by Maria C Collins

Created on: November 05, 2010

Looking for a Christmas gift for a mechanic, need not be difficult. Your first thought might be tools, but a mechanic’s tools are a very personal choice and they usually obtain them from specialist sources. Unless you are certain which brand, and which particular items your mechanic prefers, it is best not to buy tools. Do not be deflated, there are many other Christmas gifts that you can buy for the mechanic in your life. If you must buy tools, a gift voucher would enable your mechanic to choose his or her own.

A telescopic magnet is invaluable for retrieving nuts, and bolts that slide into inaccessible places. A mechanic’s lead light helps mechanics to see into the dark recesses of engines.

A mechanic can never have too many pairs of overalls. Overalls get dirty very quickly and, if you have ever laundered overalls, you will know that, they take a long time to dry in winter. Safety boots, with steel toecaps, are an item that mechanics need and, for young mechanics on low apprentice’s wages, they can be expensive to buy.

Mechanics get very dirty and oily, especially car or transport mechanics. Special hand cleaners are necessary, if they are ever to get their hands clean. Not the ubiquitous one that is advertised everywhere; there is a lemon one, which is particularly good. A barrier cream applied before work prevents dirt from being ingrained into the skin. Another good present, is thin rubber gloves, the type that surgeons wear, they mean that a mechanic can still feel what he is doing and keep his hands clean.

A mechanic’s hair can get exceedingly dirty and many mechanics favour wearing hats to prevent this. G, a car mechanic, was delighted one Christmas, when his wife presented him with six little woolly hats. He could wear a clean hat each day. G’s wife bought the hats in a discount store; they cost her very little money, were machine washable and came clean every time.

Mechanics often get cold working in the winter workshops can be draughty places. Brushed cotton shirts that look like lumberjack shirts are warmer than normal cotton ones and they wash extremely well. You can also buy similar shirts, which are lightly padded to keep your mechanic warm. Thermal, long, underwear is another thing that will keep your mechanic warm on cold winter days.

After a long day’s work, bending about and getting dirty, mechanics enjoy their bath or shower. They enjoy fragrances, by way of a change from the smell of oil, grease, gear and brake fluid. Nice shampoos, shower gels, aftershaves or perfume, bath oils, or the products that you can put in the bath to ease aches and pains would make an excellent Christmas gift for your mechanic.

If your mechanic does jobs at home, and you want to spend a little more money, axle stands or a good crawler trolley might be a good idea.

The above suggestions are not exhaustive, and many items would make splendid gifts for the mechanic in your life. Choosing a Christmas gift for a mechanic is easy if you think creatively.

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