11 Awkward Or Dangerous Gadgets You Probably Shouldn't Gift Someone Else

The holiday season is fast approaching, but even when it isn't, there's no bad time to give a great gift. Nothing makes a friend or loved one happy like a spontaneous present. However, there's an art to giving a good gift. It takes keen observation, product knowledge, and a healthy dose of tact and class.

On the other hand, it's all too easy to give a terrible gift. You can ruin an entire relationship with the wrong gift. That said, you shouldn't just give cash or a Hallmark card with nothing more than a signature. Those are terrible gifts themselves, impersonal and lazy. But they're arguably better than the gifts featured in this story.

We're here to talk about gifts you shouldn't give someone, at least not on a spur-of-the-moment whim. If you're going to get someone one of these items, make sure you're 100% sure they really want it. Some of these gifts are awkward, others are dangerous, and still others are being recalled for various reasons. So read on and learn how not to ruin your next gift-buying adventure.

Flying drones really took off a few years ago. Back in the old days, we had aerodynamic model airplanes and RC cars. They had extremely limited range and usually lacked spy cameras or the freedom to fly. Modern drones are a whole different beast from those classic toys, and they come in tons of types for users of all skill levels.

It's hard to call a flying drone a "toy," and many parents have ethical and safety concerns about young children flying them around. They can be dangerous or even illegal, especially in metropolitan areas. If you're a city kid, you really have no reason to own a drone, so don't buy someone a gift they can't even use.

Suburban residents face fewer regulations, but drones can also be used to spy on people, and young kids love causing mischief. If you're planning to get your niece, nephew, or little cousin one of these, ask their parents first. It's the kind of gift that requires a serious talk, or even supervised, unofficial training, before you can trust a child to use the device properly. Sometimes, the old ways are better, and old-school model airplanes still delight children and budding aviation enthusiasts of all ages.

Remember when skateboards were all the rage? Or rollerblades? Or scooters? You might think a hoverboard is just the 2020s version of that, right? Wrong. Electric hoverboards can be dangerous, and many parents don't want their children riding around on them.

Similarly, e-bikes and even electric scooters can be dangerous. Does a ten-year-old child really need something that's basically a motorcycle? What's wrong with a good old-fashioned bicycle or skateboard? They have zero chance of spontaneously catching fire or exploding. Plus, nobody has ever looked cool riding a hoverboard. It's literally impossible.

Before hoverboards, there were Segways, and those never looked cool, but at least they had a handle users could hold onto, giving the illusion of safety and control. In fact, variations of those devices made notable appearances in video games like "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth" and "Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth," and their appeal comes from the hilarious incongruity of cool video game protagonists riding around on dorky electric scooters. A hoverboard is basically a Segway without the handlebars, and using one makes you look even more like a dweeb.

Your dear friend is on a weight loss journey. They started going to the gym and shifted their diet to cut carbs and increase fiber. They're taking control of their lives, and they plan to fit into their old high school outfits. You're proud of them, and their birthday is coming up, so you decide to get them a bathroom scale. When you gift it to them, they will say to you, "You think I'm fat?"

Yeah, don't ever buy anyone a scale. Someone on a diet/exercise routine is on a deeply personal journey, and that doesn't necessarily mean they want to weigh themselves every day. If you've never been overweight, you don't understand the psychological damage one can inflict on themselves by just being in the same room as a scale, knowing that they're literally a step away from seeing how much they weigh.

Someone on a diet doesn't need a daily reminder of their weight. If someone is truly committed to improving their life through diet, exercise, and weight loss, they'll get themselves a scale. If you want to help, maybe take them out for a spa day instead. Don't buy something that reminds them that they have a weight problem they're working hard to fix.

A wristwatch seems like a nice gift. In many cases, it is. Lots of people like watches. They can be chic, whether they're cheap plastic digital watches or fancy Rolexes or Omegas. There's nothing more sensually intoxicating than a sharply dressed urbanite rocking a $5 digital watch that looks like it could spontaneously combust at any moment. It projects confidence and power in a way expensive designer luxury watches never could, and at a fraction of the cost. It's true! If you ever meet someone wearing a cheap watch, hold them close and never let them go. But I digress.

However, if your crush is into Chinese tradition, maybe don't buy them a watch. According to Chinese superstition, giving someone a watch or any kind of clock is bad luck, as it invokes death, especially for older people.

One way around this superstition is to ask if they want a watch, then get them one. But a surprise watch gift might not play well if your pal is deeply into Chinese superstition. Of course, we all know that superstition is silly and not to be taken seriously, so if your friend isn't superstitious, then you're probably fine getting them a watch... But it may be better to be safe than sorry. 

For the single guy in your life, a mini fridge makes a great gift. It's nice to keep a six-pack of your favorite drink next to the couch or computer setup, so you don't have to go all the way to the kitchen for a cold one.

Alas, some minifridges can be problematic. Some are downright dangerous. For example, you might find the Frigidaire-brand model EFMIS121 minifridges in the wild, but don't buy one. They're under recall for being a fire hazard. Their electrical components could short-circuit and potentially set the unit on fire, the exact opposite of what a refrigerator is supposed to do. The recall began in January 2026.

The recall affects approximately 330,000 of these fridges, down from the 634,000 units recalled in 2024 for similar reasons. You'd think Frigidaire would have learned its lesson the first time, but it obviously didn't. What's the lesson here? If you're going to buy someone an electrical appliance, make sure it's not under product recall, or you just might end up burning your buddy's house to the ground.

If you know someone with a swimming pool, or even just a pond or fountain, underwater LED lights could make a great gift. They add flair and mood lighting to a static setting. All it takes is some colorful LED lights to make your swimming pool look like a "Blade Runner" reboot.

If your buddy has kids, though, don't get them Kitosun Submersible LED Lights, since they're under recall for being dangerous to babies and toddlers. These lights are powered by small, disk-shaped lithium batteries. A mandatory rule requires batteries to be difficult for children to access because they pose a choking hazard. In February of 2026, these lights were recalled for violating that rule.

Other submersible lights aren't under recall and are much safer around children. Kids are curious, and they have a gross habit of trying to eat things, whether they should or not. So, use maximum caution when buying gifts for anyone with small children. Is it a choking hazard? If so, consider a different gift.

Some people don't like sitting at the computer or lazing by the pool all day. Some people are outdoorsy types. They like hiking, camping, and climbing mountains. Plenty of gadgets suit someone who thrives during summer vacation. Just make sure it's not a product that's under recall, like the Energizer Large Power Indicator Lanterns.

This illumination device seems perfect for late nights on the trail when the moonlight is dim, and you don't want to build a fire. That was the plan, but it didn't quite work out. Unfortunately, the product's lithium-ion battery is prone to overheating, which could cause nasty burns for unlucky users. As a result, the lantern was recalled in January 2026.

Overall, an outdoor handheld lantern is a good gift for your outdoorsman friends, just not this particular one. A burn hazard is bad enough, but remember where these lanterns are used: in the middle of the forest. During the summer and fall months, a minor burn hazard can quickly escalate into a raging forest fire, and nobody with any sort of conscience wants to be the person responsible for burning down California. Again.

An electric toothbrush is a luxury, but it's still just a fancy toothbrush, and a toothbrush isn't a present; it's a tool for keeping your teeth clean. If you buy someone a toothbrush, you're telling them, intentionally or not, that they need to brush more or that they have bad breath. Do you want to tell your friend that they have bad breath? Or would you rather always carry mints or chewing gum and casually offer them some?

The only way you can justify buying someone an electric toothbrush is if you talk to them beforehand, and the only way to have that conversation is for them to start it. Unless your friend has truly horrific bad breath or visible cavities in their toothy smile, you can't come back from telling them that they need to improve their dental hygiene. Unless their teeth are truly disruptive to your friendship, it's not worth risking that conversation.

Maybe you could sneakily buy them an electric toothbrush. You could buy one for them and one for yourself and say there was a two-for-one sale, but that's still a risk. After all, why give one to them instead of someone else in the friend group? If they aren't directly asking for an electric toothbrush or constantly bringing up their dental issues, it's simply unwise to broach the topic yourself. It's not worth it.

Like the drone example several entries ago, smart glasses have a certain appeal, but they also raise ethical questions that are hard to answer. It's one thing to whip out your phone and start recording, but it's something else entirely to clandestinely record everything you see without anyone noticing... not even yourself.

Smart glasses are particularly creepy in the age of data collection from the proverbial Big Brother. Do you really want to give someone the ability to have their every move documented by data-collection agencies and big corporations, enabling even more ghastly targeted ads than we're already being bombarded with every day?

Depending on your views on Big Brother and living in a post-privacy world, smart glasses can be the worst gift you can give someone, especially if they're paranoid about this or unaware of the ramifications of potentially sharing their data with every advertiser under the sun. Someone should decide whether to invest in this type of tech after doing their own research and consulting experts in the field.

If you're into movies, plays, books, or other forms of storytelling, you've probably heard of Chekhov's gun. It means that if you conspicuously introduce an item, such as a gun, early in a story, it must come into play before the story ends. Now, apply that to gift-giving. If you buy someone a weapon, you're essentially planting a ticking time bomb, as it's only a matter of time before, one way or another, that weapon will be used.

Don't buy your friend a gun, a taser, pepper spray, or any other kind of weapon. They're not like other items in this story, which can be incidentally dangerous. Weapons are only good for hurting people. Even with the best intentions, it's not an appropriate gift for a loved one. If someone wants a weapon, they should buy it themselves.

In the event that your buddy accidentally injures themselves or someone else with a weapon you purchased for them, it will have been your fault, at least partially. It's a responsibility and an inevitable guilt you don't need. Remember: if you don't introduce Chekhov's gun into the scene, it will never fire.

Finally, as a rule of thumb, if you're going to get someone a gift, don't cheap out, especially on tech. If you know someone wants a new set of earbuds, don't get them $5 buds from your local bodega. Budget-conscious consumers have affordable sound alternatives that are much better than the Temu-adjacent trash sold at corner stores. Don't get someone a 'camera' brand camera, ya know?

If your workout-enthusiast buddy wants a new mountain bike, don't get them a crummy bike from a generic brand you've never heard of. Ask around. Learn what the pros use. The extra effort that comes with making sure your friend gets a premium present is what makes it a gift, not a begrudging obligation.

If you get someone a crummy version of something they really want, you put them in an uncomfortable position. They could sell it and put the money towards the better version they actually wanted, or they could just try to make the most of it and have a mediocre experience. At the very least, if you find yourself fumbling in the dark and unsure if you're making the right purchase, include the receipt with the gift, or at least keep it on hand and explain that if it's not the correct item they wanted, you'll help make it right. If you don't mind spoiling the surprise, you could also ask what product they specifically want. Simply put, when buying a present for a loved one, it's better to get something they want than something they don't.