Father’s Day Gift Guide 2014!

Welcome to this year’s Father’s Day Gift Guide! With the big day just around the corner on June 15th, we’ve come up with a list of items we know any dad would love. Whether your dad is into books, clothes, electronics, or toys, we have them covered!

Books

Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine
What could be better than seeing heroes that are polar opposites having to work together to survive an out-of-control journey through time? I can’t think of anything. Watching the witty and intelligent Spider-Man being forced into a team-up with a guy like Wolverine, someone not known for his patience with the webcrawler, is pure fun from start to finish.

Cost: $15.00 on Amazon

Birdmen: The Wright Brothers, Glenn Curtiss, and the Battle to Control the Skies by Lawrence Goldstone
Birdmen is a true story about the feud between the great air pioneers and the dangers they faced in air and on the ground to achieve their dream. This is a great book for the history-loving dads!

Cost: $20.97 on Amazon

Tic Tac Tome
For the dad who likes a challenge, Tic Tac Tome is for him. At first, I wasn’t 100% sure about this one, but after playing it myself, I’ve found it be a nice way to take a break at my desk. Essentially what you’re doing is playing against a book in the game of tic tac toe. What makes this challenging though is there is only one way to beat the book. It’s a fun book that anyone can play with (or get frustrated with).

Cost: $9.00 on Amazon

Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities
Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities is a highly curated selection of the most awesome tools available. The term “tools” includes maps, software, DIY books, gizmos, pretty much anything highly useful. Tools include hand tools, maps, how-to books, vehicles, software, specialized devices, gizmos, websites, and much more. This huge book reviews 1,500 items. It’s impossible to open it without digging in.

Cost: $29.97 on Amazon

Make: Ultimate Guide to 3D Printing 2014
Make: Ultimate Guide to 3D Printing 2014 is the go-to resource for the latest in 3D printing technology, feature and model comparisons, plus 3D printing tutorials.

Cost: e-book $7.99, paperback $9.49

Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers: The Secrets of Ancient Fermentation by Stephen Harrod Buhner
There are plenty of books on home brewing. You won’t find another volume like Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers: The Secrets of Ancient Fermentation. The author writes about ancient beer that was made for ceremonial use, healing, and daily use. Certain plants were included to give the brew stimulating, aphrodisiacal, euphoria-producing, even psychotropic properties. Hops weren’t commonly used, since hopped ale was known to dull the senses and diminish desire. That all changed when authorities instituted regulations that standardized hopped beer. Yes, the author provides recipes for authentic ancient ale made from those magical plants.

Cost: $31.00 paperback

A Playful Path
The newest book by fun guru Bernie DeKoven, A Playful Path, is made up of tools and ideas to inspire the possibility-building, wide-open glory of playfulness in work and family life. It’s really an essential guide for How to Be Human.

Cost: ebook free, paperback $21.95

Electronics

JunoJUMPR
JunoJUMPR is a portable battery that let’s anyone jump their car without having to flag down a second car to handle the jumping part. In addition to jumping your car, you can also use it to charge your USB devices. For the dad who wants the stats, this little guy packs an impressive punch with a 6,000mAh lithium polymer battery and can produce a 12 Volt output at a peak of 300 amps. The best part is that it only weighs 7 ounces and is the size of an average cell phone, so you can carry it anywhere. 

Cost: $89.99 on JunoJUMPR’s website

Phiaton: Chord MS 530 Wireless, Noise-Cancelling Headphones
The Phiaton: Chord MS 530 Wireless, Noise-Cancelling Headphones will give dad the gift of quiet so he can listen to whatever his heart desires. The noise-cancelling on these headphones is so good, my brother uses them at work to tune out his co-workers on days he really needs to focus. The downside is they work so well, you might have to poke your dad with a stick to get his attention, because he won’t be able to hear you after he puts them on.

Cost: $290.98 on Amazon

SleepPhones
These classic sleep headphones will allow dad to snooze off to his favorite nap time tunes without any discomfort from bulky headbands. You can also go to SleepPhones website and download free music for dad to fall asleep to.

Cost: $29.39 on Amazon

Neptor: NP056K Dual Port Portable Battery Charger
Make sure dad is never without his electronics with a portable battery charger. This one is lightweight and could fit in dad’s pocket. Don’t let the slim design fool you, because this little guy can charge two devices at once (one phone and one tablet). 

Cost: $49.99 on Amazon

Roku with AirCastLive
AirCastLive allows dad to use his iPhone or Android mobile device to capture, save, and share the special moments he captures on his phone and then send it to a smart TV or Roku device.

Cost: $5 for the app on Roku and 1GB of free storage space, with options for up to 40GB for $39. The app will be free from June 9th thru June 16th

Griffin Power Dock
Griffin PowerDock 5 is a great electronic organizing tool. It can hold and charge up to 5 devices at a time. All you need to do is plug your USB cable into the dock, wrap it around the bottom of the base to hide the wires and you are all set. It’s recommended for iOS devices, but has been tested successfully with Kindle and Android devices, though charging times will vary.

Cost: $75.00 on Amazon.

Justice League Collection by Griffin Technology

The Justice League collection by Griffin Technology has some fun accessories for dad’s iPad including headphones, case, and stylus. I love my Superman case for the iPad and the matching stylus that goes with it.

Cost: Starting at $14.99 and up

Logitech Harmony Ultimate
This all-in-one remote will help Dad streamline control of the TV, consoles, Roku, TiVo…anything with a clicker can be consolidated. And this universal remote can be aimed at anything in the room and still work; no more honing in on tiny sensors from across the living room. The touch screen is intuitive, and the Harmony Ultimate also lets you control all of your devices with an app on your phone.

Cost: $349.00 on Amazon

Clothing and Accessories

Booq Boa Courier 10
This is a great looking messenger bag for the dad on the go. The stabilizer strap helps make sure it stays secure on dad when he’s riding and the padded interior will keep his iPad and other belongings safe. For added safety, the bag has a reflective trim that lets dad be seen even in low light conditions.

Cost: $81 on Amazon and $95 on Booq website

Ogio Newt 15 Laptop Bag
Ultimate backpack for a stylish and organized dad. The front pocket has slots for pens, and notepads. The smaller top pocket is designed to hold smaller peripheral devices such as an mp3 player, phone, and their charging accessories. The main compartment is fleece-lined for dad’s iPad or tablet devices and the larger main compartment is fleece-lined for dad’s laptop or other must haves.

Cost: $99 on Amazon

Cosplay Apron by Simply Superheroes
For the dad that likes to cook, check out the character aprons over at Simply Superheroes. If you live in the U.S, use the money you save with free shipping to pick dad up something extra. If you find something that is perfect for dad, but it’s out of stock, you can sign up for email alerts to learn when it will be back in.

Cost: $19.99 on Simply Superheroes website

Dollar Shave Club
Give dad the gift of a clean shave with the Dollar Shave Club. For as little as $4 a month, you can have dad’s razors delivered to his doorstep. The best part is that the Dollar Shave Club is a lot cheaper on the wallet than picking razors up at the grocery store.

Cost: $4 and up per month

Men’s office wear from Ministry of Supply
Office wear with high tech cred. Think dress shirts made from NASA thermoregulatory material, socks infused with odor-absorbing carbonized coffee, and moisture-wicking chinos with four-way stretch. Worth every penny. Our picks include the Apollo dress shirt ($98), Aviator chinos ($118), and Atlas dress socks ($18) .

Cost: various by product

EcoSphere Closed Aquatic Ecosystem
The Original EcoSphere is the world’s first totally enclosed ecosystem—a complete, self-contained, and self-sustaining miniature world encased in glass. This work of art is a perfect balance of active micro-organisms, small shrimp, algae, and bacteria, each existing in filtered sea water. Because the living organisms within the EcoSphere utilize their resources without overpopulating or contaminating their environment, the EcoSphere requires virtually no maintenance and lasts for years.

Cost: $55.99 on Amazon

Toys / Games

Doctor Who Risk: The Dalek Invasion of Earth
I thought it was unfathomable that anyone would spend upwards of forty or fifty bucks for Risk game….until I found it was a Doctor Who version. The Doctor Who Risk: The Dalek Invasion of Earth is an “absolutely fantastic” spin on the popular Risk game, puts the player in control of five Dalek armies, both classic and paradigm. In addition to players trying to defeat each other, there will be plenty of conflict with 11 regenerations of The Doctor. Even if you own other versions of Risk (and we already have three variations in our home), the urge to “exterminate” your opponents may be too much to pass up.

Cost: $49.99 on Think Geek and $40.27 Amazon

Star Wars Black Series Figures
The Black Series figures are a big hit among collectors. The detailed design and attractive packaging make these a must for any Star Wars action figure collector. I know many a 501st Legion member who hunt these down for sport, so if you see one, grab it up for dad’s collection.

Cost: Starting at $17.99 at Target

Zombie Defense Solutions 3-Day Survival Kit by VooDoo Tactical
Both my husband and I love zombie stories and camping, and this 3-day survival kit is right up his alley. Packaged in a Zombie Apocalypse preparation box, it has a five-year shelf life and contains food, water, lighting, basic first aid items, tools and a mylar emergency blanket to accommodate one adult easily for three days in an emergency situation.

This is a practical gift for outdoors loving geek, as it can be carried easily in the trunk of a vehicle for road trips or camping. It’s also a fun way to use the zombie scenario to educate your own kids about the importance of being prepared for more real disasters such as extreme weather or being stranded in wilderness areas.

Zombies or no zombies, dad will be prepared.

Cost: $27.95 on Amazon and Barre Army Navy

Sphero 2.0
Sphero is a ball of challenging fun for everyone, even pets. At first I thought it was going to be easy to get the ball to go where I wanted it to go, until I realized it has a mind of it’s own. My husband and son had a blast teasing the dog with it. She knew it was a ball, but she couldn’t understand why it was chasing her. Needless to say we had fun watching her reactions to it. You can add to the fun by downloading free games in iTunes.

Cost: $99.00 on Amazon

Gallium
Gallium is the metal that melts in your hand. Keep it in a bottle and submerge bottle in warm water to liquify. Caution: Gallium causes metals to corrode and will stain glass, so be careful.

Cost: $15.99 on Amazon

Halo Headband
The Halo Headband is the answer when engaging in any sweat-producing activity such as cycling, running, even roof repair. It’s thin, adjustable, fits under a helmet or hat, and rinses clean.

Cost: $10.48 on Amazon
Disclaimer: Some of the GeekMoms who submitted to this post may have received review samples of their suggestions.