YBMW 2018 Holiday Gift Guide – Misc Gadgets and Geekery

• MSRP: $299.99

Arcade 1Up Galaga

Perhaps one of the hottest items this Christmas, Arcade 1Up has brought classic arcade nostalgia to our hearts and home at half the size and more than half the price. A must have for any retro gamer or gaming aficionado, Galaga is a faithful recreation of the original 1981 game from the joystick controls down to the cabinet deco and design! Like IKEA furniture, it takes about 30 minutes to get this beast assembled before you can bask in its electric artificial glow and save the world from pixelated aliens. There isn’t much to not like about this very expensive toy. Not only does it make a good centerpiece to any game room or man cave, it’s also fairly space efficient when compared to an actual arcade cabinet which can easily double in size. If you’re not a fan of sitting down while gaming, Arcade 1Up also sells separately a riser to make your machine stand taller, abet still not quite as tall as an actual arcade machine. If you’re not a fan of Galaga, sold separately are other classic games from Pac-Man, Rampage to Street Fighter 2.

Get yours today at: Arcade 1-UP

• MSRP: $50.00

DC Comics: Anatomy of a Metahuman

We’ve never seen a book like this before. Imagine Gray’s Anatomy on superheroes and villains, written by Batman. Each page is painstakingly detailed with intricate medical drawings of the suspected anatomy of everyone from Superman and Aquaman to Cyborg and Cheetah (along with several others). It’s like crawling deep inside the mind of the world’s greatest detective as he tries to figure out the ins and outs of what makes his greatest allies and foes tick. This book is just as much a beautiful coffee table item as it is a precious addition to the collection of any DC fan. In just the last couple of days, we know at least three people who are buying this for the geeky doctor in their life, but you don’t have to be a doctor to fall down the rabbit hole of Batman’s theories on how Superman’s heat vision works or if Aquaman breathes through his skin.

Get yours today at: Insight Editions

• MSRP: $75.00

Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Guide to Hogwarts

This is not the kind of pop-up book you grew up with. the Pop-up Guide to Hogwarts is a hidden world that comes to life between its covers. If you or anyone you know love Harry Potter, this is a gift that might actually bring the receiver to tears. That said, we strongly advise that you don’t let the littlest muggles anywhere near the book. It is well-made but could be damaged by uncautious hands. With that said, this book is amazing! If it was just an issue of each of the book’s pop-up pages being contained within the covers, it would still be one of the best pop-up books that we’ve ever seen… but it is more than that! Once you’ve spent hours pouring over the intricately detailed pop-ups of Hogwarts, The Quidditch pitch, the Forbidden Forest, and many others, and you’ve looked at all of the mini pop-ups within each page, the magic can truly begin. With the relatively easy unhooking of manilla pages, you move from a book to a topographical map that takes up several square feet of floor space. If there was a book version of 12 Grimmauld Place, this would be it. We really can’t recommend this book highly enough.

Get yours today at: Insight Editions

• MSRP: $89.99

Ukulele Concert Size Bundle From Lohanu

The Lohanu Ukulele Bundle makes the perfect gift for beginning musicians and experienced players alike. At the heart of this set is the concert size ukulele (LU-C). Featuring a Rosewood fingerboard and Sapele/Mahogany neck, the Lohanu ukulele arrives with Aquila strings installed. At 24 inches long, it is slightly larger than most entry-level ukuleles found at local music stores. The Lohanu offers a full sound with a resonance that carries while not buzzing like cheaper ukuleles.

While the ukulele is rightfully the spotlight, the included accessories certainly help make this the perfect gift. Lohanu includes everything you could possibly need to make its ukulele complete. As mentioned, it arrives with Aquila strings attached. But, you also receive a strap, picks, and pick holder. Remaining in tune will be easy because a digital tuner (with battery included) will be in the case. Yes, a padded case to protect and transport your new instrument is included. Taking this bundle a step further, an extra set of Aquila strings will make sure your first broken string is covered.

Get yours today at: Lohanu

• MSRP: $99.99

Roav Jump Starter Pro, by Anker

Without putting too fine a point on it, we are pretty sure that the Roav Jump Starter Pro by Anker could be a gift that saves lives. This is not just your ordinary power bank we are talking about. The Jump Starter Pro is a power bank the size of a stack of checkbooks that can be used to jump-start a car. In fact, it can jump-start several cars before needing to be recharged. We had the opportunity to test this out at the supermarket when we noticed a car that was about to get a jump start from AAA. We went over and asked if we could try to jump start it for them and they let us. It wasn’t long before they were up and running. Imagine a friend or family member somewhere alone, and their battery dies. Instead of having to call and wait for AAA or ask a stranger for a jump, they can just grab this from their glove box or trunk and get on their merry way. We really can’t say how highly we recommend the Jump Starter Pro. We’ve already had several people in our own families buy them as soon as we told them about it.

Get yours today at: Anker

• MSRP: $59.99

Deejo Tattoo Pocket Knives

Everyone should own a pocket knife, but you don’t need a bulky swiss army knife with useless add-ons. All you need is a strong, stylish blade like the ones from Deejo. We loved their minimalistic vibe, combined with the laser-etching on the blade itself. If you have a friend or loved one who likes knives, or who doesn’t already have one as part of their EDC (every day carry), you should check out the selection from Deejo. Along with having the chance to choose from several different kinds of wood (Coralwood, Juniper, ebony, and even carbon fiber) as well as a long list of great etching designs. You can see them all at the link below. Check them out and grab one to slip under the tree.

Get yours today at: Deejo

• MSRP: $129.00- $149.00

Roadie 2 and Roadie Bass Automatic Guitar Tuners

Guitar players agree that changing strings can be a tedious task. Of course, this is followed by the need to constantly check the tuning as these new strings adjust. The need to tune your guitar is a necessary inconvenience that can be simplified with the automatic tuners by Roadie. The Roadie 2 is able to tune not only electric and acoustic guitars, but also other stringed instruments such as a mandolin, banjo, and ukulele, and even our 12 string! Possessing a stronger motor, the Roadie Bass can handle the heavier bass strings.

These incredible devices operate by using vibration making them perfect in noisy environments. Simply adjust the rotary dial to select the tuning you want, place over the tuning key, and strum. The Roadie will take care of the rest. With an internal battery that charges by USB, you can change up to 150 strings on a single charge. To take advantage of additional features, there is even an optional app available for Google and iTunes. If you play a stringed instrument, there’s a chance that you already know about the Roadie 2 or the Roadie Bass and desperately want one. If you have a guitar or bass player on your gift list, you just found the perfect thing to present to leave them under the tree this holiday season!

Get yours today at: Roadie Tuners

• MSRP: $29.99 +

Doorballs

What can we say about Doorballs that isn’t abundantly clear from the picture below? Honestly, we aren’t sure and that is exactly why we love these things. In an era where everyone has a digital doorbell, it’s hard to work up the balls to just knock on someone’s door. The Doorballs are available in PVC or Brass ($199.99). They are weird and slightly offensive, but they are impossible to look at without laughing. If you’ve got a friend with an off-kilter sense of humor, Doorballs is the gift that is guaranteed to make them smile. They are great for a front door or the door to a man cave. They also make a hilarious, yet slightly inappropriate White Elephant gift… Just make sure that your HR department won’t fire before you put them in the gift pile.

Get yours today at: Doorballs

• MSRP: $45.99

Horned Beard Hat

Winter is the only time of year you should wear a beanie. If you wear one during the summer, you probably paid too much for your jeans and your coffee. That said, if you are going to rock a good winter hat, why not rock one with Viking horns and a beard? When we first came across the Horned beard hat from Beardo, we thought it was just a cool novelty. It turns out it’s much more than that. The Hand-knit cap is soft and plush. It’s also really warm and exactly the kind of thing we’d want to keep the chill out of our brain on a cold winter’s night. We also really liked that the beard kept our faces warm, but it is also easily removed if you just want to use the hat. Finally, it’s impossible to not look like a sexy beast with this hat on. It’s just a fact. Prove us wrong.

Get yours today at: Beardo

• MSRP: $34.99.

Happy Cat Ski Mask

When you head out onto the slopes, or just outside for 9 months of the year in Minnesota, a Balaclava can be your best friend. The breathable ski mask is just as handy when it comes to keeping your face warm as they are when you want to rob a bank. Regardless of what you want to do while wearing it, we loved the idea that you or your loved ones could be doing it in a ski mask that looks like the world’s happiest cat! If the happy cat isn’t quite your speed, you can also get this ski mask in angry cat, dog, panda, bear, orangutan, koala, and several other critters!

Get yours today at: Beardo

• MSRP: $16.59

Harry Potter Slytherin Crest Ceramic Mug Decorative Mug

If you need a good way to let people know not to bother you before your first cup of coffee, and HR has already given you a talking to about yelling at your co-workers in parseltongue, Monogram’s Harry Potter Slytherin mug might be just the thing for you. Sure, you can get the mug for any of the Hogwarts houses, but why would you want Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw when you can have the Slytherin house crest staring out at passers-by as you sip your coffee and tea. It not only looks great, but it puts people on notice that you are not one to be trifled with!

Get yours today at: Monogram

• MSRP: $56.00+

The World’s Coolest Snowglobes

Snowglobes will never go out of style, but most of them are cheap plastic and not really the kind of thing you want to keep out on display for company. Enter Coolsnowglobes. They’ve created a line of tasteful and classy looking snowglobes that fit with any decor and work just as well as the snowglobes you used to pick up on every family road trip as a child. We had a chance to check out the Cat On A Stack Of Books snowglobe and were blown away at how well it was made. The care they put into their snowglobes does a lot to take them back to when they were considered a luxury item back in the 1800s, but still at a reasonable price. While we loved the cat on books, complete with gold snow and floating butterflies, they have all sorts of cool designs that are worth checking out. If you really want to take things to the next level, you can even talk to them about creating your own custom snowglobe. How’s that for a one-of-a-kind gift?

Get yours today at: Cool Snow Globes

• MSRP: $29.54

Harry Potter – Gringotts Bank PVC Piggy Bank

It is pretty rare to find a highly-detailed PVC piggy bank, but Harry Potter fans are going to be very pleased when they see this 10″ PVC piggy bank replica of Gringotts bank from the Potter films. This soft plastic bank is perfect for hiding away your riches. The best thing is that you know your money will be safe because you coins and cash will be personally guarded by a great looking dragon who sits on top of the bank. Aside from the from the great detail on the piece, we actually really liked the material of this bank. It’s plastic, but a slightly softer plastic. That means that this piggy bank has the kind of durability that you don’t normally see most banks.

Get yours today at: Monogram

• MSRP: $24.95

School of Hard Blocks

Remember those wooden alphabet blocks you had as a kid? A is for Apple, C is for Cat and all that stuff? Well, once you grow up, you know that A really stands for Alcoholism and C stands for Colonoscopy. Welcome to the school of hard blocks a new take on the classic childhood toy, but made out of concrete and filled with life lessons like E is for Erectile dysfunction and K is for Killer Bees. This is the perfect gift for the friend who is having a little trouble ‘adulting’ this holiday season, or for anyone with a really twisted sense of humor.

Get yours today at: Hard Blocks

• MSRP: $27.95

Ear Dial

Ear Dial is an important gift that you should consider for anyone who loves loud music or works in a noisy environment. Ear Dial is a pair of invisible earplugs that fit any ear without being noticeable. They allow you to continue to hear everything around you perfectly clear whether it’s a concert or your co-workers in a crowded bar, but you can do it without causing permanent damage to your hearing. One of the best features of the Ear Dial earplugs is the accompanying app that you can download at no extra charge. Just hit the record button and the app will measure the sound around you to let you know how long you can stay where you are without damaging your hearing. Earplugs might seem like a non-traditional gift, but it’s one that anyone who has lost hearing quality due to damage from being around too much noise knows is one of the best gifts you can give.

Get yours today at: Eardial

• MSRP: $20.95+

Lensball

The Lensball is the perfect gift for anyone from the budding photographer or the Ansel Adams in your life. It is a low-tech photography accessory that makes amazing shots possible with the help of a crystal clear sphere that can help warp light and images in wonderful ways. The Lensball is made with crystal glass and polished until it is perfectly clear. As a result, you can use it to flip images within images, or just add a new dimension to your personal photography toolbox. In a pinch, we also found out that the lens is so well made that you can easily use it to ignite some paper on a sunny day… The Lensball is available in both 60 and 80 mm sizes. We liked the results we got best with the 80 mm Pro Lensball, but the 60 mm still gave us great photos and might be better for a photographer who does a lot of work outside.

Get yours today at: Lensball

• MSRP: $.

Odin Projecting Mouse

We don’t know if we’d call the Odin a mouse, but it could definitely be considered a Projecting track pad. It’s not perfect, but it has some really cool features that could make a it a great gift for early adopters of new tech. The idea behind a mouse that is projected in front of you is definitely a big deal… and it doesn’t hurt that the actual device looks like a Decepticon. We admit that it doesn’t have the precision of traditional trackpads, but it is always really cool to have a chance to experience new technology on the cutting edge.

Get yours today at: Serafim

• MSRP: $49.95

FLEXiT Solar- 500 Lumen Flexible Flashlight

The Striker Flexit is a great gift for anyone who does a lot of work around the house, likes to go camping, or who is prepping for the apocalypse. This isn’t your run of the mill flashlight. It’s a 500-lumen block of light that you can bend into whatever position you need. It’s weather-resistance and a single charge can keep you lit for almost three days! It’s even got a magnetic base to offer one more useful way to position it. For our money, this is one of the best shop lights we’ve seen in a while.

Get yours today at: Striker Concepts

• MSRP: $109.56

Striker Concepts TRiLIGHT 3000 Lm Screw-in Motion-Activated Ceiling Light

If you are looking for an innovative lighting solution gift for someone this year, we love the Striker Trilight. It’s a 3000 lumen, positionable light with motion sensors that can actually detect you coming before you enter the room with the help of microwave technology. The best thing about the Trilight is that it is essentially a brand new lighting fixture that doesn’t need installation. The whole thing just plugs right into an existing screw-in light socket for convenience. It gives you 4x the light of a 60-watt bulb with only 25% of the electrical usage. it’s perfect for the garage, a shed, the attic or anyplace you need a little extra light.

Get yours today at: Striker

• MSRP: $59.99

Anker Soundcore Flare + Portable Speaker

You really can never go wrong when you give someone a good Bluetooth speaker for a gift. Everyone needs one, but most of them don’t cut it. That’s why we like the Anker Soundcore Flare +. Forget for a second that you can play up to 12 hours of music before having to charge it. This Bluetooth speaker is waterproof and dustproof. Those are two big proofs that mean the death of most other speakers. It’s also got a great ambient light on the bottom that brings a party vibe in when you play your music. And that’s where it really all ends up, right? The music. The Soundcoor Flare+ sounds great! It’s got the bass where it needs it (trust us, we scared a cat with it), and the music just sounds the way it should. This speaker exceeds pretty much every expectation we had for it.

Get yours today at: Anker

• MSRP: $49.99

Roav Viva Alexa Enabled Car Charger

At this point, pretty much everyone has let Alexa into their home, but we don’t get a chance to utilize her talents when we are behind the wheel. Now, the Roav Viva combines the car charger that we’ve all got in what used to be a cigarette lighter with the digital assistant that we’ve all come to depend on. This little car dongle can accommodate charging two devices via USB while also making it possible to have voice-assisted calling and music streaming in a car that doesn’t offer those features built in. We love the Viva for several reasons, but our favorite thing is the hands-free calling. Any time you can buy something for someone that is not only fun but also makes their life a little safer, you’ve gotten them a great gift. It’s also a very important thing to mention that the Viva gives you access to all 25k+ Alexa skills. That means you can ask for anything from the weather all the way to asking Alexa to fart for you. Just be warned. Whoever recorded the farts for that skill sounds like the have have some serious dietary issues…

Get yours today at: Anker

• MSRP: $10.99+

Marvel Finger Fighters Vs Two Packs

In a world where thumbs are mostly used for crushing candy, it makes you pine for a simpler time, when thumbs were used for war! Thankfully, Monogram has released a great set of finger fighters that bring iconic Marvel duos together to battle it out at the ends of your fingers. We loved these for ourselves or as a perfect stocking stuffer for anyone who is a fan of Marvel heroes, or just dominating other people in one of the most classic and sacred forms of warfare. We got a chance to play with the Daredevil/ Punisher set and we had an absolute blast, but if the devil of Hell’s Kitchen isn’t your style, you can also get sets that feature: Captain America vs Redskull, Iron Man vs Whiplash, Thor vs Loki, Hulk vs Abomination, and Spider-Man vs Venom.

Get yours today at: Monogram

• MSRP: $14.31+

Mickey Mouse Desk Accesories

Sometimes gifts aren’t just about having fun, but about giving people a chance to share a little more of themselves with the world. If you’ve ever worked in an office, you know that it can be hard to maintain your own identity in the corporate world. That’s why we loved Monogram’s Mickey Mouse desk accesories as the perfect way to bring some of your personal fandom (and some color) into the workplace. The three items we had a chance to check out are the Mickey Hand Bookend, Mickey Pants paperclip holder and the Mickey Ears notepad holder. With their classic design and bright colors, they are exactly what anyone needs to brighten up their desk at work or at home!

Get yours today at: Monogram