Forget socks and smellies, make a DIY enthusiast happy with a gift they’ll find useful all year round.

• All DIYers need a good drill-driver, and for everyday use, the HPL106KB Ultra Compact cordless drill-driver, £129.99, Black & Decker, is a great choice. Launched this year, it’s a good size and comes with a spare battery for the ultimate in convenience. For heavy-duty drilling, the Uneo Maxx, £179.99 including battery, Bosch – part of its Power4All range with interchangeable batteries – is outstanding. The original Uneo was good, but this is even better. Use it for hammering, drilling and screwdriving. If you don’t want to spend that much, the Icon Gladiator, £149.98, Worx, is the most powerful hammer drill-driver in the impressive Icon range – there aren’t many jobs it can’t tackle.

• Music while you work is a great motivator. Big and sturdy, the Cotech Utility AM/FM Radio, £59.99, Clas Ohlson, is brightly coloured and water resistant, works on batteries or mains power (the cable tucks away neatly inside) and can connect to an MP3 player. It even has a built-in work light. The radio is ideal for workshops, garages, sheds, painting parties, and DIY outdoors.

• DIYers with a bulging shed need the JawHorse, £89.99, Worx, a portable workbench, saw horse and vice in one. It folds up or down in seconds and has a foot-operated vice that can clamp as wide as 88cm – wider than a standard-sized door. You can even clamp a piece of wood in it to transform it into a work platform/bench-saw table. A really versatile piece of kit.

• The new Orbit-It, £49.99, Black & Decker, handheld vacuum cleaner takes some beating in the style stakes. A rather sexy sphere, it has a foldout handle and nozzle, and comes in six colours. Beautifully designed and easy to store because it’s so small, it would make the perfect pressie. For heavy-duty cleaning, there’s the All Purpose Vacuum Cleaner, £99.99, Bosch, which is powerful, robust and versatile. It deals with DIY debris well and even sucks up liquids, which is really useful. And, of course, it can be used for day-to-day cleaning, too.

• Doing DIY can lead to aches and pains, but the Electrovita Shoulder Massager, £69.99, JML, can help. The massager wraps around your shoulders and hangs down your chest (you can move it to target the part of your back or shoulders that hurts), producing a rhythmic massaging motion. There are 26 alternating rhythms and 12 intensity settings, plus a gentle warming function, perfect for this time of year.

DIY news bulletin

New to B&Q is the Atom from FireAngel, said to be the world’s smallest smoke alarm. It measures just 40mm high by 49mm wide, won Security Product of the Year at the 2011 DIY Week Awards and has an optical sensor to detect the difference between cooking fumes and dangerous smoke. The Atom smoke alarm costs £19.98. Find out more at www.diy.com

Sandtex has launched a new 10 Year Exterior Satin range, which dries to a mid-sheen finish and comes in four colours – Seclusion, a slate grey; Bay Tree, a moss green; Moonstruck, a lemon yellow; and white. The paint is waterproof, flexible (to resist cracking) and costs £14.98 for 750ml. For more information, visit www.sandtex.co.uk.

Ask the expert…

Q: Any suggestions for good DIY-themed stocking fillers?

A: There are lots of little things that aren’t particularly glam but are really useful, including Ultimate Duck Tape (from £8.16), Gorilla Tape (from £2.79) and Gorilla Glue (from £5.89), all of which come in handy for repairs. You can’t go wrong with painting-related pressies – Dulux’s range of paintbrushes (from £3.29) and rollers/trays (from £6.19) are well designed and a pleasure to use. Good masking tape is also invaluable – FrogTape (from £7.14) works well and comes in a plastic tub so it’s more gift-like. Fillers are another staple – I was really impressed by Ronseal’s new Smooth Finish range (from £2.78) this year, and it includes a filler for pretty much every job. Finally, a good tape measure is worth its weight in gold, and they don” come much better than Stanley’s FatMax Xtreme Tape (from £20.43).

Seasonal task…

Is your boiler’s hot-water cylinder lagged? Tank jackets start at less than £5 and help to keep the water warm for longer – you’ll soon recoup your investment.