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44 Best Father’s Day Gifts for Dads (2026)
The only Father's Day gift I can recall my own dad receiving was a plate of fried sardines. It was prepared by my mother, his ex-wife, who knew how grateful he’d be for a dish he grew up eating in the Italian neighborhood of a steel town that was dying with such theatrical flair that Bruce Springsteen named a song after it. (An acoustic Springsteen song, at that.) We lived in a nearby city that had plenty of red-sauce restaurants, but they weren't serving tinned fish in those days. As my father had only the most limited of food-preparation skills and didn't date the kind of women who could cook, this was the only way he'd ever taste that flavor again.
As Father's Day gifts go, being united with a long-lost recipe from childhood is pretty good. If you can pull it off, that's what you should give your dad this year. Otherwise, I have here a few ideas that I've spent the last few months gathering for various types of dads and across many different budgets. With the exception of a few items picked by other dads on the team, I've personally tested and approved all of the gifts on this list. I hope they make your dad as happy as those sardines made mine.
Updated June 18: I've added 14 new picks, including pork chops that eat like a steak, rum that drinks like brandy, the toughest grilling gloves ever made, and a pocket knife.
Last week, I left my Apple Watch Ultra in the Denver Airport. While I hope to retrieve it someday (please call me back, DIA customer service and/or Frontier Airlines), I haven't truly missed wearing it, thanks to the rugged Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, which I’ve been using in its place. The Samsung is more comfortable and has a much more stylish always-on face, better battery life, and a more responsive touchscreen. I've been wearing it to the pool with my daughter and to the driving range, and I've been shocked by how much I prefer it. It's the best product in the Android ecosystem that I've personally used. Samsung has some very good Father's Day promos, including $100 off on the watch and $250 off its top-model phone, the Galaxy S26 Ultra (8/10 WIRED Recommends). I'd give this to most dads, but especially to an Android user who's active outdoors with his kids or frequently does yard work and other handy jobs that can be rough on a watch.
The SpyraFour is the new best water gun ever made. WIRED has been covering the German brand's powerful electric squirt guns since 2023, and the products have only improved over time. Just ask my daughter, who has to use the SpyraThree while I blast away at her with this gun that refills much faster (it sucks up enough water for about 20 shots in a cool 12 seconds) and has a full digital smart display to select between shooting styles and show you how much ammo you have left. This is a very powerful squirt gun that shoots accurately up to 50 feet, and it's recommended for kids who are at least 14. I can confirm that it’s a little advanced for my 11-year-old.
Playing catch is one of those classic activities dads and kids love to do together. Over time, I've found that the ask to toss the Frisbee shifts from the kid to the adult. Yes, the Aerobie is still the best flying disc you can buy, but the real reason to gift it is as an excuse to toss it around and talk.
Last year I had my friends Lexi and Britaney over to watch the second week of the NFL season. The only problem was that I wanted to see my beloved Cleveland Browns begin their brave and honorable march to 5-12, whereas they wanted to watch the universally reviled Kansas City Chiefs early in their humiliating 6-11 season. To make this work, I had to go dust off a ratchet old 480p TV in the basement to air the Chiefs game. It was not ideal, but this extremely versatile device from Apolosign—the ultimate utility device for your dad—will solve that problem and many others besides.
If you're going to have a second medium-sized screen around the house, this is the one. It’s a rolling 32-inch touch-screen TV that can fl