Are you a LEGO fan who is tired of hearing, “Can’t you give me other gift ideas than LEGO?” during the holiday season? Are you a loved one of a LEGO fan looking to give something different because your LEGO fan has already bought all their gift ideas for themselves? Are you an AFOL who also loves tools? Are you curious as to what other AFOLs use to build? If you answered yes or maybe to any of those questions, then BrickNerd is here to help you!
This list of useful tools for LEGO builders was sourced from both patrons and contributors of BrickNerd. Some of these gift ideas, as great a tool as they may be, may not always align with some builders’ purist sensibilities. And some of the utility of these gift ideas may surprise you.
Yes, the best gift for a LEGO lover is more LEGO, but this list is intended for AFOLs who build beyond sets. So get your shopping list ready because these are a few last-minute non-LEGO gift ideas for LEGO lovers.
Tools to Make Building Easier
Jeweler’s Mallet
Mallet
To start this list off, we have a humble mallet. I was wandering around my local Ace Hardware looking for things to put on my wish list for Christmas. I had just completed a 100×100 stud mosaic and my fingers hurt like crazy. I wished that I had a hammer like the ones I’ve seen used on LEGO Masters to lock large structures in place.
The best mallet for the job would be a “jewelers mallet.” The mallet can be used to lock in large, bulky builds or smaller, detail-oriented projects like the mosaic I recently completed. If you’re looking to up your build game and avoid having studs imprinted in your hands, a mallet is your best bet!
Tweezers/Forceps
Tweezers and/or forceps were tools that were mentioned many times by our BrickNerd team. My tweezers were bought for my other hobby: building model rockets.
Forceps and Tweezers come in many shapes and sizes. Images from Amazon
Tweezers are great for picking up pieces that fall into narrow spaces, placing pieces in sections of builds that fingers can’t reach, or applying stickers and decals. This tool also comes in handy for removing 1×1 tiles that come stuck inside other larger bricks.
Dental Picks
Set of dental tools
Dental picks get into tight crevasses where tweezers are still too big. Ever get a 1×1 tile stuck in a 1x2x5 brick? Given their size, dental picks can also be used to place tiny stickers or pop air bubbles trapped under stickers.
(Though be warned, our resident dentist says you should not use these tools on your teeth unless you are properly trained.)
Putty/Blu-Tack
An interesting suggestion, but no less resourceful: sticky putty (or blu-tack as the Brits call it) for those times when you need a little extra clutch, want a temporary solution to glue, need to pose a minifigure or need to retrieve a piece from a tight spot.
If you want to bring a newfound sense of ease to your regular build sessions, any (if not all) of these gift items are a great starting point!
Enhancing the Building Experience
Build Mats
Building mats are both functional and stylish. The sharp angles and gridlines present on many mat designs can make for quick reference for scale and measurement during building and MOCing. In my own experience, baseplates tend to stick to the mat, ensuring that projects don’t shift or slide across the table. Just be careful when lifting your MOC that the mat doesn’t come up with it!
There are several LEGO-specific building mats available that show helpful information from Rebrickable and MOC Industries.
Sorting Trays
Sorting… some of us find it calming, others avoid it at all costs. Most fall somewhere in between. No matter how you feel about it, making the sorting process easier never hurts. Sorting trays have a versatility to them that allows them to be used in just about any space – be it the LEGO room or couch.
IKEA Kuggis sort/build tray
If you’re looking for a way to return bricks to a container without a lengthy cleanup process or mess, funnel trays come highly recommended, whether you are building or sorting. Just make sure there are no molding lines on the inside that can get in the way of your sorting and pouring!
Speaking of building on the couch, bed trays can easily become a portable building station, taking the fun of the LEGO room to practically anywhere in the home. Even better that it comes with a lip. Some people use these for puzzles. Other people use non-stick cookie pans.
Who needs breakfast in bed when you can build in bed?
Scale
Last but not least in this section is the humble kitchen scale. For the LUGBulk sorter, this tool is essential, and you never know when you need to measure a large number of a specific element. Or if you want to weigh CMF boxes without using an app.
Key features to look out for are that it measures to .01 gram increments for those tiny pieces, is portiblke, can take to remove the weight of your container, and has the function of a piece to weigh numbers of identical items.
Non-Purist Tools
Label Makers
We’re starting to leave the purist world behind to make some custom stickers! There are several printers to consider. The Brick Architect formats its extensive and handy free element label collection for the Brother P-touch series of printers.
If you want to reorganize your collection and label everything, this is the easiest way to go.
Dymo LabelManager
If you want to do more detail work on MOCs themselves, the Dymo LabelManager prints on sticker tape. The tape is narrow but it’s great for names and small logos. My favorite is the white on clear tape. Very few printers can print white.
Decal Paper and Vinyl Stickers
This is another one of those too far for some on the purist scale: water slide decals are great for adding small details to minifigures or other bricks. They are a gateway for custom minifigures for sure.
The alternative to water slide decals are vinyl stickers, which are easier to apply and can be easily printed from just about any home printer.
Electric Eraser
Erasing Brooklyn Bridge
The opposite of decorating bricks is removing printing from parts. Another non-purist tool, an electric eraser, is a great tool for doing that. If I recall correctly, I’ve seen something very similar to an eraser used to clean model railroad track. Maybe the electric eraser could be used to clean your old 9V tracks as well.
X-ACTO Knife and X-ACTO Saw
As Lord Business says in The LEGO Movie: the Sword of Exact Zero is wicked sharp. As one would expect there aren’t many purist uses,,, maybe applying small stickers (get the edge of the sticker on the tip of the blade to transfer it to the part), trimming flex tube (surprise, it’s legal!), and cutting the tape tabs on boxes are all the legal techniques that come to mind. They can also be used to remove stickers, but the odds of cutting/scratching the piece are high unless you have a deft hand!
Lord Business wielding the Sword of Exact Zero
Cutting using a knife is the obvious non-purist use. Cutting bricks to allow for strange dimensions or angles in a MOC or modifying minifigure parts or accessories are all very common ways builders in the community use an X-ACTO knife. Remember too, that the duller the blade, the more difficult (and dangerous) cutting bricks can become. Replacement blades are a must when purchasing an X-ACTO knife.
See also: the X-ACTO Razor Saw. A tool firmly in the non-purist category of building tools. This one is purely a cutting tool for larger items. I tried and could not come up with anything else! A good razor saw is a handy all around tool, and a mitre box – which ensures accurate and precise cuts – is a must, too!
Welcome to the dark side…
Dremel
Dremel tool set
If you’re even more serious about modifying part then the next step is a Dremel. Like Hoover, the brand name has become synonymous with small, hand-held rotary tools, but other brands make them, too. There are a ton of useful accessories for these tools.
Safety Glasses
Safety glasses are not something that comes to mind when building LEGO. But if you have a non-purist builder who cuts parts or a Technic/GBC fan who really stresses the bricks with high loads and occasionally breaks things, a pair of good safety glasses wouldn’t hurt.
NOT REAL SAFETY GLASSES!
After all, you only have two eyes and they don’t grow back, so it could also be a gentle reminder to take care!
Quality of Life Tools for Builders
Magnifier
Helping Hand magnifier
Speaking of eyes, there comes a time when they don’t work as well as they used to. Or maybe you’re trying to find microscopic element numbers on a new part or decorating a custom minifigure.
Good magnifiers are handy to have. This “helping hand” is very popular with people who solder (like me), but it’s very versatile.
There are lots of other options out there, too, like headband magnifiers with a built-in light or electric microscopes that connect to your computer via USB that give you the perfect view of textures and part numbers.
Tripod
A tripod to hold your phone or camera for better photos
Keeping your camera steady is key to good photography (and we here at BrickNerd know a thing or two about good photography!). If you know someone who wants to take better pictures, traditional tripods, a GorillaPod and a standard phone tripod are all great places to start.
More advanced users may want more custom solutions, like ones at varying heights, ones with clamps, or even custom colors and backgrounds. We recommend letting the builder get these products for themselves because of how personal a setup can be.
Cleaning Tools
CleanMyBricks Mini Vacuum which is essentially a branded keyboard vacuum.
So, you’ve hammered your MOC together, cut it to size, decorated it with decals, and taken the photos… and now there’s a huge mess. Time to tidy up!
Soft natural fiber brushes like makeup brushes or a keyboard vacuums are great for the never-ending war against the dust! Some people also mentioned limited success with cleaning gels too.
A Non-LEGO Gift Guide
There you have it—that’s all the extra LEGO-related tools we here at BrickNerd consider essential (or not at all essential if you’re a Purist) for any builder’s portfolio. Of course, there are so many more things a builder could use that aren’t LEGO like a 3D printer, display cases, lighting kits, books, or other LEGO-themed gear like mugs, clothes, or puzzles. It all depends on the builder you are buying for (or if you are purchasing for yourself, what YOU want and need).
Ultimately, you can’t go wrong with these gifts for yourself this holiday season or for that special LEGO fan in your life. While LEGO itself may be the best gift, these are the things that a builder might not even realize they have always needed.
Thanks to all the BrickNerds and Patrons who helped build this list! What other non-LEGO tools do you keep close to your build table?
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