Built It, Fix It, Make It Better: 18 DIY Gifts for 2021

The Gator Grip chomps up and spits out all the other sockets in your set. This universal socket houses 54 hardened steel spring pins that expand and contract instantly to fit a broad range of nuts, bolts, and other hardware. The Gator Grip adjusts to any standard nut or bolt head between 1/4" and 3/4", and metric issues between 7mm and 19mm.

Made by Sharper Image, the Rolling Toolbox Stool consists of a steel frame set on 4 swivel casters, and topped with a cushioned seat so you can tool around your workshop or garage with ease and in relative comfort. All 4 faces of the Rolling Toolbox Stool contain tool storage drawers, trays, and slots.

The Winbag is an inflatable cushion and alignment tool designed to replace shims and wedges. Suitable for both home and professional use, the place-and-pump pillow assists with leveling and installing windows, doors, kitchen cabinets, and appliances without leaving scuffs or marks during insertion or removal.

Winbags are also helpful aids in leveling furniture, and can sub in for a door stopper during moving. They are particularly handy to handymen working alone, as a single professional installer can typically position, adjust, align, level, and hold work materials in place with one or two Winbags, rather than calling on an extra pair of human hands.

In my opinion and experience, the only thing worse than having to operate a sailboat would be having to build the sailboat first. Why would I want to waste 30 hours (maker BBCo's estimate on how long you'll toil to take this kit from box to water) and risk permanently damaging my delicate rotator cuff hammering plywood into a seafaring vessel when I could be spending it floating passively on a water hammock or snoozing on a Zero Gravity patio lounger? What? Laid? Laid by whom? Some hippy sailor chick who doesn't brush her hair or shave her armpits or, like, a real girl with dangly earrings and tight yoga pants and perfume whose primary ingredient isn't dirt?

Huh. Interesting.

OK, I guess I'll consider building a sailboat then.

Need to cover your crack? Driveway Medic says it will prevail where liquid crack filler falters. A roll of self-adhesive asphalt repair fabric, the patcher applies in seconds via a simple peel-and-stick method, covering, sealing, and waterproofing in a single step. Driveway Medic is compatible with all driveway sealers and, once applied, can be walked or driven on immediately. According to manufacturer Cofair, the product will also stay put and effective for years.

Stikwood happens when real wood from the likes of oak and maple trees meets, say, duct tape with an infallible 10-year adhesive lifespan. As 1/8" thick panels with peel & stick strip backings, Stikwood installations fit against a multitude of interior surfaces to turn lackluster walls, kitchen islands, or even coffee table surfaces into stylish, yet cozy, and universally un-girly pieces of home decor.

Usually when people want a wall made of wood in their house they have to...build a wall made of wood in their house. Stikwood produces the same effect - maybe even a better effect - for far less trouble and cost. (That said, I wouldn't classify hanging it as so easy a 5-year-old could do it, or recommend buying it to anyone too cheap to pay a nickel to see Jesus ridin' a bicycle.)

Grip Clean heavy duty hand soap goes for the sly marketing technique of claiming it will wash your soiled hands clean of dirt using the power of...dirt. Developed for auto mechanics, fabricators, construction workers, farmers, welders, gardeners, or "simply anyone who gets dirty and needs to get clean," the Grip Clean formula revolves around cosmetic-grade Bentonite clay (i.e., fancy dirt) to serve as a natural pumice and cleanser for your hands. Arms and body too, if you need it.

KneeBlades are rolling knee pads for home repairs and maintenance. DIY upgrades and rehabs. The domestic sports many of us play every day. Or at least a couple times a month when our mamas call us with a new busted something, or some must-have improvement she just saw on HGTV or the internet. The domestic sports that, more often than not, require us to fall to our knees.

And stay there for hours.

And crawl around on them with nothing but a hard ass concrete or wood surface underneath, like some sort of child learning to ambulate, or, like, a BDSM slave.

Fitted with COB (chip on board) technology, CAT's LED flashlight pours out a 175-lumen flood of light from anywhere you can latch or attach it. The long, rugged ABS body has a pocket clip at the back and a magnetic base that will hold tight either to your shirt and tent pole, or your fuse box and hood.

EZ Ice says its DIY backyard ice rinks are so fast and easy to put together that even your kids could do it. In 60 minutes! Which means you should definitely get an EZ Ice backyard ice rink and put those couch-lounging freeloaders to work. I see a Tuesday night winter hockey league with the boys in your future.

Pipes, wires, studs, and rats. Yes, rats. Walabot is an in-wall sensor and imager that can help you detect building components and unwanted guests alike, anything metal, wood, plastic, or on the move that's hiding behind your concrete and drywall.

DIY anywhere with Keter's work station in a suitcase. The adjustable bench sets up sturdy on steel legs in about two seconds with instant-release latches, and has a 1,000-pound weight-bearing capacity for use as anything from a miter saw stand to a nailing or painting station. Breakdown is just as quick, with the bench collapsing to a 4-1/2" thickness for slim storage and wieldy transport.

Hey, kid, go find me some sticks! Sixty-five of them to be exact. Hubs' DIY Garden Dome Kit is a box of "Hubs" and hardware you can use to create and snap together frame pieces to build sturdy geodesic structures. Use them to cover your garden, give your kids (or your dog) an outer spacey fort, make a festival tent, or design your own planetarium. The Hubs configurations and possibilities are limited only by your imagination, and the number of splinters you're willing to sustain during construction.

Arriving as a flat-pack kit, the Den Cabin stands out not just for its pleasing aesthetic, but for Den's promise that they've created a structure that can be fully assembled in as little as 3 days. No heavy equipment is required - all parts are transportable by hand. No special tools are necessary - Den A-frames have pre-drilled holes for easy bolting using standard tools. Plus, Den includes everything down to the cabin door hardware with purchases, so you won't have to hike 30 miles to the Lowe's when you realize you don't have hinges.

Completed Den Cabins stand 12' tall, with 11' high ceilings.