21st Birthday Present
 

Help! Need ideas...

My son turns 21 next month and I've been wracking my brains trying to think of a birthday present for him. I was going to get him a watch, engraved with his name/initials, but then he had to go and ask for a watch, a specific one, for Christmas.

I would like it to be something durable, a keepsake, useful, and that can be engraved/carved/customized with initials and event.

So far, I've come up with an engraved pen or a leather compartmentalized box with a silver nameplate on it. Oh, and a handy keychain breathalyzer, in the event he decides to take up drinking.:eyebrow:.

He's responsible, kind, enjoys gaming, traveling, and is fascinated by science and the military. He's health conscious and doesn't smoke, drink or do drugs. He is currently unemployed, but looking.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

Stormie

A hooker; a pack of Marlboros and a bottle of Tequila.

People should always try new things. :D

Engraved shot glasses?

A bong with a monogram?

OK, sorry, I'll be serious.

My parents got me a briefcase for graduation, I guess so I could look official at job interviews.

Some sort of really nice die-cast model of a military plane or boat?

Something scientific and/or military that will be a keepsake: the most expensive telescope you can afford.

Reasoning: a lot of scientific stuff goes cheap after a while, or out of fashion, or is replaced by a newer technology. But the universe will never go away, we hope, and quality optics seem to always be expensive through the years.

If you are looking to spend even more... something scientific and/or military that will be a keepsake, for somebody unemployed right now: his first pilot logbook, and a few lessons at the local flight school.

Not a lot of things fit that criteria. A nice engraved pocket knife could be useful.

Traditional style

Or modern

Maybe this is too practical and out there, but at my wedding, we gave the groomsmen Maglite flashlights as gifts. A big Maglite will last forever and can be engraved. Very practical too. Although LEDs may take over that field in the next decade or so.

Haha :D. He actually does have a girlfriend (cute and sexy little thing), had some older kids try to talk him into smoking when he was eleven (he hates the smell) and has tried alcohol, but isn't crazy about the loss of control (and how it makes some people sound/act like idiots).

He is due back on Thu from a cross country driving trip from Florida to L.A. and back again. He's not afraid of new things.

Is there someplace he has always wanted to visit? Maybe plane tickets for him and his gf?

Or maybe a gift cert for them to a really nice restaurant?

I read this as: "A nice graveyard pocket knife could be useful..."

so. How 'bout a graveyard knife? A nice big one; one that you could use to pry a lid off a coffin or similar.


Or a swashbuckling kit? An eye patch? Peg leg? Day at a Man Spa?

How about a gyro? My dad got me one when I was a little girl. Yes, he got his six year old daughter a working gyro. A gift I've never forgotten. Might be appropriate for your son, though.

I like the flight lessons idea! He'd love that. I'll have to do some pricing.

The pocketknife isn't a bad idea either. I don't know what brand/spec good, quality knives are, however. Any suggestions on what's good?

He's not a briefcase kinda person. He'll dress up, but has to look 'cool' while doing so, and briefcase just ruins the whole look, lol.

The Maglite won't work because he already has a top of the line light. I dunno how many exactly, but it has some mega candle power and is insanely hot/bright. He and his friends play 'manhunt' with it (a very complex game involving night time, cars, hunted, hunters and the spotlights :eek:).

Thanks for the ideas. More...more!

Counterpoint: The optics seem to be somewhat stable in price. But they keep loading the scopes up with more electronics. They now have computers that will point the telescope to whatever you want to look at. All you have to do is level it and point it north. What, you don't know which way it north? You don't feel like leveling it? Screw it.. we'll build in a GPS system so you just have to turn it on.

The optics may stay just as good but the electronics will be obsolete. Also, you don't want to buy a scope that's bigger than you're willing to drag out of the house and/or cart around.


Maglite has started making LEDs. (It's not just about the bulb.. it's about that club-like heft. . . . .)

Yeah Shel, he wants to go to China. I don't think I can afford that.

Buck knives are great.

eta: I did mean gyroscope you realize. Not the gyro sandwich, right?

brass nautical scope
Prices can range from good to insane.
Historical, collectible, military & scientific, all at once.
And you can say something like "This is to help you envision and chart your future" und so weiter.
http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.c...2052_865876244

How about a nice Chinese restaurant. :D

A great piece of luggage and a reason to use it? Tickets to DC for the Smithsonian's museums or other memory-creating experience. And a big Happy Birthday from the Cellar! :)

I checked out Skydiving. That's $200 a pop (for noob tandem drops) and doesn't include gear rental. Hmmm, that would have been cool. I may still go that route. But I wanted to go too!. Oh well. One day, before I die.

Why can't you? or isn't skydiving with mom cool?

two people = twice the price :(

I liked Toad's idea.

Engraved Replica Marine Sword

KABAR Knife Letter Opener

Actually,they have letter openers for all of the knives/swords of all of the branches.

I still have the knife my dad got me for my 21st - I rarely use it, but I still see it quite often. One of my most treasured keepsakes.

I was never given a knife, but I inherited my grandfather's pocket knife. While it's too big to carry everyday, I do keep it on my dresser and use it at home fairly often. The company doesn't exist anymore, but it's very similar to a Case knife with a bone handle, tooled to look like antler. It's nice.

When I graduated college, my parents gave me a Windsor style rocking chair with the school emblem on it. I like that a lot. It's comfortable and looks good. I found the website, and they take personal orders too and will engrave anything you want on it.

For our kids 18th BD we gave them a one day tandem sky diving lesson and paid to have a video made of it during the jump. Quite memorable for all.

We went parachuting, and it was fantastic. The photos (taking from a camera mounted to the airplane's wing) hang next to a photo from our wedding. We call it the "Taking the Plunge" display. It has been years, yet I still want to jump around when I talk about parachuting. It would be a great gift if he's interested at all.

Ooooohhh, I really like the sword replica and "letter opener". I'll bet he would too.

I wanted to thank those who suggested a telescope, as well. I've bought him several over the years and while initially fascinated with them, he seems to rapidly lose interest. Same with microscope and/or chemistry things.

So...

Engraved box

or

Skydiving day

or

military-style sharp object....

Firearms make a lovely gift, and are easily engravable.

What is his or your idea of top of the line? If he's a flashaholic, he can never have enough lights. I have a few but would still love to get another very good one. :D If he already has Surefire and other very good manufactured ones out there, how about a very good custom light? How about a titanium light? :D Actually these lights are extremely expensive. I just couldn't resist responding to the topic of flashlights, hehe.

As for knives, so many pretty ones about there. Hmm....that I'm gonna ask a friend. Or you can to the the Blade forum and ask them. I know of another blade forum but forgot the name. Personally, I wouldn't mind receiving a knife either. As a side note, Asians believe it's unlucky to receive knives as gift. ;)

And as a personal opinion, I also like the skydiving idea. :D

That's also a Jewish superstition. Some people who give knives as gifts tape pennies to the box so the recipient can 'pay' for the knives.