Gift Ideas For Dad

Have you exhausted all your gift ideas for dad's day (Sunday, June 17, 2007)?

If you need some fresh suggestions, you're in luck. David Gregg, the senior editor of beststuff.com has just completed his annual search for thoughtful Father's Day gifts. His choices will renew your hope of finding just the right item to show your pop you still think he's tops.

Bird Dog Bay Neckwear

Still topping the list as one of the most popular Father's Day gifts are ties. Now you can get one that reflects dad's personality. Bird Dog Bay's Spring 2007 Collection features a stylish selection of silk ties that infuse a twist of whimsy, while incorporating playful patterns and colors into every tie. Choose from different themes like "Monkey Tales," "Gopher Golf," "Puppy Love," and "Stock Yard Exchange." Available at specialty stores nationwide.

PRICE: $75.00; www.birddogbay.com

Black & Decker Auto Wrench

The Black & Decker Auto Wrench opens and closes its jaws with a push of a button to quickly loosen or tighten nuts and bolts. The Auto Wrench is the first battery-powered adjustable wrench to offer the convenience and speed with the push of a button. No more guessing which direction to turn, or fumbling to manually adjust your wrench. With some wrenches it can be difficult to know which direction opens or closes the wrench.

The Auto Wrench eliminates the guesswork by automatically opening and closing onto nuts and bolts with just one hand, making quick work of plumbing projects, bike repairs, grill and swing set assembly, and more.

The Auto Wrench is also great for loosening garden hoses, shower heads, and for furniture assembly. Manual wrenches leave little room for your hand to adjust the wrench in tight spaces such as behind sink pipes. With the Auto Wrench's one-touch adjustment, turning nuts and bolts in tight areas is both quick and easy. The Auto Wrench can also be manually adjusted. Because the Auto Wrench adjusts up to 1 1/4 wide, it can be used to replace a set of up to 50 standard and metric wrenches.

PRICE: $28.40; www.blackanddecker.com

Humminbird Smartcast Fishfinder

The Humminbird Smartcast RF35 is a fish finder designed for the recreational angler ready for a step up from traditional fishing and offers an unmatched level of convenience. The fish finder unit is integrated into a wristwatch. It receives a wireless signal from a sonar bobber, which attaches to the end of your fishing rod. This waterproof "fish detector" has depth range of up to 100 feet.

PRICE: $60; www.humminbird.com

Callaway FT-i Driver

The FT-i driver is the next in line of Callaway's wildly popular Fusion series. The revolutionary design of this golf club allows precise positioning of the players weight to the extreme corners of the unique square clubhead and was designed to produce the highest total inertia of any driver on the market. Simply stated, the sweet spot on this club is so big, that if you miss hitting it, it's time to take up bowling!

MSRP: $625, www.callaway.com

Philips 8.5" Widescreen LCD Portable DVD Player with Apple iPod Dock

Philips has introduced a new portable DVD player with a unique feature — an Apple iPod docking station. Not only does this widescreen LCD player allow you to play your favorite DVDs, it also lets you play any movies, TV shows, and other multimedia files from your Video iPod. The player charges your iPod while allowing the user to view movies, TV shows, and photos on a 8.5-inch swivel LCD screen vs. the 2-nch iPod screen.

PRICE: $199.99; www.usa.philips.com

Planet Earth DVD Set

Witness never-before-seen animal behaviors and startling views of locations captured by cameras for the first time in "Planet Earth," an 11-part nature series examining the world's natural wonders. The Discovery Channel series, narrated by award-wining actress Sigourney Weaver, took more than five years to make and used unprecedented high-definition production techniques. Features: 11 episodes and bonus materials on five DVDs, behind-the-scenes features on each episode, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the equipment, technology and danger that went into the making of this incredible series. Also includes "The Future" bonus documentary: three-part companion series revealing the vulnerability of the natural history of earth.

PRICE: $79.95; www.discoverystore.com

La-Z-Boy Outdoor Recliner

The first of its kind, the La-Z-Boy Outdoor Whitley Recliner is made of hand crafted weather-ready cane constructed on an all-aluminum, rustproof frame. The chair also comes with quick-drying cushions covered in Solarium fabric for superior durability and colorfastness. Features three simple adjustment positions, including upright, elevated leg and full recline. Available only at Sam's Clubs nationwide.

PRICE: $299; www.samsclub.com

More gift ideas on Page 2.

LawnBott

Gone are the days of dad trudging around in circles under the sweltering hot sun behind a noisy, smelly machine thinking of all the other things he'd rather be doing than mowing the lawn. Now, he can become the envy of his neighbors as LawnBott does all the dirty work for him.

LawnBott is a robotic lawnmower that uses a flat blade to mulch your grass as it cuts it, mowing and fertilizing your lawn all at once as it helps to reduce the use of lawn chemicals. Programmable in six different languages, it can be set for up to three zones to trim your grass up to 3-4 hours per session either on a weekly schedule, or as often as you see fit, even putting itself away when the job is done.

LawnBott is quiet enough for a late night or early morning cut without worry of disturbing the neighbors, or yourself, while it mows. It can mow 33,000 square feet while navigating slopes up to 27 degrees for maximum coverage.

LawnBott comes equipped with a rain sensor, which allows it to cut during light rain but stops once it senses too much water, immediately returning to its docking station. Available in four models.

PRICE: $1,749-$2,899; lawnbott.com

Stain and Shrink Proof T-Shirts by L.L. Bean

Mom will rejoice on laundry day now that L.L. Bean has improved its top-quality T-shirt. The company has done it by adding a carefree treatment that shrugs off stains and practically eliminates wrinkles, fading and shrinking. This nearly "indestructible" soft T-shirt weighs a mere 6.3 ounces and is manufactured from 100 percent cotton jersey-knit fabric. The material is comprised of strong, smooth yarn that's ring-spun for durability. Available in 13 colors.

PRICE: $12; www.llbean.com

SONY DSC-W200 Digital Camera

The new SONY DSC-W200 delivers an incredible 12.1 Megapixels along with high sensitivity for shooting without a flash even in very low light. The Super SteadyShot image stabilization keeps blur to a minimum during action shots, and The Face Detection and built-in red eye reduction offers professional grade portrait shots. The HD (high definition) output will let dad share memories on compatible HDTV screens.

MSRP: $399; www.sony.com

Red Envelope Deluxe Valet Storage Box

This classic valet keeps everything tidy, so dad won't have to. There's ample room in the leather-lined top section for his wallet, sunglasses, favorite pen, watch and loose change. Drawers hold cuff links, keepsakes and anything else he wants to keep safe and out-of-the-way. Two cord cut-outs in back panel accommodate wiring for cell phones, music players and a PDA. Chestnut-stained exterior with modern brushed-nickel details, chocolate-colored leather top with beveled edges, and drawers lined with midnight-blue faux suede. Measures 14 1/4 " x 11" x 4" high. Optional plaque may be engraved with up to three initials.

PRICE: $105; www.redenvelope.com

Or, give your dad his dream come true with a gift "Experience" from Excitations.com.

Sample Dream Gift Experience Certificates: