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STRIPPER 6
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Favorite Things 2025: Top Electronics Tools & Boards for Makers
2
2025-11-18 | By bekathwia
Hand Tools Cutters / Strippers Screwdrivers / Bits Test Equipment Multimeter Breadboards
Today I’m sharing some of my favorite things from this year—electronic tools, parts, and boards that I’ve used and loved recently. If you’re shopping for yourself or the maker in your life, these are my top holiday gift recommendations.
Tools
Let’s start with the basic tools I use every day. The DigiKey Standard ergonomic wire strippers are my daily driver. They’re comfortable, reliable, and have a permanent spot on my workbench. But they’re not as portable as the other style.
Speaking of which, for on-the-go, I’m loving the DK Standard Electronics Tool Kit, which is a solid starter set with all the essentials you need for your projects: pliers, cutters, tweezers, and more. If you’ve been following along with this series, you know I always keep these within reach, and having everything together in one portable package makes it super convenient.
Another portable toolkit is making my list this year, too, and that’s the FixHub Portable Soldering toolkit. This is a premium piece of gear that rolls up everything you need to solder in a compact roll. The most expensive part is the power station, since the battery has to supply enough current to heat up the USB-C iron. This is similar to a project I did a while ago, making a portable soldering station, but it’s even better because the iron’s cap, which also becomes the stand for the iron, is insulated, which means it's safe to pack it up while it’s still hot.
And while we’re in the iFixit universe, I really like my Manta driver set. It’s got every bit imaginable. It’s perfect for electronics teardown projects and fixing gadgets around the house. As with the fancy wire strippers, these do not leave my studio, so if you’re looking for a more portable gift for removing screws, I recommend an all-in-one multi-screwdriver.
If you’re ready to level up your bench, two tools stand out. A multimeter is essential for measuring continuity, resistance, and voltage. I walk you through exactly how to use one in a previous episode of this series. I like this basic model from FLIR ExTech.
And for powering circuits, a benchtop power supply is a level above wall wart AC adapters and batteries. You can dial in the exact voltage and current your project needs, even if that changes during your build process.
Stocking Stuffers
The DigiKey Solderful Breadboard is the perfect way to turn a solderless breadboard prototype into something sturdier, and you can never have too many.
I think connectors make great stocking stuffers, so be sure to check out our tutorial on the topic for a longer list of suggestions. For instance, I had a light go down in my studio recently, and the fix was as simple as swapping in a replacement barrel jack. Having a few of these connectors on hand gave new life to my existing equipment.
Another neat helper is that pogo pin adapter thing from Zach’s dust collection project. It’s one of those small but brilliant tools that make prototyping and testing so much easier.
Splice lever connectors are another favorite of mine. They let you quickly and securely join wires without soldering. Just flip the little lever down, and your wires are secure. I keep a handful in my kit because they are reusable and good for repairs and temporary setup, too. If you’ve ever used wire nuts in household wiring, these are like the maker-friendly upgrade.
I want to highlight the DFRobot voice recognition board. It’s a fun way to experiment with natural input– say a command, and your project listens. You might remember seeing it in Kiara’s workshop, Pikachu animatronic v1 that was featured in an episode of Maker Update earlier this year.
Another board I’ve been excited about recently is the Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense, Revision 2. The Nano 33 BLE has always been one of Arduino’s most popular boards, and this revision makes it even better. It has onboard motion sensors, a microphone, a gesture sensor that also works for light, proximity, and color, and environmental sensors for temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure.
You can program this board in MicroPython as well as Arduino. It’s a great way to explore TinyML and Edge AI with platforms like Edge Impulse or TensorFlow Lite. You can train it to recognize gestures, movements, environmental conditions, or voice commands, all running directly on board without needing to tap into cloud services. Of course, it does all the basic stuff too, so it’s definitely a good gift for anyone looking to level up from the skills in this series onto more advanced projects in a small form factor.
Happy Shopping!
So those are some of my favorite things this year– tools, parts, and boards that I keep coming back to in my own work. These picks are sure to make great gifts. If you’ve got your own must-have maker's tools or favorite parts, please share it by commenting below so we can all learn together. Happy Holidays!
Have questions or comments? Continue the conversation on TechForum, DigiKey's online community and technical resource.
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