Are you looking for non-cheesy Valentine’s Day gifts for your boyfriend or husband? This 2023 Gift Guide for men is perfect for Valentine’s Day, but also birthdays, graduation, anniversaries, Christmas and more. They make a great first Valentine’s Day gift for boyfriends or your long-time spouse.
15 Gift Ideas for Men
Concert Tickets
Most spring and summer festivals will be selling their tickets. A few to look at include: Lollapalooza, SXSW, Coachella, Pitchfork, Austin City Limits, Riot Fest, and here in Cincinnati, we have Bunbury.
You can also search for their favorite bands or artists to see when they’re on tour in your city or nearby. Bandsintown.com is a great resource and will even suggest similar artists. If they love going to concerts, you can also get them a ticket stub diary or frame with that specific purpose. This is one non-cheesy Valentine’s Day gift that you both can look forward to using together too!
VR Headset
I find it stressful to buy video games or systems for my boyfriend because he pre-orders a lot of games. I’d be afraid to get him something he already has. Instead, it’s pretty easy to check if your significant other has a VR headset. And they’re a lot of fun, but not something he’s likely to buy for himself.
Playstation VR is a great choice if he has a Playstation system. If he doesn’t have a Playstation then the best of the best is Oculus Quest. Oculus Quest doesn’t require a PC or any system, it has no wires. It’s basically unbox and go. Plus, it has some really fun games.
Travel & Everyday Backpack
Who doesn’t love a good backpack? They’re so useful and much more comfortable than a duffel bag IMO. I recently purchased myself one from Lo & Sons and think they’d make a great gift for guys too. If your guy travels often or is in need of a new gym bag, I recommend shopping for one here.
Hat & Gloves & Scarf Set
Hats, gloves and scarves make a great non-cheesy Valentine’s Day gifts for men. They’re a necessity but you can make the gift feel special by picking up a more luxurious brand, like UGG gloves which are super cozy. And in my experience, men aren’t the best at remembering to pick these up for themselves so it’s a nice option for gifting.
Biography of Someone He Admires
There are so many great biographies and memoirs published every year from public figures, actors, business experts and sports enthusiasts. There is something for everyone.
A few of my favorites that I think anyone would enjoy:
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, the creator of Nike: The book takes you behind-the-scenes into the mind of the creator of one of the most recognized brands out there.
The Impossible First: Crossing Antarctica Alone by Colin O’Brady: This is new and I haven’t read it yet, but the title alone sounds like an awe-inspiring story.
Finding Ultra by Rich Roll: This book is about Roll’s transformation from an unhealthy lifestyle to becoming plant-based and an ultramarathon runner. Even for someone who’s not a runner or vegan, it’s still an inspiring read to overcome obstacles and make healthier choices.
A Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston: All about Cranston’s interesting career, including his time on Breaking Bad.
Cocktail Making Set (& Class if available!)
A nice cocktail set along with a good bottle of their favorite liquor is always a good go-to if you know their bar set up is lacking.
I think the sets that come with their own storage are particularly useful.
This set comes in silver, copper and a black version.
Check out Groupon or the local craft bars in your neighborhood to see if any offer a cocktail class. You could also find a few recipes online and pre-shop for the needed ingredients so the two of you can test out the set right away.
Cooking Class
If drinking’s not your thing, cooking classes also make a great gift. I’ve done a traditional cooking class, as well as a macaron baking class. Both were fun, hands on and completely worth the cost with how much you learn from the experts. They make a fun double date too if you know another couple who would be interested in learning more cooking tips. And many places offer virtual cooking classes too.
Here’s my review of Cincinnati’s Tablespoon Cooking Co. Class.
Allbirds are a Fun and Practical Gift for Men
These sneakers are popular for a reason. They make a great everyday casual shoe that is also great for travel. They follow high standards for their products and processes including farming, land management and animal welfare. The classic version is a wool sneaker and they also have tree runners.
The reviews for both are really positive though I personally preferred the wool. They’ve got some fun colors too! The return policy is only 30 days so make sure not to order too far in advance for returns (though they did make an exception for me past that date so customer service is pretty great!)
A Monthly Subscription for Wine/Coffee/Bacon/Socks etc.
They make a monthly subscription for everything! Is there something in particular your S.O. is passionate about? Give them a gift that lasts all year long with a monthly or quarterly subscription.
Winc is a popular option for wine.
For coffee, I’d suggest Driftaway Coffee’s gift subscription. Each gift subscription starts with a tasting kit so the recipient can then discover what flavors they like and the rest of the subscription will be based off of that. Kind of great if you’re not a coffee expert yourself (like me). Plus, offer whole beans or ground beans based off of whether they do pour over, drip, etc. and they source from sustainable farms.
Zingerman’s offers the classic monthly bacon club along with other food clubs. They’ve been recognized on Food Network’s “Best Thing I Ever Ate” series so you can rest assured that you’ve made a good choice.
Sock Fancy looks like the best choice for a monthly sock club. You can cancel anytime, switch any socks you don’t like and choose from high or low cut as well as how “bold” you want the patterns to be.
Yeti Tumblers Are a Great “Cheap” Gift Idea for Men
Everyone can use a Yeti tumbler. They really set the standard with these. The tumblers are shatterproof, dishwasher safe and are double-insulated so they won’t sweat. Plus they’ll keep your drink hot or cold for hours. The price reflects the quality so they are a little bit more expensive than a typical plastic tumbler but they’ll last much longer. You can choose from a ton of colors here and I recommend getting one of the add-on handles too.
Cologne Discovery Kit
A discovery kit or cologne sample set is a gift set with multiple tester sizes of a cologne. It also includes a gift certificate for a full-size cologne so the recipient can sample all of the colognes then choose their favorite full-size choice. Sephora offers several cologne sample kits and it was one of the best gifts I’ve given Ryan IMO.
AirPods
If your guy doesn’t already have a pair of AirPods they will make a great gift. Since the second version is out you can find them for much better pricing than before.
AirPods Case
If you’re getting the AirPods or if he already has a pair, then pick up a much-needed AirPods case. Mark and Graham make this gorgeous leather case that doubles as a keychain that you can have monogrammed.
Tech Kits for Travel
Tech kits are so handy for travel and every day use. I think your guy would find these non-cheesy compared to the typical Valentine’s Day gifts that stores try to sell.
Bagsmart is a popular choice on Amazon that makes larger sets if they’ve got a lot of cords and chargers, etc.
This kit is a bit smaller and rolls up.
Mark & Graham also makes a leather monogrammed roll-up version.
TheraGun is a Splurge-Worthy Gift for Men
The TheraGun is definitely a splurge, but I can’t imagine any guy out there wouldn’t love this gift. Plus, they now carry a lower-cost mini version. It’s a deep tissue handheld personal massager. It’s a percussion massager and is great at soothing sore and tight muscles. The price tag is pretty high. So you can also opt for a more budget-friendly version from Amazon that has a lot of positive reviews.
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I hope these gifts for guys suggestions help you when trying to pick non-cheesy Valentine’s Day gifts for the men in your life.
Casey is the founder of Casey La Vie & has been running this travel and lifestyle blog since 2016. She’s on a mission to balance her career as a social media manager with exploring her home of New York City and seeing more of the world.