10 Christmas gift ideas for tradies and construction workers

While socks and undies – or a slab of the brewer's finest – never go out of fashion as great Christmas presents, sometimes it’s nice to put a little extra thought into your gift-buying to really surprise and spoil your loved ones.

Here is a list of gift ideas that will surely delight the tradies and future tradies in your life.

They once said that radio was dead, but they were way off the mark – the radio is well and truly alive and blaring out from worksites around Australia.

If you’re after something that can survive the knocks and produce a decent sound, this Bosch GML 20 Professional model will fit the bill.

The 9.4kg radio has a spring-mounted aluminium frame, plus dust and splash protection, and can survive falls from 3m. It can play FM and AM radio – with 30 presets – plus your own music from a USB stick, an SD card or an external music player via an Aux-In socket.

The GML 20 Professional pumps out 20W of sound via four speakers and an integrated subwoofer. It's powered by mains or via a Bosch Li-ion battery (not included) inserted in the battery port. It can also be used for charging batteries and has standard sockets for connecting other mains-powered tools.

It's available for $281 from Bunnings, Total Tools and Blackwoods Xpress

RRP: $281

More information / where to buy: bosch-pt.com.au

This 3D Excavator Wall Decal is the perfect pressie for the earthmover operator who just can't leave work behind, or for the kid who wants to be just like dad.

It's made of removable and damp-proof PVC and measures 631mm x 580mm.

Go on ... it'll look great in the man-cave or kid's bedroom – or even the lounge room if you're allowed!

RRP: $18.77

More information / where to buy: banggood.com

While modern gadgets such as smartphones, tablets and GPS units have transformed our lives, we now live with the spectre of flat batteries when the devices are most needed.

What busy contractors need is the ability to charge two devices at once, and the Belkin BOOST UP 2-Port Car Charger promises to do it quickly and efficiently.

The advantage that the BOOST UP model has over plain chargers is its ability to charge at 12 Watts or 2.4 Amps, rather than 10 Watts or 2.1 Amps.

The straight, charger-only model is $39.95, but the one pictured includes a USB-A to Lightning cable for Apple devices for $49.95 – that means you're getting the cable for just $10, which is a bargain.

The cable is 122cm (4ft) long, so your backseat passengers can use it too.

RRP: $49.95

More information / where to buy: belkin.com/au

Australia's become a nation of avid coffee drinkers, and sometimes it's hard to go back to the instant stuff on the road or the worksite when you're used to a good barista-made cup-of-joe.

A good halfway-house between the two is the MiniPresso NS from Wacaco. It's a little hand-held machine that produces a great cuppa using Nespresso capsules. You just put a capsule into the outlet head, add hot water into the water tank, and pump the piston a couple of times to pressurize and extract an espresso with generous crema.

It gives you a 45ml coffee, which is a bit more than the standard shot of 30ml. Wacaco also makes the MiniPresso GR, which uses coffee grounds instead of capsules.

The Wacaco MiniPresso NS has a recommended retail price of $84.99, but at the time of writing, there were some good deals around on the NS – such as $64.99 from BCF and $49.95 from Alternative Brewing.

RRP: $84.99

More information / where to buy: wacaco.com

Sandwiches are OK, but some days what you really want is some steaming hot, home-cooked food for lunch. While the old Tupperware container is fine for packing your lunch to work, you might not always have access to a microwave and a cold lasagne does not sound all that appetising.

Enter the Vaya Tyffyn, a Vacutherm-insulated lunchbox designed to keep your food warm for up to six hours. According to Vaya, food placed in a Tyffyn at 70 degrees Celsius will be about 45 degrees Celsius after six hours.

The stacking tiffin carrier is synonymous with India, so it's no surprise that an Indian has come up with this improved version. The Vaya Tyffyn contains a set of two or three stainless-steel stacking dishes, each with a leak-resistant lid.

The lunchboxes come in a variety of exterior styles, from basic black to cheetah, while the dishes come with a copper coating, or polished silver for another $6.

RRP: $62 (1000ml); $60 (600ml)

More information / where to buy: vayalife.com

Our summers are getting more vicious, so it's only right that we protect our loved ones and help them beat the heat.

Ergodyne's Chill-Its absorptive products sop up sweat and offer sweet relief. The Chill-Its 6630 High-Performance Cap is made from a moisture-management fabric that wicks away sweat and dries fast, and features a wide, super-absorbent terry headband.

It's designed to be worn on its own or under a hard hat. It’s one size fits most, and is available in a number of designs and colours – Stars & Stripes, Camouflage, Red Western, Navy Western, Solid Blue, Lime and Flames. It is machine-washable so one can throw it in the wash after a long day’s work and put in on again nice and fresh the next day.

You can buy it from Amazon Australia for about A$12, excluding delivery.

RRP: Around A$12

More information / where to buy: ergodyne.com

Tradies often have a large assortment of tools they need to lug around worksites, so some form of organisation and transporting device will definitely make their lives much easier.

The PACKOUT range from Milwaukee is a modular tool storage and transport system that allows you to interchange and interlock a wide assortment of heavy-duty tool boxes, organisers and storage totes.

A good place to start is the Rolling Tool Box – a storage box made of impact resistant polymers and metal-reinforced corners that comes with an extension handle and wheels for easy transport, and connects with all other PACKOUT system components.

Other components you can mix-and-match include tool bags made of 1680D ballistic material, briefcase-sized hard tool cases, organisers and open totes.

Prices range from $98 for the five-bin compact organiser to $1,205 for the mammoth eight-piece tower – which is the Rolling Tool Box piled high with two tool boxes, two totes and two organisers.

RRP: $98-$1,205

More information / where to buy: milwaukeetools.com.au

There are a bunch of worksite fans on the market from the likes of Dewalt, Milwaukee, Ozito, AEG and others, but what makes this Ryobi model stand out is the fact that it's a MISTING fan.

You simply connect a garden hose or sit it atop a standard bucket with a capacity between 11 and 20 litres and voila – sweet, cooling mist. It doesn't come with a battery but is compatible with any Ryobi 18V ONE+ batteries. (You can buy them for about $50 and above.)

Depending on which battery you use, you can get up to 16 hours of run time from the fan. It has two speeds, a pivoting head and a dual-nozzle system to maximise the misting zone.

The Ryobi 18V ONE+ Misting Fan is available for purchase from Bunnings Warehouse stores nationwide.

RRP: $99 (excluding battery)

More information / where to buy: ryobi.com.au

Great for kids or adults with earthmoving in their blood, this Meccano erector set is two models in one.

You can use the 254 metal and plastic parts to build an excavator with custom treads, a working boom with bucket, and a cab that rotates 360 degrees... or to construct a bulldozer with treads and a working blade.

It comes with full instructions (as you'd hope!), a spanner and a hex tool. When fully built, the excavator measures 108mm long x 950mm wide x 950mm tall.

Prices for this set vary quite a bit, but the best Aussie price we found was $44.99 from Mr Toys Toyworld.

RRP: $44.99

More information / where to buy: meccano.com

The Bosch GSR 18 V-EC FC2 Professional is like a Swiss Army knife of sorts in the world of cordless drill and drivers.

It's designed to take the stress out of those tight and horribly-angled jobs through the use of one-click-changeable heads – a drill chuck adapter, an angle adapter, an off-set angle adapter and a rotary hammer adapter. The Bosch FlexiClick adapters can be locked in 16 different positions (through a full 360 degrees) without having to remove them from the cordless screwdriver.

It comes with two 2 x 6.0 Ah Li-ion batteries.  The Bosch GSR 18V-EC FC2 delivers a torque of 31Nm (soft) or 50Nm (hard), with 18+1 torque settings. The chuck capacity goes from 1.5mm to 13mm and it can handle screws of up to 10mm.

RRP: $699.95

More information / where to buy: bosch-pt.com.au