Father's Day gifts for four kinds of father

Most fathers fit one of four types. The one who reads the reviews for a new phone he does not need. The one who is happiest in the garage with the radio on. The one who would rather go somewhere than open a parcel. And the one who has spent twenty years putting everyone else first and could use an afternoon on the sofa. Work out which one you have and the shopping gets much shorter.

For the father who wants the new gadget

Earbuds for the morning run, a Garmin for the cycling he keeps threatening to take up, or a power bank for the days he is out of the office. The practical extras land better than the flashy ones: a Bluetooth speaker for the garage, a smart plug so the coffee machine is warm when he comes down, a tablet for the paper at breakfast.

Subscriptions belong on this list as well. A year of Audible or a paid weather app for the sailing sounds dull until you realise he uses it every day until next June. Ask which part of his day is slightly annoying and buy the thing that fixes it.

For the father who builds and fixes things

He probably has a drill. He probably does not have the good one. A Makita 18V combi, a set of Wera screwdrivers, a laser measure or a decent spirit level are the tools he has been managing without. If he has a specific hobby, buy for that: a Japanese pull saw for the woodworker, a torque wrench for the car, a Felco pruner for the garden.

Storage matters too. A pegboard for the wall, a proper toolbox, drawer dividers. And if he already owns everything, buy the consumables, because sandpaper, drill bits and work gloves run out and nobody ever gets them as a present.

For the father who would rather go somewhere

Two tickets for the match, a concert by the band he has seen four times already, a day's fishing, a golf lesson, a whisky tasting. Anything local counts: a pasta class, a brewery tour, a long walk in the hills with lunch at the end. The point of these gifts is that you go with him, so book two places, not one.

Most of these come as vouchers, which means he picks the date himself. That is better than choosing for him and finding out it clashes with the cup final.

For the father who needs a rest

A heavy cotton dressing gown, a massage gun, a proper skincare set rather than the shower gel he uses on his face, a monthly coffee delivery for the quiet half hour before everyone else gets up. These all say the same thing, which is that he is allowed to slow down.

Home comfort counts as well. An office chair that does not wreck his back if he works from home, a wool throw for the sofa, a set of good pillows. Nothing on this list is exciting, and every item gets used more than the gadgets.

Ask him to write it down

Duplicate gifts and near-misses are the standard Father's Day problem. The fix is to have him list what he wants before June, with the exact model and size, so three children do not all buy socks. A list can mix a 200-euro drill with a bar of the chocolate he likes, so a ten-year-old and an adult can both pick something they can afford, and several people can chip in together for the drill.

He will say he needs nothing. Send him the link anyway and tell him it is to save you from buying a tie. Have him create a wishlist this week, and the rest of the family can reserve what they are buying from there.