31–40 of 264 posts
Well, if any of you want to buy me a gift, I am really into bass fishing. And collecting hand tools. And power tools.. And test equipment...
I do the exact opposite. Buying a gift for an expert when you are not an expert is always going to lead to disappointment, no matter how well they hide it. I buy gifts only from areas that I am an expert in, and I hope my friends may not be as enthusiastic about the area as I am, but at least we both know I got them the best for them.
Coffee friend here! This is the way! When people get me coffee or coffee paraphernalia as a gift, they tend to fall into a number of traps: - Not understanding my nuanced preferences and getting me something I know about and don't like - Not appreciating how to choose a good product (for example, with beans, an old roast date of more than 30 days means sad & stale coffee) - Getting me something I like but I already h…
Fortunately, even if I don't end up brewing all of it, I don't let it go to waste. In the past, I combined all of this throwaway coffee to season some new fancy burrs.
Gifts don’t mean just one thing.
There is a variety of things you can optimize for.
For my wife, me getting her something she wants but wouldn’t get herself is the right gift. That, or something she wouldn’t have been able to find for herself.
Surprises are low on her list. Extravagant gifts are low. She would be the kind of person not to buy the coffee for, because she knows what she likes and if you bought her the wrong thing, the thought would count but now what do you do with this bad bag of coffee?
I’m the opposite. I care much more about the fact that you thought about me long enough to do something specific and special to me.
I used to work with a guy who had at least a dozen pirate-themed t-shirts people had bought him, because he always wore pirate themed t-shirts. What's with the pirate shirts? "I bought one shirt because I liked it, then my girlfriend saw it and got me another one, now everybody just buys me more and more."
Mix it up, gift givers, don't outsource your thinking.
I do the exact opposite. Buying a gift for an expert when you are not an expert is always going to lead to disappointment, no matter how well they hide it. I buy gifts only from areas that I am an expert in, and I hope my friends may not be as enthusiastic about the area as I am, but at least we both know I got them the best for them.
I am "that coffee friend", and I disagree. I appreciate the coffee anyone might get me. It doesn't have to be fancy, it may be fantastic or it may not be - but it's very thoughtful, and I always appreciate it. Generally people shouldn't get me coffee gear - as that could lead to disappointment. But the beans themself? always well received.
Well, if any of you want to buy me a gift, I am really into bass fishing. And collecting hand tools. And power tools.. And test equipment...
Coolest most obscure hand tool you have? I have a few hand drills that have actually come in handy once before when batteries were low.
I mean, it's Snap-On, so not really obscure, but that particular model has been discontinued and you can't buy them anymore, so it's a little bit obscure in that regard.
Anyway, it's a 3/8" drive driver handle with the socket cap in the head so it can be used as an extension. Those things are all over the place in 1/4" drive from every brand on the planet, but back in 1994 or so when I bought my F50CSA there weren't a lot of 3/8" drive ones around. Especially not the ones that could serve as an extension. There are more now, but they still aren't anywhere near as ubiquitous as the 1/4" drive ones.
Long story short, that tool is probably my favorite tool that I've ever bought. It's actually the only Snap-On item I own, as I consider their stuff too expensive to buy for the most part. Most of my hand tool collection is older (USA made era) Craftsman, with a smattering of other stuff. Lately I've started buying GearWrench, Icon, and Tekton stuff.
If I’m super into topic X and you’re not, there’s a good chance whatever you get will either not be of interest (e.g. bad beans) or just redundant (I can only use so many mugs or grinders).
Obviously the thought is always appreciated, and gift buying can be hard, I get it. But receiving a gift also creates an obligation to at least perform enjoyment of the gift and now it’s another thing I have to own (consumables at least are temporary if you’re not into them, so that helps).
There’s a sweet spot in gift giving of looking for something the receiver is into and will want (but not already have) but also something the giver is knowledgeable enough to make an informed decision on. So, again, the thought is always appreciated, but if the giver can’t operate a k-cup maybe leave your coffee snob friends to buy their own beans :).
If anyone wants to me my MTB friend…