Earlier this week was the three-year anniversary of my college graduation, and now that a new wave of students will be leaving behind their alma maters, it got me thinking about all of the gear that I wish I had been gifted. Ranging from must-haves for first-time apartment life to some ways to spruce up that new work from home setup, you’ll want to head below for all of our top graduation gift recommendations.
Echo Show makes a great graduation gift
Whether the graduate in your life will be living at home or leaving the nest, an easy gift recommendation is Amazon’s new Echo Show. Arriving as the company’s latest Alexa-enabled display, this will kickstart someone’s smart home setup with access to the popular voice assistant.
Alongside being able to control the lights and other accessories, Echo Show is perfect for Keeping up with weather and news or even handling video calls with the folks. Available in 5-inch and 8-inch models, pricing prices at $85 here.
Instant Pot helps with post-graduation cooking
Moving onto the kitchen, an easy recommendation from my own personal experience is the Instant Pot Duo. If the graduate in your life will be getting their own place in the near future, this $89 7-in-1 multi cooker is definitely worth putting on the gift list to ensure that even if their apartment’s kitchen setup isn’t exactly top-notch, that they’re able to have a reliable appliance on-hand.
And what an appliance it will be. After seeing how popular Instant Pots were through my first few years working at 9to5Toys, I brushed off the hype of this #1 best-seller to being a fad. But after actually relying on one for over a year now, it’s an easy recommendation considering it can handle everything from soups and steamed veggies to one-pot meals, rice, and more.
Dyson Pure heater/fan keeps your grad cool
Another notable gift ideal for graduates planning to set to on their own is the Dyson Pure Hot + Cool. Certainly on the pricer side, this $499 heater, fan, and air purifier has been invaluable in my space over the past few seasons. Heating and cooling in your first apartment are always hit or miss, so that’s nothing better than giving the gift to ensure your graduate won’t be sweating buckets this summer or freezing come winter.
Alongside being able to serve double duty as both a fan and a heater, Dyson also incorporates a built-in air purifier into the picture. So not only will it handle keeping your space the perfect temperature no matter the weather, but it also handles keeping a check on allergies, too. That’s on top of smart home control for an even more tailored experience.
Nanoleaf delivers smart home decor
Speaking of smart home control, Nanoleaf’s popular HomeKit multicolor lighting panels are an easy recommendation. We’ve featured Nanoleaf time and time again in the past, but its current stable of products are some of the most compelling yet. Namely, the Shapes devices.
As the latest addition to its stable of Alexa, Assistant, and Siri accessories, the Nanoleaf Shapes lights are upgrades over the previous models in nearly every sense. That translates to a great way to add some flair into your setup. The modular lights can be reconfigured into a variety of designs, really living up to the Shapes branding. Each panel can produce a variety of colors and interlock together to form something of a high-tech piece of home decor.
The Nanoleaf Shapes Triangles and Hexagons both go for $200 for a starter kit. After having installed both of the kits, I can easily recommend either one for someone on your list. But if you’re looking for a more affordable option for getting the smart home enthusiast in your life into the Nanoleaf game, the Mini Triangles are an easy recommendation at $120. You’re looking at essentially the same feature set across the board but with different designs.
Gift an ergonomic workstation with FLEXISPOT
In the same vein as the Nanoleaf lights, a standing desk is a great option for helping make working at the home office a little more enjoyable. While upgrading to a full-on standing workstation might be out of the question for some, FLEXISPOT’s desk converter is a notable way to enjoy the best of both worlds.
Allowing you to turn a regular old desk into an elevated one, this accessory sells for $100 and delivers a more ergonomic workstation. Complete with its own dedicated keyboard tray, the actual surface spans over 28 inches wide, with plenty of room for laptops, secondary monitors, and other accessories. With working from home looking like it’s going to be the new norm going forward for many, this is a great way to prepare the graduates in your life who may have remote work jobs lined up.
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