Collection

Surprisingly Useful Gifts

Useful is the easiest word to abuse in a gift guide. Almost anything can be called useful if you squint. This page is a short list that earns the word: a peeler with a blade geometry people notice, scissors that turn herbs into a shower, a guillotine for bagels, a shaver for pilled sweaters, a pen that writes when a normal pen gives up, and an alarm clock that will not let you stay in bed.

The shelf is short on purpose. If a useful gift needs a paragraph of persuasion, it is probably just a gadget. These do not.

Why these

• Each one fixes a specific annoyance the first time it is used.
• The Swiss peeler and the Space Pen have reputations for a reason you can feel.
• A short list is the editorial decision. A long list of gadgets would be a catalog.