Father’s Day falls on Sunday, and no matter what the Hallmark greeting cards say about dads simply appreciating time spent with the family, they’d actually love to get some new toys too, thank you very much. 

But not all dads are made equal — you wouldn’t give a pair of cleats to your football-averse father, would you? Thus, we’ve identified the five main types of dads and the things they’d absolutely love as gifts. Categories might even overlap, so yay for options. 

Without further ado, checkkit below. 

Audiophile dad

The signs

This dad constantly laments the state of music today, what with all the digitisation, MP3s, iTunes and “Spotisfy”. He makes it clear that the good old days were when music could be actually touched and felt. Typically, he has a tonne of vinyl stored somewhere in the house (despite his spouse’s objection). He complains about the rising prices of chicken rice, but would not hesitate to drop a few thousand on a pair of tower speakers. 

What to get him

Screw the convenience of Apple AirPods — this dad would rather have something that actually puts out proper audio. In that case, there’s the Jabra Elite 65t, considered the best truly wireless in-ear Bluetooth earbuds out there right now. Music-loving dads who need to replace their ageing turntables would appreciate a Denon DP-400, a record player that looks as good as it plays, that’s also easy to upgrade down the road. If you don’t have that big of a budget, there’s always the Audio-Technica LP60, which costs less than $200 a pop. 

In case your mum doesn’t like having music played loudly in the house, you’ll need to get a good pair of cans for dad. In that case, there’s Monolith by Monoprice M565C, which are sturdy and deliver solid sound at home. Dads on the go might also love to bring around their high fidelity audio files, and the stylish Sony NW-A45 Walkman does just that. 

Car nut dad

The signs 

Spends weekends on joyrides around the country, or at least at carpark washing bays to ensure their automobiles look spiffy enough. Has his mechanic on speed dial — sometimes they’re best friends enough to hang out beyond the garage. Invests quite a chunk of money into anything car-related, and could go for hours talking about engines and tires. Often fantasises what his life could be like if he really pursued his dreams as a race-car driver. 

What to get him

He would very much appreciate having something to easily clean the car seats, and the Dyson V7 Trigger Pro vacuum cleaner does the job effectively. For convenient wireless phone charging, the sturdy Scosche mounts work great by magnetically holding phones while delivering some of the quickest charging speeds. Because we all love dashcam vids, get him the best one: Garmin Dash Cam 55, which shoots in 1440p. 

To really impress your car-nut dad, get the Roav Bolt, which brings Google Assistant to any car with a Bluetooth (or at the very least, an auxiliary port). So yes, they can finally talk to their car like it’s KITT from Knight Rider (if you don’t know what that is, ask your dad). 

Photography dad

The signs

This dad is never seen without a camera of some sort in hand. Loves getting his family and friends into frame for shots, and quickly uploads it onto social media, where he’ll tag everyone in every photo. More often than not, this dad will be lugging around his camera bag, which is filled to the brim with kits, lenses, and other accessories that he may not even need in the end. Likes to think of himself as the designated photographer for any outings and gatherings, regardless of your embarrassment over his enthusiasm. 

What to get him

Lensman dads love tripods, so get him a good, portable one that’ll last for a long time. The lightweight MeFOTO Backpacker Air Tripod Stand + Selfie Stick can be set up quickly, and even has a telescoping centre column that can double as a selfie stick, because there’s an included Bluetooth remote and smartphone adapter. 

It’s hard to recommend which camera to get him because he probably already has quite a collection, and/or existing loyalty to a brand. But if we’re pushed to pick one, we’d suggest getting him a fuss-free point-and-shoot which, in today’s tech age, is capable enough to take excellent images while being extremely compact. In which case, Sony’s Cyber-shot RX100 IV is amazing for both photos and video (4K). Alternatively, get him a DJI Osmo Mobile 2 gimbal to steady his phone camera shots. Or even better — get him a DJI Osmo Pocket so he can shoot high-quality family vacation videos. 

Gamer dad

The signs

This one could swing either way. He could be a casual version who just spends time engrossed in mobile games, or the hardcore iteration who’s #PCGamerRace. Either way, if this is your dad, you should recognise the telltale signs.

What to get him

For the dad whose mobile phone never leaves his hand, introduce him to the world of mobile virtual reality with the Google Daydream View, which is comfortable enough to be worn for long periods of time — the only drawback is that it only works for Daydream-ready phones. But that’s okay, because all dads would appreciate a solid portable charger, which would be the ZMI USB PD Backup Battery & Hub. It’s powerful enough to charge laptops and Nintendo Switch devices, on top of recharging smartphones a couple of times over. 

For the hardcore dads, you could promise him a Google Stadia Pro subscription when it eventually launches here, so he can finally play games on any screen in the house. If not, he’d appreciate an upgrade to his computer speakers, and the Mackie CR4BT is a sure hit. The new Logitech G703 Lightspeed should also convince him that wireless mice can actually be accurate enough for high-speed gaming, while a Razer BlackWidow TE Chroma (V2) should make for some sweet mechanical keyboard hand-feels, with fancy lighting effects to boot. 

Outdoors dad

The signs

This dad is as much at home out in the wild as he is indoors. He typically ignores all your protests and drags you out the house for hiking, trekking, camping, and other pursuits that involve sweating profusely and getting bitten by mosquitoes. Would hunt for his own food everyday if he could. 

What to get him

The ThruNite Archer 2A V3 is the torchlight that consistently gets the best reviews by outdoor enthusiasts, offering the widest range of brightness settings. Of course, this type of dad needs a rugged action camera too, and for that, the latest GoPro Hero7 Black is perfect to shoot very steady 4K videos. 

It ain’t a proper camping trip without music, and the UE Roll 2 is durable enough to withstand rain and shock, while also offering top-notch sound. If your dad’s adventurous enough to wander deep into the unknown, make sure he doesn’t get lost and buy him a Garmin Fenix 5, which provides premium workout metrics, and can track him anywhere in the world. 

ilyas@asiaone.com

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