Maker Gift buying guide 2015

The holidays are officially in full swing and to help you along with your shopping journey, we have compiled a list of must-haves for the tinkerer, maker, and experimenter in your family. Ranging from under $40 to over $1000, each one in the list below has been chosen for its value in respective categories.

Arduino beginner kit – This kit is a perfect way to introduce a loved one into the world of building electronics and micro controllers. It comes by way of adafruit.com and includes link to instructions on some basic setups. Pricing on adafruit is $64.95.       

3Doodler 2.0 – The Doodler 2.0 is a pen that heats up various types of plastics to make you the 3D printer, allowing you to draw three dimensional objects in a rainbow of colors from glow-in the-dark to something called galactic sparkle. The only limit to what you can design or build is your imagination. The Doodle is available for $99 and  includes instructions, cleaning tools, and some colored plastic strands to get you started.   

Sphero 2.0 SPRK Edition – If you recall the BB-8 droid from the Star Wars previews, then this will peak your interest as it’s the clear version made by the same company. The only major different is that the SPRK edition can be run out of the box as is or re-programmed to do something else. It features a waterproof clear, polycarbonate case packed with WiFi, Bluetooth, and a 4.5 mph top speed. Priced at $129 and including a wireless charging station, the SPRK can easily be controlled with Android and iOS compatibility.

LulzBot Mini – This gift is intended for the slightly more experienced maker, but it’s still simple enough for the novice. The LulzBot Mini is a tremendous value in the world of 3D printers for the huge amount of advanced features it has, including an auto-calibrating base, all metal nozzle, PEI heated print surface, and Cura software. The price for the Mini is $1,250, which is approximately $800 less than printers with comparable features.   

Raspberry Pi 2 – The Raspberry Pi 2 is a great gift for those who want complete creative freedom. There are countless build guides online from Raspberry Pi powered video game cabinets to touch screen computers for your vehicle. Priced at $39.99, the Raspberry Pi 2 gives you the power and creative freedom you want without breaking the bank.

These are just a few of our favorites and there are many more suitable gifts for the maker in your life that can be found at sparkfun.com, makershed.com, and adafruit.com.

By Aaron LaBarbera