The best gifts for men in their 40s and 50s

Genuinely excellent and genuinely hard to justify on performance. The full lifetime warranty is broader than Lodge’s limited one, moisture retention over a long braise is better in comparative testing, and the range of colours and sizes is unmatched. But published testing puts Lodge level with it on heat retention at a fifth of the price, so what you are buying above $70 is warranty, finish and permanence.

Two specifications separate a set that becomes an heirloom from one that becomes clutter: solid hardwood rather than veneer, and weighted, felted pieces rather than hollow ones. The reason to spend here is not the chess. It is that a beautiful board left out gets used and a folding vinyl one in a cupboard does not, and what you are buying is the afternoons that follow.

The specification that matters is full-grain rather than corrected or bonded leather: full grain ages into the shape of a hand, the cheaper grades peel. The second is refill availability and price — a cover you can slide a finished volume out of and shelve, with the same cover carrying on, is what separates a journal used for a decade from a notebook filled once.

A category where presentation is most of the purchase and one specification decides quality: whether the stopper actually seals. Most sets under about $80 do not, and the contents evaporate over months. Look for lead-free crystal, a ground-glass stopper, and two heavy-bottomed glasses — two being the right number for an anniversary and the wrong number for a dinner party.

Sony cancels marginally more noise and lasts 40 hours to Bose’s 24. Bose builds the better headband, the gentler clamp and the more balanced sound, and over a long flight or a working day that is the difference people actually feel. For an older recipient, or anyone in glasses, comfort is the round that decides it.