Best Gifts for a Son

Timex's children's line: small cases, elastic fabric straps and clear dials, in analog and digital versions.

The pick for a son young enough that this is his first watch, and the reason it beats the obvious alternatives is fit. Timex's children's line uses small cases that actually suit a child's wrist, where adult watches simply do not, and the elastic fabric strap slips on without buckle wrestling — which is the difference between a watch a seven-year-old puts on himself and one that needs a parent every morning. Clear dials in both analog and digital versions, and the analog one is genuinely how children learn to read a clock face. It is also cheap enough that losing it at a swimming pool is annoying rather than a disaster, which will happen. Two honest limits. It will be outgrown within a few years, so treat it as a stage rather than an heirloom. And water resistance is modest — fine for rain and handwashing, not for the pool.

A tiny single-AAA keychain flashlight, bright enough to be genuinely useful, with a twist-on tail.

The pick for the small slot and the one most likely to be used weekly for years. A tiny single-AAA keychain flashlight with a twist-on tail, bright enough to be genuinely useful, and the specification that matters is the size: the flashlight you have is the one that gets used, and a light small enough to live on a keyring permanently is the only kind anybody actually has when they need it. It runs on a AAA you can buy in any shop in any country, which matters more than rechargeability for something used for thirty seconds at a time. Cheap enough to buy two and leave one in a glovebox, which is the right move. Two limits, both honest. It is not rechargeable, so it needs a battery eventually. And it has one brightness level, so it is a find-the-keyhole light rather than a camping lantern.

An insulated stainless bottle with a lid offering both a straw and a wide sip opening, and a folding carry loop.

The pick that sounds dull and beats almost everything on this page for daily use. The FreeSip is an insulated stainless bottle whose lid offers both a straw and a wide sip opening, plus a folding carry loop, and the two-way lid is the whole reason it works: sipping at a desk and gulping after sport are different actions and most bottles only do one. The locking lid survives a schoolbag or a gym bag without leaking, which decides whether a bottle gets taken out twice. The color range is a large part of why teenagers carry it, so let him choose if you can. Two honest points. The straw lid has parts that need cleaning, so it is slightly more work than a plain bottle. And the large sizes are genuinely heavy when full, which matters for a younger child.

A sturdy pebbled-leather bifold with card slots, a bill pocket and a fold-out passcase ID window.

The pick for the moment a son needs a wallet that is not falling apart, which is usually mid-teens. A sturdy pebbled-leather bifold with card slots, a bill pocket and a fold-out passcase ID window, and the reason it works as a first real wallet is that the layout is completely familiar — there is no new habit to learn, which is what goes wrong when people gift a card sleeve to somebody who carries cash and five cards. The leather is thick enough to take years of back-pocket use rather than splitting at the fold, and Carhartt is a name most recipients already trust for hard-wearing things. Two honest points. It is bulky compared with a slim card sleeve, so it is the wrong pick for somebody trying to carry less. And the pebbled finish marks easily in the first few weeks before it settles.

The original square G-Shock: shock resistant, 200 meters water resistant, resin case, digital display.

The pick for a teenage son, and the most durable gift on this page. The original square G-Shock is rated to 200 meters of water resistance and shock resistant, and current stock runs module 3525, rated at roughly five years on a single CR2016 — which for a recipient who will wear a watch and then never think about it again is the specification that matters most. It is the watch you would rather see take the hit, and at 42.8mm across it is narrower than the newer octagonal G-Shock, so it suits a slimmer teenage wrist better. It is also a design that has not needed changing since the 1980s, which is its own kind of recommendation. The costs: it is 13.4mm thick, so it wears like a G-Shock rather than like a watch; it is fully digital; and older stock on module 3229 has a dimmer backlight and shorter battery rating, so check the module on the listing.

Bluetooth earbuds with active noise canceling, a charging case and an app for adjusting the sound.

The pick for a teenage or student son, and the one most likely to still be in daily use a year later. Bluetooth earbuds with active noise canceling, a charging case and an app for adjusting the sound — and the argument for these over the obvious premium alternative is plain: noise canceling at a fraction of the price, and losing one is survivable. That is not flippant. Earbuds get lost, and the right gift is the one whose loss is irritating rather than expensive. They also work with both iPhone and Android, which is not true of every alternative and matters if you do not know what phone he will have next year. Two limits. Battery life is shorter than premium models, so a long flight needs the case. And fit varies between ears, so he may need the alternative tips in the box.

A stainless multi-tool with pliers, wire cutters, a locking knife blade, screwdrivers and a file, backed by Leatherman's 25-year warranty.

The pick for an adult son who actually does things with his hands, and the single most useful object on this page for that recipient. A stainless multi-tool with pliers, wire cutters, a locking knife blade, screwdrivers and a file, backed by Leatherman's 25-year warranty — and that warranty is the whole reason to buy Leatherman rather than an unbranded multi-tool, because the failure point on a cheap one is the pliers joint and nobody honours a replacement. The locking blade is meaningfully safer to use one-handed, which is when a multi-tool is normally used. Two real limits, and the second is a planning issue. It is heavy in a trouser pocket, so it belongs on a belt or in a bag. And it cannot travel in hand luggage, so if you are posting it or handing it over at an airport, think about that first.

A small, well-organized daypack that also clips onto larger Osprey packs, covered by Osprey's lifetime guarantee.

The pick when the gift should still be in use in ten years. A small, well-organized daypack that also clips onto larger Osprey packs, covered by Osprey's lifetime guarantee — and the guarantee is the reason this beats the pile of cheap packs at the same money, because it repairs or replaces the bag for life rather than for a year. It carries comfortably when loaded, which a tote or a cheap drawstring bag does not, and it is small enough to count as a personal item on a flight, which is a specific and genuinely useful property for a student flying home. Two honest limits. It is not big enough to be a sole travel bag, so it supplements rather than replaces luggage. And it is still a daypack: a full day's kit plus a laptop fills it completely.

Apple's entry smartwatch: notifications, workouts, heart rate, fall detection and Apple Pay, paired to an iPhone.

The pick when the main gift is a device and the phone question is already settled. The SE is Apple's entry smartwatch: notifications, workouts, heart rate, fall detection and Apple Pay, and it is genuinely useful every day in a way almost nothing else at this money can claim. For a teenager who already lives inside an iPhone it is close to the default gift, and for an adult son who trains it earns its place on workout tracking alone. Two hard limits, and both are checks rather than opinions. It requires an iPhone, so it is completely useless to an Android user — confirm rather than assume, because this is the most common expensive mistake in this category. And it charges nightly, which some people never adapt to; if he wanted a watch he never has to think about, buy a light-powered one instead.

A waterproof e-reader with an adjustable warm front light and weeks of battery life.

The pick for an adult son who reads, and a strong one for a student. The front light is adjustable and warm, so it works in a dim room without the glare of a tablet; the battery runs for weeks rather than hours, so there is no daily charging ritual to remember; and it is waterproof, which makes a bath, a beach and a pool all fine. For somebody who commutes or travels it replaces a bag full of books, and it is the gift on this page least likely to be duplicated by somebody else buying for the same occasion. Two real limits. A committed print reader may simply not want one, and no specification argues with that — if he loves the object of a book, buy him books. And his existing paper library does not transfer, so anything he already owns has to be bought again digitally.