Cool birthday gift for birthday-averse geek boyfriend?

April 2, 2012 5:59 AM

Good birthday gift for geek boyfriend costing less than $20?

My boyfriend's birthday is coming up. He made a big deal about mine because he knows I like birthdays, but he does not like birthdays and does not want me making a big deal about his. He has consented to dinner out, which I can pay for, and to a single gift costing no more than $20. I am a bit stumped!

He enjoys the store at ThinkGeek. He is a fan of novelty t-shirts (although I think that is a bit too obvious for a cool birthday gift). He likes vintage video games. He was greatly amused by the Google Maps April fools prank where they turned it all into an 8-bit Nintendo-style graphics look. He is very into baseball.

So, with this in mind, can you suggest a cool gift that is a little off the beaten path?

posted by JoannaC to shopping (22 answers total)

Are you familiar with American Science and Surplus? The Screeching Monkey Superhero and the Burp Gun are each under $20.
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:05 AM on April 2, 2012 [1 favorite]

how about a bottle of matter or a tin of anti-matter? The Superhero Supply store could help.
posted by corvine at 6:13 AM on April 2, 2012

Does he like coffee by chance? The Aeropress tends to appeal to geeks. Might be closer to $30, though.

If Indie Game: The Movie is playing near you soon, and not sold out - maybe tickets for that?
posted by backwards guitar at 6:28 AM on April 2, 2012

This is on thinkgeek, but I bet he'd like the 8-bit Necktie. (Note: he has to own at least one plain button-down shirt for this gift to work.)

If he has an iPhone or iPod Touch, get him this Lego case (slightly out of the price range but so cool it's worth it).

A board game like Settlers of Catan or Carcassone, while again slightly above your price limit, might appeal to him, and maybe you can justify it by making it a gift that you will enjoy as well (assuming you think you'd like it, that is. Also, for two players, Carcassone is superior to Catan, but Catan is in my opinion the better game overall).
posted by gauche at 6:38 AM on April 2, 2012 [1 favorite]

Does he have Munchkin already? I find most geeks like the game... and you probably will too.
posted by teabag at 7:03 AM on April 2, 2012

Geeks love atomic clocks. My favorite one projects the time on the ceiling. It costs around $16.00.
posted by myselfasme at 7:09 AM on April 2, 2012 [1 favorite]

My geeky man likes Threadless T-shirts like this one.
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:28 AM on April 2, 2012 [1 favorite]

Where do you live? An event or outing is a great present for people who hate presents.
posted by decathecting at 8:00 AM on April 2, 2012

Do you have a minor league baseball team nearby? Tickets to those are very much under your budget, and they may run specials too (my local team has $1 beer and soda nights every Thursday home game).
posted by Ufez Jones at 8:19 AM on April 2, 2012 [3 favorites]

Coffee mugs are a pretty good gift for people who are hard to shop for (and drink coffee), and they have the appeal of novelty tees without adding to the huge pile of tees he no doubt already has. If he likes Mega Man, get equipped with this mug.
posted by Metroid Baby at 8:35 AM on April 2, 2012 [1 favorite]

Think something that can be consumed - some nice beer, or chocolates, or a good bag of coffee - or an outing. People that don't like birthday events, in my experience, aren't big on gifts. Don't get him a knickknack he'll never use; give him something that he can remember.

Suggestions for events are renting a canoe/sailboat at a local lake, going on a short hike, going to the movies, seeing a play at a community theater, going rock climbing at a local gym... Pick an activity that he'll like and treat him to it. I love the local baseball game idea upthread!

And you can't go wrong with a nice six pack of some kind of fancy beer if he drinks alcohol. I've never disappointed with this gift. Just go to a local beer place - not the grocery store - and have a salesperson help you pick something.
posted by k8lin at 8:35 AM on April 2, 2012 [2 favorites]

Well, not so much "cool" as "handy" and "unique", I recently picked up a couple of these 16Gb Pico USB flash drives. Waterproof and tiny, I keep one on my keychain. It's got a partition encrypted with TrueCrypt and a handy install of Liberkey (portable Truecrypt, if nothing else) It's straight up tiny and super useful
posted by TomMelee at 8:44 AM on April 2, 2012

Oops, I didn't mean to press post. I also don't know any geeks who don't want one of these. (Syma S107 remote-control-mini-helicopter.) (Yes, these are a different animal than the AirHogs pieces of doo doo.)
posted by TomMelee at 8:46 AM on April 2, 2012 [1 favorite]

How about an 8-bit sword? Bought this for a friend who sounds very similar to your boyfriend, and he loved it.
posted by liquado at 9:16 AM on April 2, 2012

ThinkGeek, as you know, is your friend. I think your 8-bit, retro gaming BF would love the Pacman blanket (on sale now for 19.99, so it just fits your budget!).

Or you could get BOTH of you Dynamic Lifeforce shirts that react when you are close to each other. And they are on sale for just 4.99 each (!), so you'd still have enough for a Super Smash Brothers Choose Your Own Weapon poster or some Super Mario themed candy, too!

If you don't like the ThinkGeek route...

I hesitate to even suggest this, because you might never see him again, but I know a lot of gamers who favor thenold 8-bit graphics that are huge Minecraft fans. You can get him a pocket version of Minecraft for his Android or iPhone for just 6.99. and then Have enough left in your budget to add on some other Minecraft-themed gear.
posted by misha at 9:39 AM on April 2, 2012 [1 favorite]

It's $5 over your budget (ignoring P&P) but how about a Raspberry Pi? Worst case, an IOU for one when stock becomes available.

Way cooler and will be used far far more than the tat you'll get on ThinkGeek for that price (which'll only end up in the bin a couple of months later).
posted by mr_silver at 11:54 AM on April 2, 2012 [1 favorite]

We have the pacman blanket already :-) loving the suggestions!
posted by JoannaC at 12:21 PM on April 2, 2012

Moneyball is suppost to be a decent movie about baseball with an edge of nerdism. Is it on DVD yet?
posted by Jacen at 1:02 PM on April 2, 2012

A t shirt with three dots on it and 'four' written below it.
posted by Sebmojo at 2:36 PM on April 2, 2012

I too have a boyfriend who is not a huge birthday person and likes some of the categories you've mentioned.

I collect links for interesting t-shirts throughout the year and then when gift giving holidays come around, he gets one. or two.

I'll list a bunch that I've liked in the past. Prices range from below your price limit to slightly above it.

Axolotl
Former presidential campaigns
Hotdog
partofit
Ugmonk
Pencil lightning bolt
Bartelby the Scrivener
Toy Guns shirt
minimalist super heroes
I am always right.

I also think that the Moneyball suggestion is pretty good. However, I'd suggest the book rather than the movie. (of course I've not seen the movie, so buyer beware).

If he's a big baseball fan, something like MLB Gameday which gives an audio feed of any game he'd like for $20 for the year might work. I don't have the energy to find out how much video access is, but I'm sure it is more than that. Perhaps you can get access to his team's stuff for a reasonable amount - this assumes that you don't already have it at home through the television.
posted by sciencegeek at 3:17 PM on April 2, 2012

The answer is SUGRU! Fix all the things! Change all the things!

It's like silly putty, and play dough, and plasticine, and clay, and silicone caulking, all rolled into one.

Waterproof, extremely heat resistant, super fun.

Sugru :-)
posted by barnone at 11:06 PM on April 2, 2012

A true geek will like a vintage mechanical watch. Many are available for peanuts on Etsy, or ebay (search international, condition 'used' and category 'wristwatches' with a top price of $20). The combination of an incredibly complicated piece of machinery, vintage coolness, and the large variety of styles is great for a gift.
posted by bystander at 5:46 AM on April 5, 2012