His jokes might consist of mostly terrible puns but you know that your dad will be there almost instantly when you’re in a bind.

So on the second most important day in your dad’s year (the first is his birthday obviously) why not get him something awesome, and useful, because what good is a Father’s Day gift you can’t use.

Bluetooth Car Kit

Because your dad hates talking on his phone while he’s driving and he’s always driving.

This gift is really more for you than it is for him because, well, your dad probably doesn’t want to be disturbed while he’s driving.

You can pick up this easy-to-use Parrot CK 3000 for R1 699. It uses the car’s sound system to provide audio, has voice recognition for voice dialing and you can pair up to three handsets to it. There is installation required and it isn’t included in the cost so keep that in mind.

Fancy braai tongs

You’ll probably be braaing on Father’s Day. Well, your dad will probably be braaing on Father’s Day so help him out by giving him this wonderful contraption from Yuppiechef.

The Tonglite Multipurpose Illuminated braai tongs feature a torch so you can check your meat while you flip it, a bottle opener and a braai scraper to help speed along the pre-cooking process.

The tongs are available on Yuppiechef for R449.

Laser distance measuring tool

While we wait for Lenovo to start shipping the Phab 2 Plus and its built in measurement tools, get your dad a laser distance measuring tool. There’s one from Bosch that is available from Builders and retails for R665 (top left of the page in that link), though that is subject to change.

The Zamo 20 has one button so its dead simple to use and can measure up to 20m from the back edge. There is also a function that lets you store the last measurement for quick reference at the hardware store.

Tablet protector

Your dad might be using good ol’ pen and paper to write things down while he’s cooking or pottering around in his workshop, even though he has that perfectly good tablet you gave him for Christmas. Chances are he’s worried about damaging that screen so we have something to solve that dilemma.

The Sea to Summit iPad Case from Takealot costs R499 and features a Thermoplastic Polyurethane screen window so dad can still use the iPad in its protective casing. It also has four die-cut attachment points on each corner so you can hang the iPad where you need it. The case is also IPX7 rated meaning its waterproof up to 1 metre for 30 minutes.

Drones

They might be pricey but the look of glee on your dad’s face will be worth it. This particular model from Parrot, the Maclane Airborne Night Minidrone is actually rather cheap at R2 245 when you compare it to other UAVs.

The drone is piloted via a smartphone app (there are Apple and Android versions) and takes 25 minutes to charge up its battery. The rotor shields can be removed and there are two LED lights on the body so you can fly the drone at night. There’s even a VGA (480×640) camera on-board with 1GB of storage and a micro USB cable to grab any pictures he takes later.

Get a kitty together with your siblings if you have to because this would make the coolest Father’s day gift.

A Grand Tour

What better gift to give your dad than the gift of him being able to plonk down on the couch and catch 40 winks, or erm, some quality programming. ShowMax and Netflix are viable options but might we suggest Amazon Prime Video.

The main reason we suggest this is, you guessed it, The Grand Tour which stars the trio of Clarkson, Hammond and May from Top Gear fame. The service also has The Expendables 3, Mr. Robot and stand-up comedy from the likes of Robin Williams, Louis C.K. and Will Ferrell.

Headphones, proper ones

Your dad probably has some form of headphones laying around, or he’s been subjecting you to Tubthumping for the last few years. So we’re going to suggest you give him a decent aural experience by getting him a decent set of cans.

Our first suggestion is the Sennheiser HD205-II Pro DJ Headphones for R989 from Soundz. These cans are great for noise suppression but they can be a bit heavy in the low end. The HD205’s come with a protective pouch and the foam is soft and comfortable for long listening sessions.

The Sennheiser HD201 from Soundz have a brighter audio profile compared to the bass heavy HD205’s and they’re a bit cheaper at R719. These cans are a bit more rugged and the foam isn’t as comfortable as the HD205 but they’re still a great set of headphones with great audio.

Games

So far 2016 has been a great year for games. Far Cry Primal was a surprisingly good romp through prehistoric times, even The Division was a lot of fun until you hit level 30 and get bored.

First person gore-fest DOOM will more than likely transport your dad to his younger years and Dark Souls 3 is probably only an option if you want to give your dad some payback for all the times he’s grounded you.

Check out Steam, BT Games, AWX, Raru and Takealot to find a game your dad can sink his teeth into. Speaking of which.

Biltong maker

What says “dad” more than a pack of fresh biltong? That’s right, nothing. So make that more of the norm than a special occasion by letting your dad cure his own meat (settle down now) with this food dehydrator from Yuppiechef.

If your dad prefers dried fruit it’s great for that as well. Simply swap out the meat hooks for drying shelves and he’s good to go.

The unit is designed to have constant airflow so you can get your teeth into that biltong sooner rather than later. Pair this with a nice cut of meat/fresh fruit, a pack of biltong/dried fruit (it doesn’t work instantly folks so that’s for the wait) and become your dad’s hero. The Biltong King & Fruit Dehydrator is available from R399.

Tinkering

For something out of the box, get your dad making. Communica has a really nice Inventors Kit for the Arduino Uno platform and makes a nice starting base for the DIY obsessed father in 2016.

The kit includes the Arduino Uno, jumper wires, breadboard, DC motor, an array of sensors and LEDs and all the electronics a beginner will need to get making. At R1 595 it is a bit pricey but this really is a great gift for the budding maker dad.