Do you ever struggle with gifts for men? You are not alone! They are notoriously difficult to shop for. I don’t think it is because they are inherently “anti-stuff,” but rather, that the entire consumer market is geared toward women…even when the person being shopped for is a man! It’s a frustrating situation, and the result is a vicious cycle where women are labeled as hardcore shoppers and men tend to get a free pass from running errands. It’s kind of a self-fulfilling prophesy that if you tell a group of people that shopping isn’t of interest to them, they will start to believe it and accept it as fact. And the reverse is true for a group that is told they were born to shop.

I’ll stop with my rant about consumer behavior, and get back to the topic at hand, which is a really neat gift idea I have for any man in your life. While I think it would be great for a woman, too, I think many men would be excited about it because it is very functional (something men tend to appreciate in a gift) but not at all boring. It’s a very clever writing instrument called the PenAgain ErgoSleek. It serves a very clear purpose (it’s a pen, after all), but it is also very interesting because of its unique design.

From their website, “Until now, pens have typically been designed with only two things in mind: money and manufacturability. But the PenAgain’s primary focus is comfort.

The human hand dictates the design. Even though it may feel strange, try to resist the urge to grip the pen with your fingers. Just let your hand relax, and let the weight of your hand hold the pen in place. You’ll feel tension of writing melt away.”

We received the pen in black to try, and I immediately handed it over to Tim. He’s the type of person who would be really drawn to something created for optimal comfort and performance. It is, indeed, a VERY cool pen. Once you get used to how it feels, getting hand cramps while writing will be a thing of the past! If you know someone who appreciates having the best of something or who does a lot of writing, then this is a terrific gift option. It is also reasonably priced at $17.99!

The ErgoSleek pen is available from Baumgartens, which is a company that has been around for over 60 years and that focuses on products for the home and office that are eco-friendly. It is a terrific place to shop around and find a great selection of gift ideas where function beautifully merges with unique design. Definitely pop over and take a look.

Win it!: TWO lucky Stuff Parents Need winners will each win an ErgoSleek! The contest will run until July 8th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Like Baumgartens on Facebook. Then, return to this post and leave a comment that you did so!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Follow PenAgainUSA on Twitter
2. Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my homepage.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own.