Gizmodo Consumer Tech Editor Raymond Wong’s 8 Most Underrated Tech Gifts

I know you’re probably sick of gift guides by now, and I don’t blame you. Gizmodo has been thoughtfully cranking them out. We’ve got our recommendations for the best tech gifts, the best gaming gifts, the best nerdy gifts, and the best gifts for your festive fandom. And if you want even more personal gift ideas, our very own James Pero and Kyle Barr have their curations.

I love a good gift guide that’s super personal, but I’ve been recommending stuff for over a decade that most of my favorite tech products aren’t surprising at all. So I dug deep into my Amazon order history—and my soul—to unearth some gifts that I bought myself over the past few years that I’m still using today. Sometimes, a simple gift is the best gift.

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8. Balabala Velcro Cable Ties

100 reusable Velcro cable ties for $6 is one of the best investments I’ve ever made for tidying up my apartment. Nearly every device in my home—game console, air purifier, kitchen appliance, etc.—has its cord neatly fastened together instead of dangling around. Why? Because I hate dangling cables and my cats love to bite and claw at any string-like objects. Whether you’ve got felines roaming your place or not, get yourself some cable ties and finally get all your unruly cables under control. You won’t regret it.

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7. Xiaomi Electric Precision Screwdriver

I know that people swear by their iFixit toolkits, which have every tool imaginable to bust open and repair a gadget, but you still have to do a lot of manual twisting on teeny, tiny screws once you’re in. This electric precision screwdriver from Xiaomi has been a godsend on my gadget surgery table. It makes repairing a device less time-consuming, and I can attest that I’ve stripped far fewer screws than I would have using a regular screwdriver.

It has two buttons: one for rotating the screw bit left and one for right. It comes with 24 bits and charges with USB-C. Every piece fits into a sleek, aluminum case. Sure, it’s no power drill, but for tinkering with small devices, it’s been nothing but convenient and a pleasure to use.

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6. Voraiya Ultrasonic Cleaner

You don’t know how filthy all your little doodads and tchotchkes are until you’ve run them through an ultrasonic cleaner and rinsed away all the gunk that was on them. I originally purchased this Voraiya ultrasonic cleaner to wash my clear aligners when I did Invisalign. The reviews were mixed on whether it could actually clean them or not, but it works. Since completing Invisalign, I’ve used this thing daily to clean my retainer, electric toothbrush heads (bacteria grows on those bristles!), as well as silver rings, bracelets, and metal watch bands.

Is this thing gonna provide industrial-strength UV cleansing? Hell no, but mine is still working three years in.

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5. Katchy Flying Insect Trap

I live in New York City, so it’s brick out and only getting colder as winter settles in. But come summertime, the mosquitoes and all kinds of insane-legged insects just love to invade my apartment for some reason. I honestly didn’t think this “Katchy Flying Insect Trap†would work because it sounds like some “As Seen on TV†BS. But it does!

There’s really nothing groundbreaking about how it works—it uses a blue light and fan to attract and suck in insects, which then get trapped on a replaceable sticky pad in the base. My two cats go berserk whenever they see a fly or mosquito, but since getting this magical vortex can, my bedroom has been mostly bug-free during the warmer seasons. My arms have been bitten a lot less, too.

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4. Fujifilm X100V

I own an unhealthy number of cameras and bounce between them frequently. However, the camera that I will go out of my way to carry around my neck is the Fujifilm X100V. This fixed-lens camera with an APS-C-size sensor came out in 2020, and then TikTok got hold of it during the pandemic and pushed up prices to the point where Fujifilm couldn’t make enough to meet demand.

Yes, smartphones have incredible cameras, but my beloved X100V shoots photos that make me feel things. And isn’t that what photos are supposed to do? I’ve spent a stupid amount of time over the years noodling with film simulation “recipes†to capture film-like photos that look like something out of an old SLR. I was never a guy who shot manual controls until I got the X100V, and I’m glad I did because not only do I feel like my street photography has improved tremendously, but I think all of the photos are more distinctly mine. I know that it was me who dialed in the settings—the aperture, the shutter speed, the ISO, the film simulation, etc.—to a photo exactly as I envisioned looking through the viewfinder.

I’ve shot all kinds of events and weddings (including my little sister’s) with the X100V and the delight that turning all the knobs and dials gives me never gets old. I’ve also broken my X100V twice this year, but even so, spending $600 total to fix it has been worth it because it’s brought me so much joy. I’m not saying an X100V (or even the newer and superior-in-every-way X100VI) will suddenly make you a great photographer, but there’s probably a good probability you’ll like the photos more than whatever your phone takes.

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3. Penco 3-In-1 Multi Pen

I have been writing about the latest and greatest in consumer tech for *checks calendar* just over 15 years, and despite the many digital to-do list apps out there, I’ve found that using a physical pen to cross off tasks written down in a physical notebook is the best way for me to actually manage the zillion things that I have to do every day. The action of writing down a task and then striking it out is very powerful. Then, I look back at all the shit I’ve done in a day/week/month and can actually see tangible signs of productivity.

Use any pen or notebook or notepad you want. I knew I had to have this 3-in-1 (black ink, red ink, and mechanical pencil) from Penco as soon as I laid eyes on it in the Hightide store when I visited Tokyo in the summer. It’s made of aluminum, has a knurled ring in the middle that stops it from rolling, and is made in Japan.

The Japanese yen is pretty weak compared to the U.S. dollar at the moment, so it was relatively affordable. I see it selling for $40 online, which is pretty pricey. I think it was something like around $10 USD when I bought it. I pair mine with a Penco’s Soft PP Notebook (B6 size) with grid-lined pages. You could find a similar pen and notebook combo at Muji for a lot less, though.

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2. Ocoopa Electric Hand Warmer

As I said, it’s currently freezing for me. Gloves can only provide so much warmth. When my fingers can’t handle the cold, I break out these electric hand warmers from Ocoopa. They’re shaped like Twinkies and provide up to 16 hours of heat from a single charge. I’ve found the four heat levels are more than hot enough; sometimes level 4 is too hot. Oh, and they also double as portable batteries for charging up your phone.

My only complaint is that they don’t fit inside of gloves. Ocoopa sells a model that does appear to be slim enough to slip into a pair, but I haven’t tried them.

I got these a few years back for like $30 and then proceeded to gift them to my whole family. In the years since I bought them, Ocoopa has added a lot more colors and patterns, though you’ll pay more to get prettier-looking hand warmers.

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1. 12-Inch Magnetic Under Cabinet Lights

I couldn’t tell you who makes these lights (they’re sold from the “Skairipa Store†on Amazon, which might be the brand?!), but they are awesome. I was put on to these 12-inch magnetic “under cabinet†lights by my friend Zach when I visited his apartment for our holiday video shoot. I knew I had to get some as soon as I saw them magnetically attached to his gear closets.

See, I also have metal gear cabinets where I store all my camera equipment and such. But it’s dark in the back. These thin lights can be set to three different color temperatures (I set mine to warm), can detect motion so that they automatically turn on when I open the doors (and then automatically turn off after a few seconds), and charge with USB-C. There’s a remote control for adjusting the brightness and setting timers and such, but I haven’t found any need for it. I’ve attached them via their built-in magnet, but also included in the box are double-sided tape and clips if that’s more preferred.

I bought a 4-pack for $30 when it was on sale a few months ago, but they’ve been so handy that I picked up another four on Cyber Monday to light up my hallway closets. Motion-detecting mountable lights don’t sound sexy, but they sure are useful.