Almost as is tradition at this time of year, it's 2 weeks before Christmas and friends, family and other assorted familiars to mechanics and car enthusiasts alike are starting to panic about gifts. Luckily, our Kashy mechanics are releasing our holiday wish list which we've been keeping hostage so you can run into stores or onto the Snap On truck only to find out everything is on backorder again.
Honorable Mentions:
Nissan Skyline GTR
$80,000-$400,000
If you're not sure what to get your auto-enthusiast or mechanic friend, why not start at one of everyone's dream cars, the Nissan Skyline GTR. Chances are these people have pointed out dozens of these on the road over the time you've known them and prices have dropped significantly compared to the extreme values seen over COVID. Make their day, and maybe put yourself into significant debt just to see their smile.
1 Year Subscription To BetterHelp
$5,000-$10,000
Let's face the facts, if you're working on cars or if you love cars, there's a fair chance that you are also suffering some sort of * mental illness *. If you have the coin to spare and you want to make your mechanic happy, invest in the gift that keeps on giving this year and take their sad brains to therapy. If you're lucky, their mental health might become good enough that they move on from cars entirely and, even better, it will probably improve your relationship with them as well.
RC Kei Truck
$50-$100
Just look at it. It's so cute!
$85
This little bud has been on our Christmas list for the last few years and he is going to stay there until something cuter comes along. What better gift to give your car enthusiast or mechanic friend than a little buddy to keep them company.
Gift Idea's For Mechanics And Car Enthusiasts:
Now we've gotten through the silly suggestions, let's look at some gifts that are going to be more achievable.
Remember, a lot of these suggestions are really going to be about the thought instead of the gift itself. Most mechanics and car enthusiasts are going to be incredibly happy if they can see that you're giving their pastime any thought so noticing if they have a specific brand of tools the like or a brand of car they love is really going to help you find the right gift for your wrench handler.
Snap-On Pocket Screwdriver: SDD224O
$25-$45
This is one of our all-time, hands down, favourite tools. These are, in fact, so good that even when they are broken, they are still more useful than most apprentices. Our go to for everything from removing connectors to scraping dirt out of window channels and shanking the aforementioned apprentice. They're also a great gift because the chances are the mechanic in your life has lost 3 of them this year alone.
Vessel JIS Screwdriver Set: Amazon Link
$45-$70
Did you know that Japanese cars don't use Phillips head screws? If you really want to impress a mechanic or car enthusiast in your life this holiday season, pick up a set of JIS screwdrivers. Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) is actually shockingly different to a regular Phillips and using a Philips for a JIS screw can make the job more difficult to do.
Even better, you can let them know that the first industrial use of the Phillips screw was for GM's Cadillac in 1937 as it was designed to help keep the screwdriver aligned with the screw, making manufacturing easier.
Narva Rechargeable Magnetic LED Pen Light: 71440
$70-$80
Want something to light up your mechanic or car enthusiasts life? Want to be continuously bothered by some halfwit shining a monstrously bright LED right into your eyeballs? Want to either make your mechanic the happiest person on Christmas day or the saddest person 3 days later when they leave this tool stuck to a car they're working on? Boy have Narva got you covered.
This pen light is a new release from Narva this year and somehow they hit almost every nail on the head with the functionality. So much so that our Kashy mechanics are actually opting into using this instead of our bigger and more robust gear. Unfortunately, being a magnetic torch with a shorter battery life, it is likely to be lost when it runs out of go while stuck somewhere under in the engine, but it's a small price to pay for one of our favourite purchases this year.
Knipex Mechanic Pliers: 38 31 200
$70-$90
We have almost never had a reason to buy a set of 'needle nose' pliers with such a weirdly specific bend in them, and we have almost never had a reason to buy such an expensive pair of 'needle nose' pliers with such a weirdly specific bend in them.
However, in situations where all of those circumstances overlap, there is almost nothing else that will do the job; And there is almost nothing that will do the job as good as a set of Knipex pliers. Yes, it is a ridiculous price to pay for a set of pliers, but almost any tradesman will appreciate a pair of Knipex pliers.
Ko-Ken Z Series Socket Sets in 1/4" or 3/8": Warby Tools
$90-$150
It's not often that we lust after a tool as much as we've been lusting after these Ko-Ken Z series sockets. The simple fact of the matter is that we've also never seen a set of sockets that are so incredibly short.
Much like the Knipex pliers above, there are very few scenarios where a mechanic or a car enthusiast will need such a uniquely designed tool, but the situations they are needed in make these tools irreplaceable. Unlike the pliers, the chances are that these sockets will also become part of your spanner handlers go to kit. We've seen these in person and have not stopped thinking about them for the last month now. Hopefully one of our carers sees this list before the fat man comes.
Milwaukee M12 FUEL 1/2" Stubby Impact Wrench And Battery: M12FIFW12-0/M12HB5
$300-$500
We have this tool on our Kashy work ute now and, let us tell you that we never thought we could complain about a battery gun having too much power, however, we actively have to warn anyone who picks this tool up not to damage the bolts they're trying to undo. If that's not an advertisement as to why this would make a great gift for any car wrangler, we don't know what is.
It's not without it's drawbacks of course. This model has one of the most annoying processes to change the power level we've seen in the last decade and Milwaukee's warranty rate is... historically concerning. However, if anyone tried to steal this tool off us now, they might end up uniquely acquainted with a breaker bar, sans flared base.
Snap-On 38 pc 12-Point Flank Drive Plus Combination Wrench Master Set: SOEXFSET1BR
$4,800
It's long been a rule that, if you want the best, it better be Snap-On. Does, that mean that a set of spanners is worth $4,800? maybe not. Does it mean that most mechanics would salivate at the thought of owning a set of these spanners? Absolutely.
That's a wrap for another year of mechanic gift ideas. If you want to send anything through to our Kashy mechanics, we're sure they would be appreciative!
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