gifts for dad – Page 3 – The Review Studio

Papersmith Calypso Notebook and Primo Pen

Birthday Gifts, Books, Children, Family Life, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home, Learning, Stocking Fillers, Women

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

If you’re like me and relish the thought of a new notebook to start journaling, making to do lists or sorting out your life, then Papersmiths is a brand you’ll love. If you’re returning to school or university, the colour options of both notepad and combination pen work as a lovely gift too.

Papersmiths’ A5 Notebooks are soft covered and come in 9 different colours. Unlike other notebooks, each one has numbered pages, going up to 236 pages in all and the page numbers are coloured as you progress through the book. We were sent a ruled-page version but you can also have plain pages or 5mm dot grid, depending on what you want to use it for. The notepad is bound with a thick 15mm spine and has a double contents page at the front for ease of making notes.

The cover is British made, in the Lake District and the inner pages are made especially for fountain pen ink, although you can use any pen or pencil and it’s bound together in Buckinghamshire, England by a 4^thgeneration binder.

The accompanying ball point pen you can see in the photos is also part of the Papersmith range. The Primo Pen, which is new to the available stock, is aluminium made for hardiness as well as being light to hold and has brass accents. I especially liked that this ballpoint writes really finely, much finer than mass produced ballpoint pens and doesn’t leave heavy ink blobs on the page when you put the nib down to write. There’s a nice flow to your writing when the ink is constant and easy. It may be pricy for a pen, but you can buy refills from the Papersmith website so that your pen can keep going for a lifetime! If however you prefer a different thickness of line, you can swap out the refills from ballpoint to gel and change the style of ink to suit your needs. They’re available in 6 colours to match or compliment your notebook.

Papersmiths also have a range of stationery accessories available, such as pen clips, notebook bands, diaries and desk planners as well as the refills mentioned above. You can also ask for the notebooks to be personalised before it’s sent out, and gift wrapped too!

I shall be using my new Calypso notebook for journaling ideas and using the page numbers to create a content at the front for future reference. Colour coding my notebooks in the future won’t be difficult with the ample amount of colours available on the Papersmith website, and for anyone using the notebooks for school or university, you will find it easy to use these beautiful notebooks.

Notebook (Calypso) available for £22.00:

Calypso Notebook

Primo Pen (Peacock) available for £14.00:

Primo Pen – Peacock Green

Edifier MP230 Portable Bluetooth Speaker

Birthday Gifts, camping, Children, Family Life, Father's Day, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home, Summer, Tech

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

This retro style portable speaker from Edifier is probably the easiest I’ve ever set up a speaker. With crystal-clear sound, it’s a brilliant addition to your household or as a gift to someone you love.

The Edifier MP230 Portable Bluetooth Speaker has a battery charge of up to 10 hours with a wooden casing and grill cover to give it a retro 50s/60s portable look. The operating keys on the front are piano-style for on/off, Bluetooth, play/pause and two volume buttons. Speaking of Bluetooth, it was incredibly easy to set up. All I had to do was turn on the speak with the button on the front, use the Bluetooth settings on my laptop, which found it immediately and press Connect. As soon as I played a track on my laptop, it came through the Edifier speaker; no need for any instructions or clicking buttons, adding settings etc, it was easy as pie!

The quality of the sound through the speaker is excellent. There are two 48mm driver units, which create stereo sound and an output power of 20W RMS. Along with Bluetooth, the input modes are AUX, USB-C port and even a TF Card. The size of the speaker also lends itself to being taken on car trips, or even packed in luggage. Measuring 16.4cm × 8.43cm × 10.8cm it can even fit in hand luggage, and weighs just 0.85kilorams (that’s just 1.9lbs!)

The Edifier MP230 Speaker can be charged with the USB port and doesn’t take long for a full charge, so can be connected to a laptop or a wall charging point. As it’s so portable, it can be taken with you anywhere, or left on the shelf in a room. The size would suggest it could go outside easily, which would be great for picnics but I don’t think the wood casing nor the grill would survive getting even slightly damp, and definitely not one for the beach! Set up in a baby’s nursery to play white noise or as background whilst in the garden, the Edifier MP230 would be really useful.

I can’t help but think it would be a great present too. The stylish look to it appeals to anyone who likes design or for grandparents who want something that fits in with their pre-IKEA furniture and is small enough to be discreet on a book shelf. Teenagers will love this though, as it doesn’t take up much room and you don’t even need to be in the room for it to connect to Bluetooth. It’s a brilliant addition to any household as well as being a perfect stereo sound for you online music!

Available from £99.99

Great Newsome Beers Father’s Day Gift Box

alcoholic drinks, Birthday Gifts, Drinks and Mixers, Family Life, Father's Day, Food & Drink, Gifts for Him

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

A great choice for Father’s Day is a gift box or hamper, especially one that contains beer! This £10 gift set from Great Newsome Brewery contains two bottles of beer, a beer glass and a natty pair of socks in a presentation box which can be posted.

Great Newsome Brewery was started in Yorkshire in 2007 for the sole purpose of producing good quality British Beer. With their trusty dog Jem nearby (and Jem’s descendants still wagging around today) the team sought to grow the best malting barley and homegrown hops. With special strains of yeast they developed traditional craft beers. No mean feat when you’re so far north in the country. Although the barley is ready in the summer, they product many different beers throughout the year, including a bitter called ‘Yule Do’, available for Christmas!

Although their British craft beers are available in pubs and some shops, their gifts such as the Great Newsome Father’s Day Gift Box is available online. The box contains;

1x Sleck Dust beer (500ml and their best selling blond beer)
1x Old Fergie (500ml classic brown ale)
1x Great Newsome Brewery Beer Glass
1x Great Newsome Brewery Men’s socks, size 7-11 UK

All the items are packaged up in a recyclable cardboard presentation box and can be bought on their website (link below).

As a gift, this is particularly good for posting due to the size (it arrived with us in the post with no damage and was well packaged!) but makes Father’s Day much easier because it’s a whole gift in one. The addition of the beer glass and the socks is particularly useful as it shows a bit more thought has gone into the present, and it’s not just beer on its own. The socks show a fetching portrait of the lovely Jem, the brewery dog mentioned before.

At £10 for the whole giftset I was shocked at what good value it is and how versatile it is as a present. The box doesn’t mention that it’s only for Father’s Day, so it could also be used as a birthday gift or house warming present. It’s a brilliant idea that saves anyone having to put together a gift box for themselves, as well as having some interesting items which Dad, or Grandad will enjoy!

And if Jem looks familiar, she’s the dog featured on the labels and bar tags for all Great Newsome products.

Available for £10 from: https://www.greatnewsomebrewery.co.uk/shop/themed-boxes/fathers-day-gift-box/

The Guards London Dry Gin

alcoholic drinks, Birthday Gifts, coronation, Drinks and Mixers, Father's Day, Food & Drink, Gifts for Him

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Gin isn’t always associated with Dad for Father’s Day but there’s no reason why Mum has to have all the fun! The Guards London Dry Gin from Hawkridge Distillers was developed by an ex-Guard to be exceptionally smooth and let’s face it, it appeals to Dads, doesn’t it?

Made in Great Britain, it was inspired by a serving officer in the Guards between 2021 and 2022 and has the branding of the Household Division with the busby helmet but also the distinctive red tunic for a label. The Household Division is made up of five regiments of the Foot Guards and are some of the most decorated in the world. You might recall seeing them at the recent King’s Coronation and they’re a common sight around London.

The distinctive busby fur helmet of the guards adorns the top of The Guard’s gin bottle, complete with chin strap chain to make it look more authentic! Although a gimmick, it makes for an interesting centre piece or gift for someone who was in the guards.

The gin itself is exceptionally smooth. At 40 ABV it’s bound to be, and this is a gin for gin lovers after all. It’s won the London Spirits Competition Gold place in 2023 and I’m sure it will win more as the year goes on. It’s well bodied with a slightly sweet after taste, so goes well with any mixer.

It’s worth noting as an added bonus that some of the proceeds from each bottle sold will go to regiment charities, supporting veterans and their families.

The Guards London Dry Gin makes a beautiful gift for Father’s Day, especially for any vetrans or anyone interested in the military. Gin lovers will be more than happy with The Guards too!

Available from £39.99 at: https://hawkridgedistillers.com/product/the-guards-london-dry-gin/

Father’s Day Letter Box Hamper

Family Life, Father's Day, Food & Drink, Gifts for Him, Home, Subscription Boxes

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Father’s Day is Sunday 18 June, and everyone, without fail, struggles to find something that’s perfect for Dad! Every year he says there’s nothing he wants, knowing that he’ll get another supply of socks or beer like every year, but secretly, I’m sure all Dads would like something that’s more of a thoughtful treat for them.

The Letter Box Hamper company cater for all sorts of hamper treats throughout the year, and this year have sent us a lovely Father’s Day hamper. Keen followers will see that we also have one of these Father’s Day hampers as a competition prize too, so I’ll do my best to give you the low down!

At £32.95 this is a great price for a gift on Father’s Day. It’s not too expensive, but it shows that some thought has gone into this present and isn’t just picked off the shelves. In fact, you can only buy it online on the www.letterboxhamper.com website and have it delivered, so not everyone is going to have one. If you don’t fancy the Father’s Day Hamper then there are loads of other lovely ones for other occasions on their website too.

As the name suggests, the letter box hamper fits through the door. You don’t need to be home to be able to receive it and there’s nothing breakable inside to worry about as it hurtles through the air and onto your doormat. The box itself is lovely and resembles a hamper/suitcase of old and when you open it, there’s a personalised message in there for Dad too so he knows who it’s from! When the hamper arrives through the post, it is parcelled up with lovely wrapping paper and string and looks so special, so there’s no way Dad can miss it.

As for the box, it has loads in it;

5 Classic tea bags from Tregothnan (the tea grown in England)
A pack of 2 Scottish shortbread fingers from Shortbread House of Edinburgh
3 chocolate truffles from Charbonel et Walker
A traditional oat flapjack from Lottie Shaw’s
A bar of 61% dark chocolate from Coco
A bar of hazelnut and raisin dark chocolate from Willie’s Cacao

If you do the simple maths, there’s five tea bags and 5 snacks in total so that’s tea and a snack for every day of the work week!

Starting with the tea if you’ve never had English grown tea before (thanks to global warming there are plants all over the UK now) then this medium/strong tea is a great delicacy and probably something you wouldn’t expect as a gift given how local it is. The chunky oat flapjack from Lottie Shaw’s is Yorkshire baked and delicious, particularly good for when you need a heart pick-me-up in the afternoon or if Dad has been working in the garden. I’m a big fan of shortbread anyway so the House of Edinburgh shortbread fingers are particularly nice and not too grainy!

The other snacks are all chocolates. If you’re familiar with ‘posh’ chocolates then you’ll recognise Charbonnel et Walker as being one of the premium brands sold in their custom shops and when you eat their truffles, you’ll understand why. Made with the finest chocolates and ingredients, they are to die for! Willie’s Cacao also feature with their Peruvian dark chocolate flavoured with hazelnut and raisin. The taste is so subtle and actually very grown up so I wouldn’t imagine children would enjoy this, leaving it for Dad. The final chocolate bar is the Coco Colombian dark 61% chocolate. Again, this is great for adults as it has the distinct dark chocolate taste that goes so well with strong tea or coffee.

The Letter Box hampers all have a variety of items in them so you feel like there’s more there than just a quick bite to eat or a cheap snack, and plenty of choice if there’s something in them that you don’t happen to like. This Father’s Day hamper is a hit with the whole house too with a lovely selection of different snacks and the personalised note makes it a special holiday treat.

Excuse me whilst I make another brew and tuck into some more chocolate… or another shortbread finger…

Wickedly Welsh Chocolate for Father’s Day

Birthday Gifts, Family Life, Father's Day, Food & Drink, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Chocolate Lovers listen up… there’s a new chocolate in town (the Welsh town of Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire) where the team at Wickedly Welsh have created a fabulous chocolate hamper for Father’s Day, which you wont’ be able to resist!

You can be the biggest chocolate lover in the world and still find some joy in this hamper. The starring role goes to the varied chocolate flavours which is what Wickedly Welsh are famous for. Boasting three large slabs of chocolate, two whisky bite sized chocolates and two love spoons, there’s plenty here to keep Dad happy, and saves you putting together a gift hamper of your own!

Starting with the chocolate slabs, the three flavours are Moreish Milk Chocolate, Coffee & Biscuit and Welsh Sea Salt & Caramel, each of about 90grams in weight. If your Dad is Welsh, then he’ll love the Milk Chocolate slab with the Welsh Dragon design, but all of the slabs are one piece, not squares. We suspect this is so that Dad doesn’t have to share them with anyone else! We loved all flavours, but the Sea Salt & Caramel was a particular favourite. The sea salt is actually Halen Mon Sea Salt, a locally sourced ingredient to make it a Welsh taste sensation.

Also in the hamper are two Milk & Dark Love Spoons. Welsh Love Spoons are a symbol of love, and these 40 gram bars are no exception. If you don’t want to tuck into a large slab of chocolate, or want to take a snack with you, these Love Spoons are a brilliant choice.

Lastly, the pack also contains two of Wickedly Welsh’s most popular individual chocolates in a cute presentation box. If you’re new to Welsh chocolate or the way Wickedly Welsh present their wares, you’ll do worse than try these first. They’re stunning, and so moreish I bet you, or Dad, won’t be able to stop at just these two. They’re great tasters for the rest of the range that’s available online, and not just on Father’s Day.

The quality of the chocolate is superb with the ingredients sourced locally and all are 100% natural. Whether or yourself or as a gift for someone else, Wickedly Welsh chocolate is an excellent gift choice.

Available from £24.99

Wahl Peaky Blinders Clipper & Beard Trimmer Gift Set

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Family Life, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, health

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review but all thoughts and opinions are our own

Like many others I started cutting my husband and son’s hair during lockdown, my first attempts weren’t great and it’s a good job they weren’t leaving the house but after watching a few YouTube videos and with three heads to practise on I quickly improved. With the cost of living crisis my barbering skills are being called on again so I was really pleased to receive the Wahl Peaky Blinders Clippers & Beard Trimmer Gift Set.

Wahl are known for their hair clippers and this is a great set containing everything you need to keep control of your hair and beard. Male grooming is big business now and with beards very much back in fashion along with shorter hair styles, cutting your hair at home makes more sense than ever before.

The mains voltage clipper is very solidly built and not being limited by battery power will run as long as you need it to and as is always ready to use. The clipper has a long power lead and includes a thumb operated fade blade to get that modern crisp look. There is a choice of 12 attachment combs offering cutting lengths between 0.8mm and 25mm with left and right tapers so whether you want a close cut or something a little longer you can achieve it with this set.

The clippers are extremely comfortable to hold and give a nice clean cut without pulling or tugging the hair. They move through hair nicely and don’t get clogged up and are very easy to use either by yourself or on someone else’s hair.

They can be used for cutting hair, trimming sideburns and beards and for trimming around the ears and neckline.

The battery powered trimmer is handy for smaller areas, my son found it particularly useful when trimming his beard and around his ears where the main clipper was a little cumbersome.

The set even includes a cape in the set to protect clothes whilst your hair is being cut. When not in use you can store everything away neatly in the stylish grey bag.

Also in the set are the following items to give you the full barbers shop experience at home

Scissors

Barber Comb

Fade Brush

Barber Cape

Blade Oil and Cleaning Brush

Storage Bag

Style Guide

This is a great set for anyone looking to purchase clippers for the first time or as a replacement set. It has everything you need to maintain the sleekest look in town – just like the Peaky Blinders!

RRP £100 but currently on offer for £50 on the Wahl website

LensPen Smarty Smartphone Camera Cleaner

Birthday Gifts, Family Life, Father's Day, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home & Garden, Mobile Phone, Stocking Fillers, Tech

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

If you’ve received a new smartphone for Christmas, or take a lot of photos on your camera you’ll know that the smudge factor is real when it comes to the camera lens. I hate it when I take what I think is the perfect photo, only to find that when I view it, there is that misty blur on all the photos because the lens isn’t clean. It’s the price we pay for handling our phones all day, but there are ways of reducing the smudges.

LensPen Smarty Cleaner for Smartphones is a tiny yet useful gadget for cleaning your camera lens on smartphones. Suitable for all makes of camera phone, the pen is only 4cms long and can fit in your pocket, or in the bottom of your handbag without even noticing it’s there! The cap screws loose to reveal the head of the pen which is a carbon cleaner. There’s no detergent or alcohol involved, just a pad which is small enough to fit through any camera phone casing and erases away all the grime.

I tried this on my iPhone, especially as I frequently get blurry smudges and I can’t clean them away easily with just a tissue or corner of my shirt. The LensPen is small enough to fit, comfortable to use and with minimal effort, it dissolved away the greasy fingerprint on my camera lens. To prove it works, I used it on the front of my camera phone on the touchscreen. The pen does indeed eradicate fingerprints anywhere!

Available online from $5.99 at: https://www.manfrotto.com/us-en/lenspen-smarty-smartphone-cleaner-black-ln-smarty/

Oclean X Pro Elite Smart Electric Toothbrush

beauty, Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Father's Day, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, health, REUSABLE, Tech

Disclaimer – We received this toothbrush for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.

Did you know that 90% of gum disease and cavities are caused by incorrect brushing? In fact only 1 in 10 people actually brush their teeth correctly (that’s pretty worrying isn’t it!).

Luckily the OCLEAN X Pro Elite is also one of the smartest brushes on the market with a fantastic battery life of up to 35 days and Qi Quick Charge technology enabling it to fully charge in just 3.5 hours!

The X Pro Elite certainly knows its stuff when it comes to oral hygiene and it can help you improve your brushing technique via the Oclean app! The app connects to the X Pro Elite via Bluetooth and gives you derailed analysis of your toothbrushing technique.

Using an ingenious AI algorithm, the X Pro Elite analyses the way you brush your teeth and recommends how you can improve your technique, using a dental model on its 0.96-inch touch screen display which enables you to develop good brushing habits with its 4 modes and 32 intensities for clean mode.

To ensure its users get the deepest clean possible, the X Pro Elite’s motor spins at the speed of sound, delivering a maximum of 42,000 rpm that helps you reach and defeat difficult plaque and stain build ups with ease.

OCLEAN’s new self-developed WhisperClean™ technology also means that the toothbrush emits just 45dB when operating at maximum power: a drastic decrease compared to it’s more pricey big name competitor’s (55-65 dB).

The Xpro Elite also benefits from a wall-mounted holder which was easy to attach to my bathroom wall and it helps to keep it dry to prevent the growth of bacteria.

The OCLEAN X Pro Elite is available to purchase online for RRP £74

More information can be found at: https://www.oclean.com/products/oclean-x-pro-elite

Edifier W240TN True Wireless Noise Cancellation In-Ear Headphones

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Family Life, Father's Day, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Tech

Disclaimer – We received this item for the purpose of this review/feature but all thoughts and opinions are our own.

I love music, especially heavy metal and rock, but my music choices aren’t to everyone’s taste, so a good set of headphones is a must for me.

The Edifier W240TN headphones are the perfect choice for me as they not only look great in a stylish gunmetal black (available in gunmetal black or white finish) they feel comfortable and most importantly the sound quality is astonishing!

I have had in-ear headphones before both wireless and wired that didn’t fit well, had connectivity problems and sounded very tinny.

Thankfully, the Edifier W240TN ticks all the boxes and is a cracking set of earphones with fast charging, meaning you can use them sooner (a 10 minute charge will give you approximately 2 hours of use).

Connecting them to my devices was simple via Bluetooth and the booklet gives a rundown of all the settings available.

When it comes to earphones, one size does not fit all and Edifier has helped with this by including 4 different sized pairs of rubber earbuds XS, S, M and L meaning the Edifier W240TN can fit all.

The active noise cancellation with ambient sound mode is a great feature, meaning you won’t be disturbed whilst listening and you really will be immersed in your music, calls, film or game, etc.

Advanced Bluetooth V5.3AI DNN noise cancellation is another great feature meaning calls using the Edifier W240TN are crystal clear, which is what we all want!

Long-lasting battery life with almost 7 hours playback per charge, the Edifier W240TN has by far the longest battery life I’ve experienced in earphones and I am really impressed with them.

Customized settings can be created via Edifier Connect App, which I downloaded from the Google Play Store.

Overall, the Edifier W240TN are a tremendous pair of earphones, the sound quality is superb, and the appearance is very sleek and trendy, the W240TN is inspired by the shape of a robust piston head and looks effortlessly stylish.

The metallic design carries the legacy of the TWS1 Pro and the finished product speaks volumes about Edifier’s pursuit of style.

The result has an iconic profile that balances modern lines with a retro, almost 80s-like character; think Robocop meets Blade Runner 2049.

RRP £79.99

Available to buy from Amazon

Edifier X3 Wireless Headphones

Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Tech

Disclaimer – We received this item for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

True Wireless Stereo Earbuds

Qualcomm® aptX™ audio decoding delivers high-definition audio with rich details
Compact and lightweight design for optimum wearing comfort
6 hours of playtime per charge and 24 hours in total with the charging case
Bluetooth V5.0 ensures a stable and faster signal transmission
IP55 rated dust and water resistance for outdoor activities
Easy operation by touch control

Immersive music experience

The crystal-clear sound offer you as close as possible to the sensation of hearing your favorite music live.

24 Hours Play Back Time

6 hours working time per charge for the earbuds, 24 hours of total playback time of full charge by the charging case. X3 wireless stereo earbuds brings extended playback time and enjoyment.