founded, and is a complex scent that won “best new men’s fragrance” at the Fragrance Foundation Awards. Other notes include clary sage and maté which our reviewer describes as incense-like with a subtle lingering floral note of violet. This is different from a lot of men’s scents that can be overpowering and our tester had compliments from his barber who also swore he’d buy a bottle.

Buy now £148.00, Diptyqueparis.com

Penguin Clothbound Classics, Middlemarch by George Eliot

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The Penguin range of clothbound classics make for beautiful gifts. Penguin is constantly updating its library of clothbound classics with patterns – designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith – symbolically nodding to the stories within. Whether your gift receiver is more of a Shelley fan or Dickens guy, there are plenty to choose from.

Our reviewer read Middlemarch by George Eliot, with its beautiful pattern of silhouette portaits set on a burnt orange coloured background. The book, a study of provincial life in England during the 1800s, draws the reader into intricate and fascinating storylines all set in the fictional eponymous town.

Buy now £14.23, Amazon.co.uk

Ace & Tate omari sunglasses

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Ace & Tate has some of the best sunglasses around. There are some really unique styles and the classic shapes usually have an added twist. The omari sunglasses are perfectly chunky with rounded edges and thick arms that are great for feeling incognito or hiding a hangover. Our tester loved throwing these on to feel put together and enjoyed the quality of the materials.

The omari comes in three shades. Our tester tried the shade mulberry tree with a blend of deep and slightly lighter browns creating a subtle tortoise shell hue. The sunglasses are unbranded on the outside, perfect for someone who prefers understated style instead of logos emblazoned on their eyewear.

Buy now £110.00, Aceandtate.com

Moth taster pack

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It’s not often you find a pre-packaged cocktail that actually tastes as good as if it was mixed in front of you in a bar, but Moth has a range of delicious canned cocktails that are perfect for sipping at a picnic or poured over ice at a dinner party. For the man who likes his cocktails like a film star from the 1950s, send him one of these boxes which start from £20 for six, but is also available in a 12- and 24-can box. The drinks are truly delicious with stand outs being the margarita, the aperitivo spritz and the French 75.

Buy now £20.00, Mothdrinks.com

Byredo bal d’afrique

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Created as a love letter to Africa by founder of the Swedish brand Ben Gorham, this scent is a sultry summery fragrance with rich floral notes of African marigold, bergamot and violet balanced with Moroccan cedarwood and vetiver and some smokiness and spiciness running through. Even though the fragrance lasts a good amount of time when spraying just in the morning, our reviewer couldn’t stop spritzing throughout the day when working from home because of the moreish sweet and spicy notes.

Buy now £140.00, Byredo

King & McGaw Shadows I, 1979 print by Andy Warhol

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For the art loving man in your life, King & McGaw is one of the best places to shop for affordable pieces for any home. Vividly realised prints come in your choice of colour for frames or from £25 with no frame. There are real, one-off vintage prints alongside the extensive range of reprinted artworks from the world’s most recognised artists including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Edward Hopper, Henri Matisse and so many more.

Our testers received two prints, a framed Shadows I, 1979 print by Andy Warhol, £150 with frame, with a strong deep pink accent colour which was beautifully framed and adds the perfect pop of colour to a neutral space.

Buy now £150.00, Kingandmcgaw.com

Malin + Goetz dark rum candle

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This candle in dark rum has a lovely balance of masculine and feminine elements with leather, rum and patchouli sweetened with vanilla and a creamy undertone. This candle burns evenly and “cleanly” due to the use of natural vegetable waxes and leaves the room with a delicious and spicy scent. The brand even suggests reusing the glass from the candle as a drinking glass when the candle has finished burning.

Buy now £50.00, Malinandgoetz.co.uk

Piglet in Bed plain linen pyjama trouser set

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The linen bedding brand Piglet in Bed has ventured into sleepwear and we’re so glad they did. Our tester normally doesn’t like the feeling of linen but these are so soft that there was no issues at bed-time. Available in a selection of colours and patterns, our tester reviewed men’s linen sets in cherry and moss which are available to buy as just tops or just bottoms so you can mix and match colours and patterns.

Buy now £125.00, Pigletinbed.com

Aesop parsley seed anti-oxidant intense serum

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Hailing from Australia, Aesop is the luxury cosmetics brand that is now known worldwide. Focussing on high quality ingredients, the brand now includes fragrance, skincare and haircare products. Our tester has been trying the parsley seed anti-oxidant intense serum and apart from the beguiling fragrance reminiscent of a spa facial, this serum left skin feeling hydrated and fresh. This is a great gift for the man in your life who likes to look after his skin and likes aesthetically pleasing packaging in his bathroom.

Buy now £69.00, Aesop.com

Officine Universelle Buly eau triple komi forest eau de parfum

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The heritage brand Officine Universelle Buly, often shortened to just Buly, was established in 1803 in Paris and revived in 2014 by French couple Victoire de Taillac and Ramdane Touhami. Buly perfumes are water based so require a little shake before use but this stops drying of the skin. The eau triple komi forest is so fresh that it smells just like a mossy woodland after rainfall. It lasts a long time, releasing green notes of pine tree and herbs along with sweet woody notes.

Buy now £138.00, Selfridges.com

Patch sia in glass

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If you’re looking for the perfect gift for a plant parent, this is something a little bit different. Seemingly suspended in water, the hydroponic clusia princess, otherwise called sia in glass, from Patch is a super easy care plant that looks great. Just keeping the water topped up and occasionally adding some plant food is all the care that this plant needs, alongside a spot near a window ideally.

Buy now £32.00, Patchplants.com

Oral-B iO6 electric toothbrush

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Gifting a toothbrush is probably reserved for an intimate partner rather than a friend but this toothbrush is really great and currently heavily discounted. There’s a display screen that tells you when to replace the head, different brushing modes, and even shows colours to indicate when you’re brushing too hard. Your giftee has never had a better clean.

Buy now £130.00, Boots.com

Shop Cuvee survival pack of 3

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Natural wine retailer Shop Cuvee has some brilliant bundles and gifts to order online including a TV dinner pack, a house party pack and the one our tester tried, the survival pack. You can subscribe to receive your case every one, two or three months. The six pack is £120.

The survival pack comes in three- and six-bottle boxes. We tried the three pack and every single one, a white, a red and a rose were exceptional. Our tester sipped them in the sunshine with his friends and they all agreed that the wines were great. The white, la providence blanc, was fresh and moreish, the mendocino county rosé is the perfect summer blush and the red, chinon, paired exceptionally with cheese and olives.

Buy now £55.00, Shopcuvee.com

Mejuri oval gemstone signet ring

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Canadian brand Mejuri has beautiful jewellery designs and our tester loved the oval gemstone signet ring. Available in two colours, one black onyx and the other a marbled white stone. The rounded edges of the ring makes it super comfortable to slip on. It is a good size to make a little bit of a statement but not gaudy as the colourways are nice and simple. Our tester found that the ring paired well with different outfits and elevated otherwise basic looks.

Buy now £98.00, Mejuri.com

Brain Dead collegiate zip up hoodie

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Everyone loves ironic slogans and men love hoodies. This hoodie from the eponymous brand Brain Dead is a thick chunky option that comes in a range of colours. Our tester chose the fucshia for a bold pop of colour and finds the hoodie perfect to throw on. There are two zips which means you can play with silhouettes, too.

Buy now £132.00, Wearebraindead.com

Kiehl’s facial fuel starter kit

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The Kiehl’s facial fuel range is formulated for men’s skin which is typically thicker than women’s. The energising duo is the perfect gift for a man who wants to take care of his skin but probably won’t be employing a 10-step skincare routine quite yet. The face wash has menthol that feels cooling and reviving, while the moisturiser – which is infused with vitamin C and E – absorbs really quickly so you’re ready to go in no time.

Buy now £48.60, Lookfantastic.com

Uniqlo U airism oversized half sleeve T-shirt

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Simply one of the comfiest T-shirts you can buy, you’ll be stealing this one straight after gifting. Esteemed fashion designer Christophe Lemaire has collaborated with Uniqlo as artistic director for the collections which sees elevated twists to everyday basics like the plain T-shirt.

Our tester tried the white, black and purple colours and he loved the half sleeve and oversized, boxy fit of the shirt. The material feels substantial but allows air flow and feels super soft to the touch. This is a great piece as part of a man’s capsule wardrobe to throw on with jeans, smart trousers or shorts in the summertime. And they’re under £20 each.

Buy now £19.90, Uniqlo.com

Rituals the ritual of hammam purifying collection

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Rituals is known for luxurious bath and body products with an ethos to make a special ritual out of everyday moments. The brand creates lovely gift boxes in a range of scents but the purifying collection has notes of rosemary and eucalyptus which create a more masculine fragrance. The foaming shower gel is the first part of the ritual, creating a scented steamy spa in your own bathroom, then the matching body cream, spray and diffuser prolong the indulgent evening.

Buy now £54.90, Rituals.com

Mejuri 4mm gemstone beaded bracelet

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To complete a set of men’s jewellery, a sophisticated bracelet is a must. The gemstone beaded bracelets from Mejuri come in a few colours but our tester tried the malachite green. This is a great everyday piece that can be thrown on to complete an outfit. Try a pop of colour with this green or the sodalite blue or a tiger’s eye orange.

The sterling silver hardware is heavy and luxurious with very subtle branding on the clasp. The colours are gorgeous with slight variation from bead to bead. Pair with the gemstone signet ring (£98, Mejuri.com) or wear on its own.

Buy now £58.00, Mejuri.com

Backbone One gaming controller

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The Backbone One is a handheld gaming console that attaches to your iPhone or Anrdoid phone and thereby transforming it into a handheld games console. Our reviewer has tested the Backbone One Playstation edition but it is also compatible with Xbox, Steam and other gaming platforms.

You will need to have a subscription to an exisiting PlayStation service to be able to play PlayStation games on your phone but there are plenty of free games and app games that are compatible. You can search the full list on the website but our reviewer loved playing Fortnite for free using the handheld console. We found this to be even better than playing the same game on a Nintendo Switch device. If you have a man in your life who loves a bit of casual gaming, this is a great gift.

Buy now £99.99, Playbackbone.com

Nebula capsule mini projector

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This tiny projector is just the size of a can but it makes for brilliant movie nights. This is one to buy your partner that you can both benefit from. It’s super easy to set up so even a technology novice can get on board. The projector has inbuilt streaming apps including Netflix and YouTube and the projection size can be up to 100 inches across.

There is a handy wheel at the side that adjusts the focus and the display automatically adjusts for wherever you need to project. Whether you’re lying down in bed and want to project at an angle on the ceiling, or you even want to project onto the garden fence for outdoor summer movie nights.

Buy now £339.99, Seenebula.com

Marshall major IV wireless headphones

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The Marshall major IV wireless headphones are an affordable alternative to other over ear headphones on the market but the sound quality is still great. Working via bluetooth with your phone, the headphones have a huge 80+ hours of listening time from one charge. These will be your companion to the shops, on the commute or take them on holiday without worrying about the battery dying.

These are comfortable on the head and have a distinctly classic design and look great in the brown colourway that our reviewer has tested. They have the capability for wireless charging but the regular charging is super fast too. The size is easily adjustable and you can even take calls using the metal button that also acts as volume control and power.

Buy now £120.34, Amazon.co.uk

Picante tailor T-shirt, ivory

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A cool alternative to a plain white tee, Picante’s tailor T-shirt is a fail-safe gift for their wardrobe. The style is cut in the cult label’s signature boxy silhouette and finished in a wearable ivory hue. There’s a red screen-printed tailor graphic on the front and a tailor and spool back graphic for extra detail.

Available in sizes XS to XXL, it keeps its shape well throughout the day, thanks to the heavyweight organic cotton fabric. Plus, the well-crafted tee is available in light blue (£65, Pictante.shop), faded black (£65, Picante.shop) and sun-faded caramel (£65, Picante.shop), too.

Buy now £65.00, Picante.shop

Yeti rambler bottle with chug cap

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We’ve found our new favourite bottle, and it is perfect for keeping drinks cold and hot for hours and hours. The rambler bottles come in five different sizes, from 530ml to 1.9l capacity, and feature a “chug cap”, which makes spill-free sipping a breeze. The chug cap is removable from the main bottle, for easy cleaning, and you can even replace it with a special teacup cap (sold separately).

All Yeti bottles are dishwasher-safe, but also easy to hand wash, so we weren’t worried about bacteria build-up. There is a range of colours and sizes, making them entirely customisable to your giftee. The smallest bottle starts from £30, too.

Buy now £40.00, Uk.yeti.com

Dior homme parfum

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This fragrance has a powerful woody, leather scent with a powdery, floral undertone of iris. We found this fragrance to last all day, with notes hitting us hours and hours after spraying. Once the strong initial scent passes, it relaxes into its unique and nuanced notes. A spritz of this goes a long way.

The bottle feels luxurious and heavy, and it looks attractive when left on display. We also received multiple compliments while wearing this fragrance.

Buy now £135.00, Dior.com

Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella room fragrance diffuser, melograno

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With 800 years of fragrance history, Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is a brand known for its perfumes, skincare and home fragrances, including potpourri, candles and reed diffusers.

Melograno – one of the perfumerie’s most iconic scents – is a mixture of spicy and sweet notes that create a heady and luxurious, yet relaxing, fragrance that permeates the space. The 250ml diffuser lasts a long time, while the bottle acts as a beautiful piece of home decor, as well as providing fragrance.

Buy now £69.00, Eu.smnovella.com

Danner mountain light II

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American brand Danner has been creating sturdy, high-quality leather boots since 1932. Made to withstand the great outdoors, they’ll make a pertinent gift for the outdoorsman in your life. The full-grain leather upper and fully waterproof Gore-Tex lining makes these boots perfect for hiking and getting outside. The shoes come with inserts that support the arch of the foot, too.

We found the boots to be supportive on uneven surfaces, and they’re ideal for walking the dog in the unpredictable British weather. The boots don’t look out of place as part of a casual outfit, either.

They come in dark brown with green laces or all black – the style preferred by Daniel Craig’s James Bond in Spectre. The boots took a bit of breaking in but will be a go-to for years to come.

Buy now £430.00, Global.danner.com

Sonic Editions the colours of Donna Summer

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For more than 10 years, this company has been creating limited-edition prints of popular photography spanning music, film and lifestyle. We selected this print of disco legend Donna Summer performing live, photographed by Waring Abbott in 1978. The vivid colours, the glow of glitter and the hazy effect all contribute to capturing the essence of the “queen of disco”, rendered wonderfully in this high-quality print.

The wooden frame is classic with a choice of black or white, and the sturdy metal wiring makes for easy hanging. Each design has a run of 495, with each print numbered on the back. There are so many prints to choose from but we think this one is a gorgeous statement piece and makes for an amazing gift for any music fan or design-lover. Prices start from £89 for a 35cm x 28cm framed print.

Buy now £89.00, Soniceditions.com

Benastra la garrigue

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Low intervention, natural wine retailer and bar Oranj has a range of wines available that would make for perfect gifts, including a Christmas hamper case of six. We tested the 2019 Domaine Benastra la garrigue – a red wine from the south of France.

Rich, fruity and quaffable, this will pair well with a festive cheese and charcuterie board. We couldn’t get enough of this vino. Gift a bottle to your red-wine aficionado friends, for extra brownie points.

Buy now £29.00, Oranj.co.uk

Nike sportswear tech fleece windrunner

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Made from a blend featuring recycled polyester and organic cotton, this hoodie from Nike is designed for sports. Great for layering up for a run in the cold, or worn casually to keep warm, we found it really retains heat and has a sleek and simple modern look.

The dual zips means you can zip from the top, the bottom or both, while the hood is shaped in a way that minimises wind access, and it stayed up when we were on the go in drizzly conditions. The looser fit means you can pair this with thicker jumpers underneath for extra warmth, too.

Buy now £119.95, Nike.com

Suri electric toothbrush

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One of our favourite electric toothbrushes, this makes for a great gift for someone who cares about sustainability but still wants a toothbrush that delivers. Comprised of a recycled aluminium base that is repairable and plant-based, and recyclable heads, this toothbrush looks good, does good and is one of the best electric toothbrushes we’ve found for a really clean feeling.

Two modes allow for regular brushing or polishing for extra shine, and the charge lasts a whopping 40 days – even when we add an extra few minutes a week of polishing. The design is sleek and comes in four muted colours, which look good in any bathroom.

Buy now £63.75, Trysuri.com

Shark steam and scrub automatic steam mop

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If you know someone blessed with stunning oak hardwood floors but cursed with a not-so-secret aversion to keeping them clean, Shark’s automatic steam mop is the perfect giftable solution. The mop doesn’t just wet and steam your floors, but it also vigorously scrubs them, leaving our floorboards looking shinier than ever when we used the Steam and Scrub. It’s super easy to use – you just glide around your room like you would if you were using an ordinary bucket of water and mop, and there are two power modes for extra versatility.

There are a couple of downsides to this particular steam cleaner though, but nothing too egregious. It’s not cordless, so you’ll have to plug it into the wall, and we found that we had to pick a lot of cables up off the floor, or they’d get tangled up in the rotating head. Otherwise, this made cleaning our living room a lot quicker and, most importantly, far more enjoyable.

Buy now £138.00, Amazon.co.uk

The verdict: Gifts for him

Choosing the perfect gift is a fine art but you are sure to be on to a winner with one of our special gifts. For us, the best pick that is sure to put a smile on any man’s face is Amazon’s 11th-generation Kindle. This is a great, affordable gift that is completely customisable to the recipient’s tastes. If they love thrillers, romances or heavy non-fiction, there’s sure to be a book for every reader.

Alternatively, we also loved the Kiehl’s facial fuel starter kit to kickstart a simple skincare routine. For the fashion conscious, we think the Mejuri signet ring will be perfect for the stylish man in your life.

Want more present ideas? We’ve rounded-up the best Secret Santa gifts