With all the gear that passes through our grubby little hands, the number of gadgets we covet knows no bounds. And since we have to return most the objects our desire, there's always a few that stick with us just a little too hard. These are the ones we'll be aching for the hardest this holiday season.
Razor Crazy Cart XL
For: Andrew Liszewski
It turns out that all those movie chase scenes were right, recklessly driving your car at breakneck speeds and drifting around corners is incredibly fun. Except you probably don't want to risk destroying the sedan you rely on to get to work every day. So for adults who've dreamed of being both too fast and too furious, Razor has created an adult version of its drift-friendly electric ride-on called the Crazy Cart XL. Reinforced and beefed-up to support riders up to 300 pounds in weight, the Crazy Cart XL can hit a top speed of 17mph and can slide around corners like its wheels were made of butter. It's even designed to be compact and easily stored when you're not racing, if that ever happens. [$800]
Sodastream Jet
For: Kate Knibbs
The chemical tang of Diet Coke is one of the most splendid tastes of all time, but last year I decided to give up my several-silver-cans-a-day DC habit and switch to seltzer, mainly to quell mounting dread of dying an aspartame poisoning-based death. La Croix is now my main form of hydration but I'm sick of lugging cases back from the grocery store. At this point it just makes sense to get a home carbonator, but it's one of those weird niche kitchen things I can't bring myself to buy. The Sodastream Jet has the highest ratings and isn't that expensive and I would like to own it. [$50]
Vaya Travel
For: Nick Stango
Oh, dads. The Vaya Travel is just the dream touring bike. When can I become a dentist or some other high earning individual so I can afford this bike and ride it around Central Park on the weekends. What else do you need to know about it? It's beautiful and fully equipped with rack and fender mounts, ultegra drivetrain and shifters, and actually comes with Tomson seatpost and stem. Oh and don't forget a titanium frame with couplers so you can separate the bike in half and then pack it up for your TRAVELS. [$3950]
Rapha Hardshell Jacket
For: Jamie Condliffe
I'm a keen cyclist and I live in London, where it rains. And rains. And then rains some more. I've tried jackets of increasing expense, but I'm slowly realizing that this is probably the jacket that I'll have to buy at some point. Every review I've read says the same thing: it's bombproof, highly waterproof, incredibly breathable and an absolute pleasure to wear. I want one. But first I have to come to terms with the fact that it costs $400. Welp. [ $400]
Dungeon Morphs Dice
For: Eric Limer
I am like 80 different kinds of nerd all at once. I am not only a (fairly new!) D&D nerd, but I'm also a blossoming dice nerd. So when I found out about DungeonMorphs, I started salivating. I'm rarely on the dungeon-mastering side of things, but the idea of dice you can use to roll up a dungeon or a cave is just so damn cool and I need to have them all even if I'll never actually use them. They're a little big at one inch and also a little expensive at $20 per five-die set but that's why I want someone else to buy them for me. [$20]
Toyo-View 4x5 Field Camera
For: Michael Hession
I've always wanted to get into large format photography, but because I'm sure I would never get around to lugging a huge rig and tripod out in NYC with me, I have abstained. If I were to dive in, the camera I'd want is the relatively affordable and compact Toyo 4x5 field camera. It folds up nicely and looks great in all-black. Used lenses are pretty cheap on craigslist and eBay, and you can still find 4x5 sheet film online. Gimme it! [ $1,000]
GoPro HERO4
For: Leslie Horn
I've been eyeing a GoPro for quite a while, and I'm going to Costa Rica in February, which seems like a good excuse to ask for one. I have a strong urge to take pictures of chill-ass monkeys and iguanas I will casually cross paths with. I don't really care about 4K video, so I'll go with the GoPro Hero4 Silver. This version has a screen for the first time, so I'll be able to review my pics of waterfalls and whatnot and then show them to all my jealous friends later. [ $400]
A (Waterproof?) Kindle Voyage
For: Brian Barrett
The Kindle Voyage is the perfect gift gadget because it's more money than I'd ever want to spend on myself for an ereader, but am more than happy to let someone else spend it. What I really want though, and which for some insane reason doesn't exist yet, is a waterproof version. I hardly ever go to the beach and I don't take baths, but someday I might do one of those things (they sound nice!) and when I do I want an ereader that doesn't croak. Third-party waterproofing service Waterfi already offers a waterproof Kindle Paperwhite; I'm hopeful that a Voyage version is coming soon. [$300 probably]
Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator
For: Sarah Zhang
When sous vide first became a thing, it was a thing for fancy restaurants or insanely rich people. In the past couple years though, cheap immersion circulators have come on the market and Anova leads the pack. As hoity-toity as its French name sounds, sous vide is really the easiest way to cook: You literally put it in a bag and dunk it in water. It's impossible to mess up. [ $180]
Jawbone Up3
For: Darren Orf
All right, I'm going to get fit, you guys. No, seriously this time. I'm going to do it, and the Jawbone's UP3 is going to help me. With a weeklong battery life and a slew of sensors packed in the body and band of the UP3, this is one serious fitness tracker. Embedded bioimpedance sensors run a micro current across your skin to measure things like heart rate, stress, and fatigue. I need a stress tracker. I need it bad. If the black or silver models are a bit dull for you, Jawbone has more customizable options coming in 2015. [ $180]
Moog Werkstatt-01
For: Mario Aguilar
This no-soldering kit assembles a single oscillator synthesizer. It was originally designed as an educational tool for Moog Fest workshops. Fun! Adorbs! [ $330]
Super 8 to Digital Video Converter
For: Matt Novak
Years ago I converted my grandparents' 8mm film to digital video. It's something that I'm really happy I did, but at the time I had to resort to methods that were pretty primitive. Which is to say that I projected onto a wall and filmed the wall with a digital video camera. Film to video conversion is still not cheap, but this converter is something that would be fantastic for my archive of Paleofuture-istic films. [$1800]
Nespresso VirtuoLine Coffee and Espresso Machine
For: Adam Clark Estes
The first time I tried the coffee from Nespresso's new and improved VirtuoLine machine, I couldn't believe it came from a capsule. I love coffee too much so I try to limit my intake, so I stopped making pots for myself a while ago. Most capsule-based coffee machines taste like dirt, though. That Nespresso VirtuoLine coffee is just as good as my local coffee shop, and making it feels futuristic to boot. While the capsules are expensive, there's a way to hack it, so I'm sold. [ $270]
DJI Inspire One
For: Sean Hollister
I want to fly. It's a simple dream I've held all my life. I don't want to study to become a pilot and fly a plane along set routes. I'm not interested in the destination. I just want to fly like a bird in the sky and see the world from that perspective. The DJI Inspire One looks like my best bet yet: a powerful ready-to-fly drone which captures impressive footage at up to 50mph from a stable aerial platform with a built-in 4K camera. Of course, I'm not as interested in the capture part: I just want to hook up a pair of video glasses to the transmitter's HDMI jack so I can finally soar. [ $2900]
Oculus Rift Crescent Bay
For: Ashley Feinberg
It's embarrassing to admit it as a technical gadget blogger, but I hadn't actually tried anything even remotely approximating a VR headset until last week when I played with the Samsung Gear VR. Granted, I didn't do much more than ogle around at Oculus Cinema—but it was incredible. I was on the moon. I never wanted to leave the moon. I want more. Sure you can't technically "buy" Crescent Bay right now and I haven't "tried" it, but all I know is I want it bad. I will, however, be accepting the DK2 in its stead, should you feel so inclined. [$350 for the DK2]
Still haven't found the right present? Don't worry, we're rolling out new gift guides all month—right up until the last minute. To see 'em all, head here.