The informal hardware holiday gift guide

If you’re hustling to make some last-minute purchases like we are, chances are you’re looking for recommendations for the brilliant people in your life. Us too! That’s why we put the call out to our top, most active informal collective members to ask what their favorite gizmos, gadgets, and must-haves are this year.

What we heard back was a healthy mix of the practical and the playful, tools to make life easier and more fun, with suggestions for the engineers and creative folks you love, both seasoned (pros) and budding (kiddos). We present them to you in no particular order, for your browsing pleasure, with commentary from our members. What’s the #1 product on your wish list?

Eight Sleep Pod 5 Ultra

The Eight Sleep Pod revolutionizes sleep with its fully immersive sleep system. At the core of the system is their mattress cover, an adaptive sleep surface that fits on any mattress, along with a sleek hub (the brain) that sits alongside the bed. Level up with the adjustable base and the smart blanket and pillow case. The system essentially listens to your body and automatically adjusts temperature, elevation, and sound to your needs. Sensors track variables like heart rate, breathing, sleep stages, snoring, time slept, and more. The hub uses AI to learn from your data and optimize the bed specifically for you.

“Eight Sleep works like a smart climate system for your bed, adjusting temperature through the night so you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. It turns sleep into something you can measure and improve, with clear metrics that actually correlate with how rested you feel the next day. After a week, you stop noticing the tech and just notice that you wake up feeling more recovered and less groggy.” —Nate P., Crowdfunding & Go-to-Market Specialist

Wolfbox MF100 Compressed Air Duster 

The formidable Wolfbox MF100 did not come to play. It reaches 150,000 RPM, charges fully in 2.5 hours, can be used for 100 minutes on a single charge (on the low setting), and weighs less than a pound. There are three adjustable speed settings, and it comes with a number of different nozzles and brushes. Prepare to be blown away by its efficiency.

“The Wolfbox MF100 is basically a handheld ducted drone propeller. No more canned air! It’s almost as good as shop air for blowing out keyboards and way more portable.” —Jonathan F., Electrical Engineer

BioLite Headlamps 

BioLite had the outdoor enthusiast market all abuzz years ago with their first product, the BioLite smokeless wood-burning camp stove. No gas was a game changer. Now their product line features everything from power banks to solar generators to an informal favorite: their headlamps. They’re fast charging, waterproof, and feature a sleek design. 

“We launched these headlamps this year, and they’re frankly great. Super fast USB-C charging, no clunky back part, fully waterproof, something everyone can use.” —Anthony M., Electrical Engineer 

“We love the BioLite headlamps! They’re playfully styled, super comfortable, easy to adjust, and work exactly as you intuitively expect them to. It should seem obvious to separate the light mode and intensity into their own separate buttons, but all the other brands I’ve used try to maximize what you can do with a single button and require the Konami code to operate, which isn’t a fun thing to fuss with in gloves in the dark. Love these!” —Andrew B., Industrial Designer

Burrito Pop

You probably never knew you needed a twistable burrito holder, but if you eat burritos (or other cylindrical sandwich) with any regularity, chances are you do. The genius is in its simplicity: put your wrap into the Burrito Pop, and enjoy each bite with a simple twist, no muss, no fuss. Your burrito stays warm, and your hands stay clean. It’s BPA free and safe for both the microwave and dishwasher. To boot, it has a sleek design and is back in stock in black and blue while supplies last!

“Burrito Pop turns eating a burrito into a small daily joy: a twistable burrito elevator that keeps every bite neatly at the top while your hands stay clean. It also doubles as a portable salsa bowl — just saying. If you’ve ever lost half your burrito to your lap, this is the kind of silly-looking invention that quietly becomes the one food accessory you actually use every week.” —Kat Z., Graphic Designer

SmallRig’s Desktop Magic Arm with Crab-Shaped Clamp Kit

SmallRig is clutch for anyone who find themselves documenting their process and work — whether it’s for clients, team members, or social media. Their compact, flexible, and affordable professional‑grade rigs make video-focused technical documentation a breeze. The clamp works securely with most surfaces, and the arm can hold your smartphone or digital camera for easy solo filming.

“It’s crazy how often I find a use for this thing. It easy to adjust and position, and the clamp works great on a desk. I use the phone mount to position my cellphone for recording assembly videos for clients or as a third arm when soldering.” —Sam H., Product Design Engineer

Bambu Lab 3D Printer

When we asked our community for gift recommendations, the product with the most applause was the affordable Bambu Lab desktop A1 and P1S 3D printers (both under $400). These compact enclosed tools boast a 15-minute set-up time right out of the box, full-auto calibration, active motor noise canceling, and odor-free multi-color FDM printing.

“I’ve build printers from kits, designed them for mass manufacturing, and bought and used more than I’d like to admit. Bambu labs printers just work, which is more than I can say for any other printer I’ve used. I recommend the P series, it’s a great blend of cost and features. I mainly print PLA on a cool tack build plate and it’s incredibly easy to use and reliable.” —Sam H., Product Design Engineer

“I also just got a P1S and have been printing up a storm. It’s just a very easy, convenient tool with high quality output! I love the cloud print ability. I can tweak the design in my living room and send it down to the basement to print.” —Chris F., Electrical Engineer

Wonder & Wise

Tired of cheaply made, aesthetically and imaginatively lacking toys for kids? So were the founders of Wonder & Wise, who bring 40 years of toy-making experience to the table. They’re female founded team has created a suite of offerings with a focus on fostering imagination and curiosity throughout the stages of a child’s development. Their product line features everything from a wooden extra special mail delivery set, to a pop-up rocket playhome and this  Wooden Little Builder Workbench. See it in action here!

“This small business believes that hands-on learning through play is seriously stuff — and it shows in the quality of their assortment! It’s a brand you feel proud to gift to a friend’s kid, and whose toys become staples of whatever room they reside in.” —Lindsey G., Marketing Specialist

Boppo Tablet

The innovative screen-free Boppo tablet, suitable for kids of all ages, fosters interaction and learning through 40+ engaging activities including games, podcasts, and music. All of the activities are free, and new ones are continuously being added. Plus, the device connects wirelessly to the Boppo Parent App, which controls new release updates. 

“If you have kids or are expecting, Boppo is an awesome piece of technology that gives kids all the benefits of a tablet or smartphone, without the addictive screen. I bought this for my 5-year-old but it’s honestly something both her and her 9-year-old sister have fun playing with together. They jump from games to songs to podcasts and explore different languages together.” —Nate P., Crowdfunding & Go-to-Market Specialist

KiwiCo Subscription Boxes 

The KiwiCo monthly kit subscriptions for kids are as engaging as they are adorable. You can choose your subscription based on age and area of interest, including science, art, engineering, and design. Each kit features hands-on activities, plus bonus digital content you can access to accompany it. 

“I’ve enjoyed getting my nephew KiwiCo subscription boxes, and he seems to like them. IIRC it was founded by a female engineer [Sandra Oh Lin]. I know there are competitors now, so there are other good subs too, but regarding education, I try to stick with people and companies whose hearts are actually in it.” —Karl O., Mechanical Engineer 

Saleae Logic Analyzer

The team at Saleae set out to fix a problem in new product development: EE testing. The aim: less grind, more joy of engineering. Embedded engineers rejoice! The Logic is their logic analyzer for folks who don’t need a probe, and the Logic MSO is their version that includes a scope. Both focus on stability, ease of use, and being fully cross platform. 

“One of my favourite products ever is the Saleae USB logic analyzer. It’s cost effective and their software is actually great, too. They have a few models now. Perfect for at home and professional electrical engineers, firmware people, and anyone wanting to capture what’s going on on their board.” —Andrew N., Electrical Engineer 

“Saleae is ninja-level magic to me.” —Karl O., Mechanical Engineer

Dharma Dr. Tabs

Dharma Dr. Tabs are like a tiny haptic engine for your nervous system, using bilateral stimulation to interrupt stress loops so you can downshift out of fight-or-flight in under a minute. These EMDR tappers integrate with existing therapy or solo practice without adding more screens, noise, or cognitive load.

“This calm-tech tool is way different from the other wellness apps that seem to exist only to nag you to be mindful. I put the Tabs in the hands of my 9-year-old daughter who was nervous and anxious about an orthodontist appointment, and within a minute or two, I watched as the stress and anxiety melted away and was replaced by a calm and focused energy. Worth every penny.” —Lindsey G., Marketing Specialist

Sensepeek PCBite

We’ll let electrical engineer Anthony M. take it away on this one:

“The Sensepeek PCBite is a platform for holding both your PCBA and your oscilloscope or multimeter probes onto your PCB when you’re doing bring-up testing, fault-finding, or firmware development, so that you don’t need to use your own hands and type with your feet. With magnets (but sadly no lasers)! It seems incredibly obvious, and EEs have been making their own hacky ad-hoc variant on this theme for decades, but Sensepeek nailed it with their barely-firm-enough-but-easily-malleable stalks that hold your probe in place just right. Even better, they have a range of actual oscilloscope probes, or probe-adaptors (which connect to your own probes), with ultra-sharp probe tips that stay in place on the pad or pin you rest them on, with basically zero risk of shorting to adjacent pins and pads. They’ve been on the market for quite a few years now, but I only recently unboxed mine after finding it forgotten in a corner of my lab! Indispensable!”

informal is a freelance collective for the most talented independent professionals in hardware and hardtech. Whether you’re looking for a single contractor, a full-time employee, or an entire team of professionals to work on everything from product development to go-to-market, informal has the perfect collection of people for the job.