6 Affordable Stocking Stuffers That Will Bring Holiday Cheer To Any Geek
As the holidays approach, you may find yourself wondering what to get that special geek in your life. An inevitable deluge of gift guides and deal roundups will help point you in the right direction (we're working on one ourselves), but for this one, we decided to focus on stocking stuffers with two criteria: they have to be affordable (not necessarily on sale), and fit into a Christmas stocking. Let's get started, shall we?
1. Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K - $26.99 (46% Off)
Are you or the gift recipient finally ready to cut the cord? There are a wealth of streaming options available these days, and you can access practically all of them with Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K, which is available for $26.99 on Amazon (save $23). As the name implies, it supports 4K resolution feeds. It also serves up HDR content (HDR, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision) and delivers Dolby Atmos audio as well.
The discounted streaming stick comes with an Alexa Voice Remote bundled, too, so you can use your voice to search for movies and shows. Also, a set of handy buttons makes it easy to quickly access popular services such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu. Additionally, with the Alexa integration you can control your smart home.
2. Monoprice 8K Certified Braided HDMI 2.1 Cable (6 Ft) - $8.88 (31% Off)
You would think that there are no differences from one HDMI cable to the next and in an ideal world, that would be the case. But they're not all created equal. This especially matters if you're hooking up electronics like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, both of which take advantage of the bandwidth and features offered by the HDMI 2.1 specification.
The Monoprice 8K Certified Braided HDMI 2.1 cable (6-feet) takes the guesswork out the equation and is on sale for $8.88 on Amazon (save $4.12) right now. It's twice as long as a 3-foot cable (we double-checked the math), it's braided for durability, and most importantly it's certified to deliver HDMI 2.1's key features, including 48Gbps of bandwidth to support uncompressed video at up to 8K at 60Hz, and 4K at 120Hz.
3. Samsung BAR Plus 256GB USB 3.1 Flash Drive - $24.99 (11% Off)
Who can't use more storage? Just about everything is digital these days, from game saves and work documents, to vacation photos and everything in between. You can never have too much storage, or too many USB flash drives. Which brings us to Samsung's BAR Plus 256GB USB 3.1 flash drive for $24.99 on Amazon (save $3.09).
It's a relatively stylish USB flash drive (if that matters) that's available in gray or silver. Regardless of the color option, you're looki8ng at transfer speeds of up to 400MB/s. While not the fastest we've ever seen, it's a decent speed, and certainly not the slowest, either.
Side note: if it's a USB-C flash drive you're after instead, check out the Kingston DataTraveler Max 256GB for $39.75 (save $23.24). It's a USB 3.2 Gen 2 flash drive featuring a Type-C interface and is rated to deliver a blistering 1,000MB/s for reads.
4. JBL Vibe 100 True Wireless In-Ear Headphones - $24.95 (50% Off)
Ranking in the top 50 best-selling electronics on Amazon (all electronics, not just earphones) is JBL's Vibe TWS True Wireless In-Ear Headphones, which is now on sale for $24.95 (save $25). We haven't listened to these ourselves, but at this price and with Amazon's usually low/no-hassle return policy, we'd wouldn't hesitate to take a flier on these.
These have a 4.5 out of 5 star rating from over 8,300 user reviews, with buyers praising the "big bass" output and calling these "amazing earbuds for the price." And indeed, JBL promotes "deep bass sound" powered by the 8mm drivers. It also claims up to 5 hours of battery life from the earbuds, plus another 15 hours from the charging the case.
Another neat feature is the ability to optionally listen wirelessly from either ear instead of both via JBL's Dual Connect feature. This means you can reserve one of the buds for phone calls and the other for playing music.
Bonus splurge option: Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $229 (save $20). These are obviously not in the budget category, but if your gift recipient has been especially good this year, the AirPods Pro 2 will show how much you appreciate them.
5. Anker Wireless Charger (10W) - $14.98
Remember life before wireless charging? Yeah, neither do we. And neither does your gift recipient if you buy them Anker's Wireless 315 Charger (10W) for $14.98 on Amazon. This is a Qi-enabled 10W charging pad with widespread support for Android and iPhone devices, as well as various wireless earbuds (that support wireless charging).
It's also slim at just 8.5mm, and comes with a 1.21-meter micro-USB cable. However, note that you'll need to purchase a wall charger separately. That's fairly standard these days, which if you already have an AC adapter, it means you can save a few bucks.
6. Strebito Precision Screwdriver Set (142-Piece) - $27.99 (26% Off)
Every geek needs an set of electronic repair tools, and we can attest to the Strebito 142-pice precision screwdriver kit being an awesome purchase, especially at its discounted $27.99 price (save $10). That falls within the realm of being affordable, and it will fit inside a traditional Christmas stocking despite all the pieces that are included (the carrying case folds up nicely).
You're looking at 120 magnetic bits, including pentalobe and other oddball ones you find on some electronics, plus nearly two dozen repair tools—suction cum with SIM card eject pin, angled tweezers, magnetic project mat to keep track of your screws, spudger, plastic pry tool, and more.
We've used this toolkit and can easily recommend it as a bang-for-buck option. Alternatively, you can spend more on some iFixIt kits, like the iFixIt Pro Tech Toolkit for $74.99 or the iFixIt Manta Driver Kit for $69.99.
Here are a few more ideas...
- Inateck USB Hub with 4 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Ports: $16.98 at Amazon (5% off)
- Sabrent 4-Port USB 3.0 Hub w/ Individual Power Switches: $16.49 at Amazon (17% off)
- Craftsman Ratcheting Screwdriver + Multibit Set (26-Piece): $21.98 at Amazon
- Ring Video Doorbell Wired (2021 Release): $39.99 at Amazon (38% off)
- Apple MagSafe Charger: $29.99 at Amazon (23% off)
- Razer Deathadder Essential Gaming Mouse: $19.99 at Amazon (33% off)
Happy holidays!
