Handmade gifts for men from UK makers: leather hip flasks, Harris Tweed ties, hand-forged bottle openers and veg-tan wallets, sorted by budget and hobby.
Gifts for men that someone actually made
Men are often called hard to buy for, usually because they buy what they need as soon as they need it. A handmade gift gets round that. He is unlikely to own one already, and a good one improves with use.
Handmade is far from niche. The Crafts Council’s Market for Craft research found that 73% of UK adults bought craft in 2019. This guide works for a brother, a son, a best friend, a colleague or anyone else on your list. Start with the budget table, then browse by what he enjoys. Nearly every gift comes from a named maker or small UK workshop.
- Our top handmade gifts for men
- Gifts at every budget, side by side
- Leather, drinks, tailoring and forged steel
- Home, games and grooming ideas
We earn a commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Check delivery times and any import charges at checkout.
Best handmade gifts for men
Who are you buying for?
For a partner or a parent, we have dedicated guides to handmade gifts for your husband, handmade gifts for dad, handmade gifts for your boyfriend and handmade anniversary gifts for him. This page is for every other man on your list.
A brother or close friend. You know his hobbies, so buy for one of them. A pike angler, a golfer, a whisky drinker or a gamer will each value something made for that interest more than a general gift.
A son. Pick something he will use as he sets up on his own, such as a good wallet or a walnut board for his first kitchen.
A colleague or Secret Santa. Stick to small and useful. A forged keyring, a set of leather coasters, wooden Scrabble cufflinks or a whisky barrel keyring all cost less than £15 and suit most people.
We earn a commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Check delivery times and any import charges at checkout.
Handmade gifts for men at every price
| Made in | Material | Best for | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Forged leaf keyring Under £10 | Wiltshire | Mild steel | Secret Santa | £8.12 | View |
Leather glasses case Under £25 | Northampton | Italian leather | Readers | £21.50 | View |
|
Harris Tweed tie Under £35 | Outer Hebrides cloth | Pure wool tweed | Weddings and work | £30.67 | View |
|
Leather hip flask Best overall | England | Leather and steel | Big birthdays | £59.95 | View |
Leather he will carry every day
Leather is the classic handmade gift for a man, and two terms help you judge it. Full grain leather keeps the tough outer layer of the hide, so it lasts and builds a patina. Vegetable-tanned leather is tanned with plant tannins; it starts pale and firm, then darkens as he handles it. Avoid anything sold as bonded leather, which is made from scraps glued together and wears badly.
Northampton has made shoes and leather goods for centuries, and several picks below come from small workshops in the town.
We earn a commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Check delivery times and any import charges at checkout.
Made by hand in a Northampton workshop from Italian leather, with a soft microfibre suede lining and a hidden magnetic closure. The semi-hard shell protects reading glasses or sunglasses in a coat pocket or bag. It is a small, useful gift for any man who wears glasses and keeps losing the case.
More leather gifts for men
For the drinker
A hip flask is one of the few gifts that suits a man at 25 and at 75. Look at what the flask itself is made of: stainless steel is light and does not taint the drink, while pewter is heavier and traditional. A captive top, one that stays attached by a small hinge, means the cap cannot be lost on a cold hillside.
For a beer drinker, a hand-forged bottle opener is a better gift than another novelty glass. Forged steel has a weight and a hammered surface that a stamped opener lacks.
We earn a commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Check delivery times and any import charges at checkout.
Gifts for whisky and beer drinkers
For the sharp dresser
For weddings and the office, tailoring accessories make easy gifts. Harris Tweed is protected by law: under the Harris Tweed Act 1993, the cloth must be handwoven by islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides from wool dyed and spun there, and only genuine cloth carries the Orb mark (Harris Tweed Authority). Check for the Orb label on the back of a tie.
Silver cufflinks often weigh more than 7.78 g a pair, the point at which UK law requires a hallmark, so a full hallmark is a good sign of real sterling silver (The Assay Office).
We earn a commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Check delivery times and any import charges at checkout.
Ties, bow ties and cufflinks
For the outdoorsman
If he would rather be outside, choose something that goes with him. Blacksmith-made pieces suit this kind of man well: each one is heated and hammered by hand, so no two are identical. Our guide to handmade gifts for dad has more outdoor ideas, including bird boxes.
We earn a commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Check delivery times and any import charges at checkout.
Outdoor gifts for men
For his home and downtime
For a man settling into his own place, handmade homeware is a gift he will use every week. Turned wood is a good example: a woodturner shapes a spinning blank of timber with hand tools, and each bowl shows its own grain. Yew is prized for its contrasting colours, from cream sapwood to deep orange heartwood.
We earn a commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Check delivery times and any import charges at checkout.
Home, kitchen and games
For the bearded and the wet shaver
Handmade beard oils and shaving soaps are blended in small batches. Every cosmetic sold to the public in the UK needs a safety assessment and a cosmetic product safety report before sale (legislation.gov.uk), so buy from makers who list full ingredients.
We earn a commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Check delivery times and any import charges at checkout.
Grooming gifts for men
How to choose a handmade gift for a man
Useful gifts get carried, worn and kept. Ornaments tend to end up in a drawer.
Good makers name exactly what they use.
A real workshop behind the listing is the best sign of genuine handmade work.
Personalised pieces usually take a week or two to make.
How we picked these gifts
We searched Amazon Handmade, eBay and our partner shops for handmade gifts for men and cut several hundred listings down using four rules.
-
Made by hand
Every finished gift is forged, stitched, turned, woven, tied or blended by hand. The truffles come from a specialist chocolatier.
-
Named makers
We favoured makers who say where they work, such as Marlborough of England, Steedman Blacksmiths in Berwickshire, Bowker and Co in Bolton and Sweyn Forkbeard in Middlesex.
-
Trusted eBay sellers only
On eBay we only included new, fixed-price listings from UK sellers with at least 98% positive feedback.
-
A spread of budgets
Picks run from leather coasters and a forged keyring under £10 to a leather hip flask and a hand-forged barbecue set.
Handmade stock sells out quickly. If a piece has gone, browse our full handmade gifts for men shop for alternatives.
Handmade gifts for men: your questions
What is a good handmade gift for a man?
Something he will use every day, made to last. A leather hip flask or a veg-tan wallet suits most men and improves with use.
What do you buy a man who has everything?
Replace something ordinary with a handmade version. A Harris Tweed tie or a Northampton leather glasses case feels special without adding clutter.
What is a good handmade gift for a man under £15?
A hand-forged steel keyring, a set of veg-tan leather coasters, a whisky barrel stave keyring or wooden Scrabble cufflinks all cost under £15.
Is a pewter or steel hip flask better?
Stainless steel is lighter and does not affect the taste of the drink. Pewter is heavier and more traditional. Either works well, and a captive top stops the cap getting lost.
How can I tell if Harris Tweed is genuine?
Look for the Orb label. Under the Harris Tweed Act 1993, only cloth handwoven by islanders at home in the Outer Hebrides, from wool dyed and spun there, can carry it.
Do silver cufflinks need a hallmark?
In the UK, items sold as silver must be hallmarked if they weigh more than 7.78 g. Many pairs of cufflinks are over that weight, so look for a full hallmark.
What is the difference between full grain and veg-tan leather?
Full grain describes the layer of hide: it keeps the strong outer surface. Vegetable tanned describes how it was processed, using plant tannins. A wallet can be both.
Our recommendation
- Best overall: Marlborough leather hip flask
- Best everyday carry: veg-tan leather wallet
- Best for the sharp dresser: Harris Tweed tie
- Best under £10: hand-forged leaf keyring
For most men, the Marlborough of England leather hip flask is our pick. It is made by hand in England and is the kind of thing he will keep for decades. If your budget is smaller, a Northampton leather glasses case or a Harris Tweed tie gives the same handmade quality for less.
More ideas: handmade anniversary gifts for him, handmade personalised gifts, unusual handmade wooden gifts and handmade Christmas gifts.