Try Four G's When Buying Father's Day Gifts

It's tough to come up with a good Father's Day gift idea sometimes. The bigger and more expensive gifts for dad usually are reserved for his birthday or the holidays, while Father's Day gifts traditionally fall into the "thoughtful" category.

So, out of ideas? Here are a few that might help you make this Father's Day a special one for dear old dad.

Dan Tower of Gifts.com said that for Father's Day, most of his gift ideas fall into one of the four Gs -- gadgets, grilling, golf or grooming.

Gadgets

Wells said that gadgets are the most popular gift idea for Father's Day.

"Gadgets is sort of a catchall phrase about consumer electronics and knick knacks and games," Tower said. "It is a catchall, but always leads in volume of searches on our site."

This year, Tower said a popular and great gift idea is an image converter, which costs around $100 and can convert negatives, slides or photos into digital images.

"A lot of dads are kind of the family historian, and they are in charge of taking the photos, taking the pictures and preserving those memories," said Tower.

Another idea for a photography buff is a digital image keychain, which runs about $40. The device has a USB connector on it, which can hook up to a computer and download about 40 photos. The photos can then be projected on a small screen that hooks up to a keychain.

"This is for that proud dad that always showing off pictures of his kids at work. It's a gift that's very popular on our site," said Tower.

For a gear head, Tower suggested the CarMD, which is a handheld diagnostic device that plugs into your car.

Most cars made in the last 10 to 12 years have an outlet that mechanics use to run diagnostic checks, but with the CarMD, it can be done at home. After plugging it in and running a check, the device can be hooked up to a computer and connected to CarMD's Web site, which will tell the user what the problem is and give estimates on the cost.

"You know, your check engine light comes on, and it's a horrible feeling because they can basically tell you anything and you feel kind of helpless," said Tower. "So, this device plugs in, and it can tell you basically the relative health of your car."

Grilling

A lot of dads like to grill, and since a lot of families like to grill outside for Father's Day, it is a great idea because he can put it to immediate use.

One idea that Tower suggested is the Grillslinger Barbecue Tool Belt, which costs about $55 and looks like a gun belt, but holds sauces, knives and spatulas. It's also a good gift for a dad that has a sense of humor and likes to show off.

"It looks a little over the top, obviously, but I think in a good way. It really makes dad feel like he's king of the grill," said Tower.

Another gift that can help assure happy grilling times in the future is a propane gauge, which costs around $25.

"It basically tells you if you are about to run out of propane or not. It's a little knick knack. It's easy and cheap and a dad that's a griller might think it's a good one," said Tower.

Finally, there is a book, "The Barbecue! Bible 10th Anniversary Edition" by Steven Raichlen, which cost around $15.

"It is barbecue and grilling 101. It covers everything you can imagine from main courses to all types of meats, all types of marinades," said Tower. "It's a great starter cookbook. It's the No. 1 gift for the guy that wants to take his grilling to the next level."

Golf

Golfing is a very common and popular sport for dads, and with the prime golfing season just getting under way, Father's Day is a good time to add to his golfing experience.

One gift that Wells suggested is a new golfing shirt, like the Nike Sphere Dry, which cost around $65.

"The last few years these technical fabrics have become very popular in sporting. They are basically polyesters that transfer sweat and moisture away from the body so that you can stay dryer and cooler while you play," said Tower. "It's basically the type of shirt that Tiger (Woods) is wearing out there. They look great."

A new book that came out recently that a golfer would like is "Arnie & Jack: Palmer, Nicklaus, and Golf's Greatest Rivalry."

"It's a new book about the complex relationship between Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, two golf icons who weren't really friends but they were forced to deal with each other all the time because of who they are. They're not enemies, they're not friends," said Tower. "I think your over-50 dad would really like this book."

Grooming

The final category, grooming, is a gift idea that works well for Father's Day, birthdays or Christmas.

"Guys and dads aren't probably going to go out there and say, 'You know, I need some new shaving products or skin care products.' It's something guys don't tend to ask for, but when they do receive, they tend to really like," said Tower.

Tower suggested travel kits, which are a good way for dad to try out products to see if he likes them. If you get positive feedback, buying larger versions for his birthday is a good idea.

One that Tower suggested is the Billy Jealousy 'WanderLust' Traveling Kit, which costs around $36 and has shaving products, hair products and aftershave products

"These things are just so much better than your average drug store products," said Tower. "The other thing I like about them is, they are slightly larger than sample sizes, so it's not a major investment."