Christmas gift guide: men

They can be the hardest to buy for and are often left until last on many a Christmas shopping list.Let us take some of the stress out of buying a present for the man/men in your life with our handy gift guide.

‘The World’s Best Christmas Jumpers Ever’

A Christmas just isn’t Christmas without a brash, colourful, in-your-face knitted jumper. These tongue-in-cheek numbers, optimistically dubbed the “world’s best” by Firebox, probably aren’t exactly what your grandma had in mind but they’re sure to get a reaction on Christmas morning. £49.99, www.firebox.com

etymotic mc2 headset

Got an iPhone? Yes? Go away. This is for the rest of us. The mc2 doubles up as a pair of bass-kickingly loud earphones (once you get the right in-ear adapters for you – if the supplied ones aren’t quite right, you can get some moulded specifically for your ears for a little extra) and a universal noise-isolating headset and microphone compatible with BlackBerry, Android and Windows Mobile. £75, www.mobilephone.co.uk

True Utility mini driver

No, not Minnie Driver, much as men of a certain age would like it to be. True Utility, masters of the actually-really-quite-handy stocking filler, have added a new gadget to their key-fob armoury. Stick a two-pound coin or a key in the slot and you’ve got yourself a rather useful little screwdriver, with four different heads to choose from. Perfect for screw-related emergencies or just those can’t-be-bothered-getting-the-toolbox-out-of-the-cupboard moments. £6.50, www.trueutility.com

Jockey Cambridge long johns

Re-enact all your favourite scenes from Brokeback Mountain (or indeed any Western of your choosing) with these rugged American classics: Jockey Cambridge Long Johns. Stylishly made from soft, cotton-rich fabric, these beauties are bound to keep you warm even in the dreary depths of Scottish winter, whether as a base layer for outdoor manoeuvres or just staying cosy around the house. Apparently these are styled in classic patriotic colours. Not sure how much of a selling point that really is, but the super-soft second layer of fabric on the pouch is bound to keep you so toasty that the “rockets’ red glare and bombs bursting in air” will no longer be just a figment of anthemic poetic imagining. £25, deadgoodundies.com

BRAUN Series 5 5040s W&D

The best morning time-saver since Archimedes invented peeing in the shower, the wet electric shaver is a godsend for men in a hurry. The Braun Series 5 range is the Range Rover of shavers, touted by Braun car-speak as “all-terrain”, with “expert handling and effortless control” and an “upgraded motor delivering 20 per cent more power”. We road-tested the 5040s both in and out the shower – at first we weren’t sure it was even working because it glides over the skin so smoothly, until the steam from the mirror cleared, revealing a stubble-free baby’s bottom in the reflection. An ugly baby’s bottom, but a baby’s bottom nonetheless. As with a car, it does go a little bit faster in the dry, but the absence of stubble shavings being dusted around the house makes up for that. The adjustable head makes light work of those fiddly bits around the mouth and on the jawline, while the extendable trimmer deHitlers the bit under your nose in no time. £189.99 (£127.29 at Boots from 1 November until 31 December)

Ministry of Sound headphones

Just because these cans are emblazoned with the most famous logo in clubland, you don’t HAVE to throw shapes at the temple of dance to get the most out of them. True, the bass is maybe a little punchy for some tastes, but the sturdy design, good noise isolation, clever anti-tangle coiled flex and great overall sound quality make these a great gift for anyone who likes their music loud but doesn’t like upsetting the neighbours. £39.99, www.ministryofsound.com

Complete lager brewing starter kit

With the price of a decent pint in some pubs leaving you with not much change from a fiver, home brewing seems like an astute financial decision as well as a richly satisfying hobby. The Brewstore in Edinburgh sells a range of complete starter kits for lager, stout, ale or cider. This lager kit includes pressurised barrel and enough lagery ingredients to make 40 pints. £74.99, The Brewstore Ltd, 14 Elgin Terrace, Edinburgh, EH7 5NW; 0131-661 6497; www.brewstore.co.uk

Clan crested gift set

Men don’t often get the chance to accessorise, apart from when kilted up. Available for more than 1,200 surnames, this gift set range should hit the spot for most people with any sort of Scottish-sounding name. £105, R&I MacDonald Kiltmakers, 45 Main Street, West Calder; www.macdonaldkiltmakers.co.uk

JCB 50-piece tool kit

More than 97 per cent of men want a JCB for Christmas, according to research I conducted in the pub at the weekend. The other three per cent already own one. If a 4CX backhoe loader is beyond your budget, give him this mix of JCB-branded screwdrivers, hammers, allen keys and measuring tapes and let him build a big yellow digger of his own, or some other contraption that’ll bumble along the bypass, causing rush-hour chaos. £64.98, www.diy.com

Pickmaster plectrum maker

As things stand, there are so many obstacles which stand between bedroom musicians and the world domination they crave: lack of any talent or original musical thinking, the terminally depressed state of global record sales, the inability to fashion plectrums out of expired credit cards. Good news! One of these three problems is now easily circumvented with the arrival of the Pickmaster, a handy device allowing you to punch out your own plectrums from any bit of plastic. Scotsman top tip: why not try accessorising your new picks with a mirrored top hat and migraine-inducing flared trousers for the full Christmas guitar hero experience? £14.99, www.iwantoneofthose.com