Review.org Australia’s 50 best gifts

The Reviews.org Australia team shares some of the most surprisingly fantastic things they bought this year.

Brodie Fogg
Nov 28, 2020
Icon Time To Read6 min read
Graphic for the Reviews.org 2020 gift guide featuring various gifts from the article.
The most practical gifts you can give this year as recommended by the Reviews.org Australia team.

Once a year, internet and capitalism come together for a steamy month of Black Friday sales, shopping events and corporate Christmas parties that births potentially millions of gift guides from your beloved tech and lifestyle publications. All your favourite news feeds become littered with gift guides. Gift guides for fathers, for mothers, lovers, brothers and friends. LoFi gift guides to study/relax to. Amongst the maelstrom of most popular gifts for your pet mongoose, there are a few quality guides but there's also an unthinkable number of articles created where "best" translates to "highest-paying affiliate partnership".

Don't get us wrong, we use paid affiliate links too (and it really helps us out if you buy through our links) but this year we decided to reach out to the wider Reviews.org Australia editorial and publishing team for recommendations on the most surprisingly practical purchases they made this year. Of course, some of us couldn't help ourselves (see: full-body Predator costume) but for the most part, the recommendations you'll find below are items that the Reviews.org Australia team swear by.

Tech and accessories

Whether they're glued to their smartphone or ensnared in a pit of computer cables, your tech friends are typically the easiest to buy for.

Here are our top picks for best tech gifts this year.

  1. POPSOCKET: $9.95 at Amazon
  2. Sony WH-1000XM4: $349 at Kogan
  3. LIFX Day & Dusk Smart Bulb: $35.99 at Amazon
  4. 1Password: 30-day free trial
  5. LOOONG 3-metre USB-C cable: $24.99 at Catch
  6. Jabra Active Elite 75t: $299 at Catch
  7. Razer Gaming Mouse Bungee: $37 at Amazon
  8. Sturdy 34L Nomatic Backpack: $241 at Nomatic
  9. Google Home Mini: $45 at Kogan
  10. Tile Key Finder: From $34.99 at Tile
  11. Nokia 2720 4G Flip Phone: $109 at Amazon
  12. Super Mario Star Light: $19 at Kmart
  13. JBL Pulse 4 Bluetooth Speaker: $299 at Bing Lee
  14. Fitbit Versa 3: $324 at The Good Guys
  15. Chromecast with Google TV: $98 at Kogan

Technology

For the friend who binges Netflix in bed.

Noise cancel culture has gone too far.

For the friend's apartment with all the ambience of an interrogation room.

For that one friend who uses 'password123' for their internet banking.

For the gamer or smartphone user in your life longing for some distance.

The best buds in the business with no strings (or wires) attached.

mouse-bungee-gift

Extreme sports for your rodent friends. Also doubles as a brilliant cable management solution for gaming mice.

For the commuter who carries too much tech.

For someone who's always losing their shit.

Give Nan and Pop the gift of simplicity.

Colours, man.

A bossy wrist companion to guilt-trip you into moving your lazy butt.

Chromecast by Google TV device

The best $99 you'll spend this year.

Games and entertainment

Who doesn't love fun? If you're friends or family are in need of some light entertainment this holiday season, you can't go wrong with the classics, like Super Mario 3D All-Stars for Nintendo Switch.

These are the best entertainment and gaming gifts to help pass the time this year.

  1. Fitness Boxing for Switch: $59 at Amazon
  2. Paint by Numbers: From $35.18 at Amazon
  3. Secret Hitler Board Game: $66 at Kogan
  4. Super Mario 3D All-Stars: $64 at Kogan
  5. Gradient Puzzle: $29.99 at Myer

For the friend who watched Rocky once and now walks around the apartment shadow boxing.

The Chicken Tonight for budding artists.

Weed out the fascists at your next family gathering.

$119.95

It's a-me! 3D Mario!

Hues to say whether you'll every actually finish it?

Home and lifestyle

These handpicked gifts from the Reviews.org Australia team are products that changed our life in some way, big or small. Products that ended up giving us more than we bargained for, the very definition of gifts that kept on giving throughout the year.

Here are our top recommendations for the best home and lifestyle gifts this year:

  1. BIG 2.5L Water Bottle: $19.99 at Amazon
  2. Touchscreen Gloves: $12.10 at Amazon
  3. Sodastream: $59 at Kogan
  4. Smart Bidet with Heating: $359 at Kogan
  5. Digital Handheld Luggage Scale: $9.99 at Amazon
  6. Foot Hammock: $14 at Amazon
  7. Earasers: From $62.40 at Amazon
  8. Mezzaluna Rocking Kitchen Knife: $21.95 at Amazon
  9. Forever Sharp Kitchen Knives: $64 at Catch
  10. Betti Bossie Veggie Twister: $24.99 at Catch
  11. Pineapple Corer: $15.95 at Amazon
  12. Easy Weekends Cookbook: $30.95 at Booktopia
  13. Pink Flamingo Watering Can: $6.99 at Stratco
  14. Adhesive Cable Clips: $5.99 at Amazon
  15. Jar Opener: $7.95 at Amazon
  16. Rolling Garlic Crusher: $13.99 at Kogan
  17. Motion Activated Toilet Light: $12.99 at Kogan
  18. Instant Wine Aerator: $24.95 at Amazon
  19. Cooking Oil Sprayer: $34.95 at Catch
  20. Stainless Steel Soap Bar: $12.69 at Amazon
  21. Mycause Charity Donation: Choose from over 4,000 charities

Sterile swiping for your germaphobe friends.

$12.10 - $22.69

For the friend who loves hydration but finds water "too cliché".

smart-bidet-gift

Give someone the freshest ass.

For someone with too much chonk in their tronk.

Give someone the feeling of first class on an economy budget.

Invest in your muso mate's hearing.

A kitchen gadget that doubles as a knuckle-duster.

Send your food twirling, twirling towards freedom.

For hard-core pineapple lovers.

Because your Uber Eats budget has gotten out of control.

Because why the hell not?

Clean your shit up and make Marie Kondo proud.

$5.99 for 6

For jars that even The Rock couldn't open.

motion sensor toilet light

Drunk you will thank sober you later.

2 for $19.99

An instant decanter for the wine snob in your life.

Prepara Simply Mist Oil Sprayer

An eco-friendly solution David Attenborough would approve of.

A gentle way of telling your loved one their kitchen stinks.

The gift of warm and fuzzies.

Over 4,000 charities

Fashion and beauty

Look, we're all about tech here at Reviews.org Australia but that doesn't mean we don't have some slick recommendations for the best in fashion and beauty. There's only one way to get over a week of writing about deals and sales, and that's some well-deserved self-care.

Here are a few of the best beauty and fashion gifts our team recommend if you're planning on treating yourself (or someone else) this year.

  1. Ice Roller for Puffy Eyes: $35.50 at Amazon
  2. Deluxe Adult Predator Costume: $144.99 at Amazon
  3. Slick Daddy Beard Oil: $24.95 at Amazon
  4. Red Converse: $69.99 at Kogan
  5. Dafni Hair Straightening Brush: $144.95 at Oz Hair and Beauty
  6. This is Fine Face Mask: From $12.70 at Redbubble
  7. Allbirds Merino Wool Runners: From $95 at Allbird
  8. Aesop Immediate Moisture: $25 at Adore Beauty

This surprisingly effective remedy for puffy eyes.

For your bearded friend who is sick of being asked if they use beard oil

Buy 5 for 15% off

Channel your inner mid-2000s scene kid.

Easy hairstyling for lazy time-poor people.

I'm okay with the events that are currently unfolding.

No joke, the comfiest shoes you will ever wear.

Give your friends a family a personalised shout-out from legends like Billy Dee Williams, Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath and comedian Pauly Shore.

From $15 to $2,500 (USD)

Brodie Fogg
Written by
Brodie Fogg is the Australian editorial lead at Reviews.org. He has covered consumer tech, telecommunications, video games, streaming and entertainment for over five years at websites like WhistleOut and Finder and can be found sharing streaming recommendations at 7NEWS every month.

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