20 Great Gifts for Engineers from $10 to $2 Million

Gifts for Engineers can usually be segmented into a few categories: Things you have to put together, science fiction, gaming, new technology, and witty phrases printed on stuff. A Google search of the term "Best Gifts for Engineers" will quickly validate this claim.

Working at a turbomachinery company, the ideas below will skew towards engineers in that line of work. Below are some great choices, with a broad range of prices, broken out by the major categories above. Note that pricing reflects time of publication and the links are not affiliate links. Enjoy!

Things you have to put together:

1. LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Millennium Falcon 75192 Building Kit (7541 pieces) (List price $799.95) We're pretty sure the Falcon's hyperdrive uses gas turbines designed with AXIAL.
   (He only has 3,076 more pieces to go!)
   
   
2. Wooden V8 Engine (List price $39.99) The manufacturer can check out our turbocharger resource page if they want to add one to next year's model.
   
3. Get your hands dirty and incorporate this waterwheel (List price $39.95) into a home improvement project. Perhaps a fountain? Miniature golf course? Read our other blogs on ancient water movement technology, and/or siting hydroelectric plants.
   

Science Fiction:

1. Death Star Disco Ball (List price $64.99) It’s shiny, it spins, it can destroy a planet. What’s not to love? Take your next party to a whole new level.
   
2. Star Trek Pizza Cutter - (Sale price $13.99) Bring a little fun to the next office pizza lunch with this cool cutter. Set your phasers on yum. Sorry, couldn't resist that one.
   
3. Warn off would-be tailgaters with this wipesaber (List price $17.95) 
   
   

Gaming:

Know a Gamer?  They might appreciate these:

1. Old school 80's arcade games (List price $20 - or 80 quarters) Each one can fit in your hand, or in a drawer when someone walks by your cubicle.
   
2. Go all artsy on Etsy with this handmade vinyl clock (List price $25) The clock features some of the gaming greats, like Mario, Link, etc.
   
   

3. Video Card for the serious gamer (List price $330): EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 FTW GAMING ACX 3.0, 08G-P4-6276-KR, 8GB GDDR5, RGB LED, 10CM FAN, 10 Power Phases, Double BIOS, DX12 OSD Support (PXOC) This model is well reviewed for great efficiency and performance, something near and dear to our hearts too. We think it looks great too. Let us know if you need some design help on some fans of your own.
   
   

New Technology:

1. 3D printing is being explored in almost every market that uses turbomachinery, so much so, that we are incorporating it into v 8.7 of our Design and Manufacturing software.  A 3D printer from FlashForge will bring a smile to any Engineer's face, and if it doesn't, they can print one.  (List price $299)
   
2. Drones -  the big UAVs we design propulsion systems for are a little cost prohibitive for the average person, but here is a link to Amazon's Top Picks, ranging from under $20 to over $600.
   
3. Robots - While there are no Robot Engineers (yet), there are other cool robots that can do some mundane chores for you. A shout out to our customer, iRobot, for their newest i7 Roomba, that can even empty itself after it is done cleaning. (List price $949) 
   
   
   There is also a robot-shaped egg mold for $12.32. Kinda creepy, kinda cool.
   
4. High tech old tech. The best at this concept has to be Dyson. From vacuums, to fans, to hair dryers, they are bringing a strong design aesthetic, powerful performance, and an undeniable sense of cool to their products. Full disclosure - they are a long-time customer - and we love their stuff!
   
   
   

 Witty sayings printed on stuff

1. T-Shirts - (List price $20ish) These T-shirts are the perfect thing to wear on Casual Fridays. Find your favorite on this website, or millions of others on the web.
   
    
2. Mugs - (List price $10) There is a plethora of funny mugs out there that will amuse almost any engineer. Here are a few samples:
   

Win the lottery? Money no object?  Here are a few over-the-top gifts:

1. Perrelet Turbine watch - (List price $5,800) They have been making watches since 1777, so they must be doing something right.  We like the cool turbomachinery aesthetic!
   
2. Personal water Jetovator - (List price $6,500). Something similar was featured in our blog on the Top 5 Coolest Turbomachinery Applications.
   
3. Formula One (F1) Speaker Dock - (List price $8,500) Made from parts actually used in an F1 racing car - we hope it was one we worked on!
   
4. Jet Engine Coffee or Tea Machine - (List price $15,000) Should be illegal to make decaf in this bad boy!
   
5. Submarine Sports Car - (List price $2,000,000) Feel like James Bond in this working land/sea sports car. Call us if you need a co-pilot - or an heir.
   

One more - for the next-generation engineer:

1. Toy Archimedes Screw is guaranteed to spark the imagination and get them all excited about fluid movement. It is suitable for moving many types of fluid, including water, dirt, and candy.