5 Valentine's Day gift ideas for your gearhead partner

It’s a few more days before Valentine’s Day and if you’re reading this article, it is likely that you haven’t gotten your significant other a gift yet. If the love of your life is a car enthusiast, this list will definitely help. 

Now, you’re probably questioning why we’re making a list like this. This is technically a wishlist for us at the office. We’ll be sure to send this out to our better halves as well. 

The list we have features an unlimited budget, but we’ll try to keep things reasonable. 

It may not seem like it, but for long drives, having a good pair of shoes built for the task will keep your partner’s feet feeling fresh even during the worst stints of traffic. Consider this gift especially if he or she drives a manual car. 

Off the top of our heads, Puma carries a variety of shoes with varying designs. We recommend that you go with a model that features a rounded heel, or you can go with Onitsuka Tigers like Caco. Prepare a budget of around P6,000 or less, and take into account your SO’s favorite car brand and shoe size. 

Whether your partner likes wrenching away by their lonesome, or likes going out on the trail, you never know when you will need a certain tool for a certain task. A good gift is something that will be used by the recipient. A swiss army knife is a handy tool for all, but it can be especially useful if your significant other likes working on things themselves. 

For the car enthusiasts out there, we recommend the Victorinox Tinker Deluxe. This model has everything that you need for working on cars or pretty much anything. It comes with a pair of scissors and pliers, as well as a Philips head and a bunch of flat heads aside from the standard array of tools that most Swiss Army Knives come with. Earl swears by his knife and has worked on countless items with his trusty tool. Prepare about P3,000 for the Tinker Deluxe. There are more adorned models, and more affordable knives in the range as well. 

Here is an item that keeps drinks hot or cold no matter the environment they are in. This piece of kit is perfect for long days out, and long stints in traffic. Hydration is important, but who wants to drink lukewarm water when it’s a million degrees out? 

Jack never leaves the house without his bright neon Klean Kanteen filled to the brim with cold water – whether he is at a video shoot or just lounging around at the office. The unit he has comes in a 32 oz size, but for just a little over P2,000, you can get a 20oz TK Wide bottle from Klean Kanteen. These bottles are made from stainless steel are very durable. They’ll stand the test of time for sure. 

This is the reason why some cars actually come with a compartment that is labeled sunglass holder. With a trend of “midget visors” in cars, a pair of shades will do wonders during daytime driving, or even when you aren’t behind the wheel. 

The term “midget visors” was coined by Jacob in the office some time ago while he was reviewing a car. We forget what model he had at the time, but we figure that the best gift for someone as anal as him when it comes to these mundane things are a pair of Rayban Wayfarers. For this gift, prepare at least P10,000, though you can opt for other styles at other price points. 

Multiple studies have shown that sitting for prolonged periods of time on a wallet placed in the back pocket can be detrimental to your musculature and overall posture, and with Manila’s traffic, that wallet is going to be sat on for a while. Sure, the solution is to take out your wallet before sitting, but advice surely isn’t an item you can gift. 

We were appalled at the heft of Joey’s wallet in his back pocket. A rather small man with a big wallet doesn’t look good, so we told him to search for SECRID wallets. These wallets have an aluminum housing for cards that slide up at the flick of a switch. Prepare around P6,000 for the brand’s twin model or just a hair over P4,000 for their standard fare.