10 Best Men’s Gadgets and Gear Under $500

With the holiday season coming up, a lot of people are looking towards buying a gift for the men in their lives. But this isn’t always easy, as everyone has their own taste and preferences over certain things. Whether you’re buying something for your spouse or a family member, it’s important to know what the men in your life will appreciate it.

But don’t fret, because we’ve done all the hard work for you. We’ve spent the better part of the year scouring through online stores, review sites, and forums to find the perfect gifts to give this new-year. So, without further ado, here are some of the 10 best men’s gadgets and gear that you can buy right now for under $500.

The List of Men’s Gadgets and Gears Under $500

Oculus Quest All-in-one VR Gaming Headset

Whenever old movies needed to showcase the future, they would put in some high-tech and futuristic gadgets into the scene, e.g., headsets that let you see and experience things in virtual reality. But thanks to modern technology, this is now more fact than fiction.

The new Oculus Quest All in One VR Gaming Headset is the perfect gift for someone who likes games as well as something new and unique. While there are other VR headsets available on the market, none provide an experience quite similar to the Oculus Quest.

Instead of hooking up your VR headset to a PC or a console to play games, the Oculus Quest does it all on its own. You can play games on it right out-of-the-box, without having to worry about setting it up to anything or hooking any wires.

It comes with an Oculus headset, as well as two touch controllers to play games. You can have it set-up with the Oculus mobile app and start downloading games on to its internal 64GB storage to play games directly off the headset.

The Oculus Quest allows you to interact with your games in 3D space, thanks to its range of different sensors. You can play games like: “Vader Immortal” and get an authentic Star Wars experience like nothing you’ve seen before.

DJI Spark Portable Mini Drone

These days, drones are all the rage. Whether it’s for capturing footage from high angles or just having fun, drones are becoming increasingly popular among hobbyists of all circles today. And no drone is more iconic than the DJI Spark.

The DJI Spark Portable Mini Drone presents a perfect opportunity for anyone to start having fun flying a small drone around. It’s much smaller and packs a lower quality camera compared to a professional-camera drone. But for the purpose of fulfilling a hobby, it does just fine.

Setting it up is easy and you can link it with your phone, which makes it easy to control while viewing the video feed from the drone. You can use the drone to either capture footage or just fly it around for fun.

This makes it a great gift to give to someone since it’s so easy to get into as a hobby. Anyone, from an avid tech-enthusiast to a beginner, can easily grasp the concept of flying a drone in just a few minutes.

Peak Design Everyday Backpack 30L

When it comes to gear, we’re all ready to spend top dollar for the best of the best. But what happens when you store all that gear in a cheap bag that may give-out at any time?

The Peak Design Everyday Backpack is a good solution to this problem, by providing a sturdy backpack that can be used to store all kinds of gear in it. Although it’s primarily designed as a camera bag, it can still be used for other things, like laptops, drones, lenses, tablets, and other expensive gadgets.

The backpack has a typical capacity of 18L, but this nearly gets doubled to 30L when you expand it.  It comes with tons of pockets and dividers to help store things. The smaller pockets will easily accommodate things like carrying batteries, memory cards, pens, filters, etc.

What’s more, it’s made of a tough outer shell that protects the contents inside. The 400D nylon canvas shell on the outside also makes it waterproof and safe from the elements. The zippers have been weatherproofed too, so they don’t snap in unfavorable conditions.

This backpack makes an excellent gift for the tech enthusiast in your life. They will appreciate being able to store their valuable gear in a safe and secure way to transport from place to place.

weBoost Drive Reach Cell Phone Signal Booster

Cellphones are an inseparable part of our daily lives. These days, leaving your phone behind is akin to feeling disconnected from the rest of the world. So, when you get into an area that has little to no cell signal, your phone essentially becomes a brick.

This is why the weBoost is an ideal gift for someone who wants near-perfect cell reception, no matter where they go. The weBoost is a professional grade signal booster that comes with its own amplifier, antenna, and booster.

Setting it up is painless and simple. All you have to do is follow the manufacturer’s provided instructions to perform a tool-free installation. This signal booster can be used indoors, in your car, or even in a work vehicle.

The weBoost will output 29.5dB of signal output power. This can nearly double your signals in some cases, especially where reception is poor. It’s ideal for someone in your life who likes to go to places with limited cell reception. This includes small towns with limited cell towers, hiking trails in the woods, underground areas, or even tunnels.

All in all, it makes for a great gift for someone who likes to travel or frequently goes hiking and fishing in places where cell signals aren’t strong enough.

Arcade1Up Pac Man – Classic 2-in-1 Home Arcade

Nothing beats the experience of playing games in a classic arcade. Back in the day, all it took was a quarter to experience bright and flashy graphics and loud videogame sounds.

The Arcade1UP Pac Man Home Arcade lets anyone live/relive this experience, right in the comfort of their home. It’s a great chance for anyone born in at the heel turn of arcade culture, during the 70s and 80s, to relish in their nostalgia.

You will get a ¾ sized cabinet that stands 4ft tall and resembles the large arcade machines, we used to play with. On the sides, you can find the artwork that stays true to the original design. You get two games, included inside the cabinet; Pac-Man and Pac-Man Plus.

Once you get it out of the box, you’ll find all the necessary parts to assemble the cabinet. The product comes with simple instructions for you to follow when putting it together. It doesn’t take any more effort, to assemble this cabinet, than setting up a piece of IKEA furniture.

No gift can match up to the gift of nostalgia and the Arcade1Up Pac Man Home Arcade is a great way to make anyone remember their golden years.

Fluance RT81 Elite High-Fidelity Vinyl Turntable

Vinyl records are one of the few mediums that have managed to stand the test of time. Even today they’re used by some aficionados to listen to both new and classical music.

The Fluance RT81 Elite High-Fidelity Vinyl Turntable is a classy gift that is suitable for the vinyl and music enthusiast in your life. This premium vinyl player comes with the main unit, power adapter, dust cover, adapter for 45 RPM records.

Learning how to use it is practically simple and in most cases, all you have to do is plug and play. The controls are all intuitive and there’s no guesswork on what you have to do to make it work. But even if you run into any problems, the user guide takes you through each step carefully.

The vinyl player is made out of premium-grade walnut, with an aluminum tonearm. This gives it a really premium look and feel that you can’t get from low-budget models. You can play traditional LPs and EPs with the Fluance RT81 without any issues. The speed adjustor lets you seamlessly switch between 33 1/3 or 45 RPM records with no issues.

The Fluance RT81 will make an excellent gift for any music lover. Whether they’re into mixing music, converting their old records, or simply need a place to enjoy their collection, this is the perfect present for them.

Philips Smartsleep Sleep & Wake-up Therapy Lamp

There are a lot of things in someone’s life that can mess up their sleeping habits. It can be anything from daily activities to diet or even their comfort levels. But one of the most overlooked aspects of sleeping better is light itself.

The Phillips Smartsleep Therapy Lamp is the best fit for someone you know who has a tough time sleeping.  This is a fully-fledged therapy lamp that not only works as a night light, but also as a decent white noise machine.

This lamp comes with a curved futuristic design, making it look sleek and unique. It comes with 7 natural sounds built-in as well as multiple lighting options. The sunset and sunrise modes cause the lamp to achieve a more tinted and diffused light pattern, which helps with falling asleep or waking up.

As an added bonus, you also get some extra functionality like being able to charge your phone, listening to music through AUX, 8-hour power backup, reading modes, multiple alarms, and much more.

This night-light is a solid package for insomniacs. Whether they’re suffering from sleeping disorders or stress, they’ll appreciate the ability to get a good night’s sleep.

Marshall Woburn II Wireless Bluetooth Speaker Black

Marshall has had its history in audio as a major guitar amplifier manufacturer. Famous artists like Jimi Hendrix, Dave Mustaine, Kurt Cobain, Slash, and Jimmy Page have all used Marshall amps on stage. So, when Marshall comes out with its premium speakers, you can expect a quality sound system.

The Marshall Woburn II is a premium wireless Bluetooth speaker that emulates the look and feel of a historic guitar amplifier. It comes with two 1-inch tweeters, as well as a 5.25-inch subwoofer backed up by 110-Watts of power.

This means that the audio quality sounds much larger and clearer than what you would expect from its size. You can notice Marshall’s prestige and history in the way the speakers reverberate the sound around the wooden cabinet.

There’s not much to set-up and can be immediately used after purchase. Whether you want to connect via Bluetooth, RCA, or through the standard 3.5mm AUX, it’s all plug and play.

For the rock fanatic and music lover in your circle, the Marshall Woburn II is a perfect gift. It’s not only a quality speaker, but a piece of rock history as well that they can put on display.

Apple AirPods Pro

When it comes to technology, no brand innovates and stylizes it better than Apple. It’s a company that anyone would appreciate getting a gift from.

The Apple AirPods Pro are the ultimate tech-gift that you can give someone this year. They provide a premium listening experience, without having to rely on wires getting in the way. That’s because the AirPods are one of the most recognizable wireless earphones today.

The Apple AirPods Pro improve upon the design of the original by providing more functionality and value. In addition to exceptional sound quality, you’re also getting noise cancellation, water resistance, custom ear tips, pressure relief, adaptive EQ, wider soundstage, compact size and more.

The Apple AirPods Pro also include, when purchased, some ear tips to help find the proper fit. Setting them with any Apple device is extremely simple. You can pair it up with other devices too, but you might lose out on some features when doing so.

If you know someone who likes their music on the go, then the Apple AirPods Pro is definitely the best gift you can give to them.

Tanktoyd Russia T-72 Tracked Metal RC Tank

Sometimes, the perfect gift for someone is something that suits their taste and interests. When you know what they like, getting the right present can mean the entire world to them.

The Tanktoyd Russia T-72 Track Metal RC Tank is just that. It’s the ideal gift for a history buff, a military hobbyist, or even someone who appreciates mechanical engineering marvels. This is a 1:16 replica of a real-life Soviet T-72 tank that was used in service during the ‘80s.

The Tanktoyd T-72 is much more than just a model tank. It is a premium grade replica that doubles as an RC vehicle. It’s controlled via a 2.4GHz remote, used to move backwards, forwards, left, right, or to independently spin on its own axis.

The tank comes with the main unit, USB cable, battery, body kit and a target. It’s designed with an impeccable attention to detail and is true to the original design.

This is one of the best gifts you can give to anyone interested in history, military arsenal, or tanks. It makes for a valuable collector’s item as well as a decent model tank.

Our Picks

Now that you’ve seen all the options, we’ll give you some of our top personal recommendations for what you should get.

1^st Pick: Peak Design Everyday Backpack 30L

A backpack is something everyone needs these days and having a premium backpack to protect valuable gear is always important. This is a gift that you can give to anyone without it going unappreciated.

2^nd Pick: Apple AirPods Pro

Despite being a bit expensive, the Apple AirPods Pro are still some of the best and most iconic wireless earbuds in the market. You can bet that anyone will value the gift of being given great wireless audio in a sleek package.

Best Value for Money: Oculus Quest All-in-one VR Gaming Headset

It’s hard not to recommend the Oculus Quest as a gift. It’s something that anyone can appreciate. Whether they’re a fully-fledged gamer or not, anyone would be amazed at the marvel of VR gaming. With a reasonable price and built-in games, this is one option you shouldn’t pass up.

Final Words

It’s important to remember that all the information that I’ve gathered here is for reference and help only. Choosing the perfect gift is a decision that will ultimately hinge on you. And now that you have a good grasp of the available options, you can go out and buy the gift that will work best for you.