Essential Things Every Guy Needs To Make The Grade

15 Essentials Every Man Needs To Own

October 4, 2017

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The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.

Anyone will tell you that the gear doesn't make the man; the man makes the gear.

And that's absolutely true: Just because you own a lot of nice things doesn't mean you know how to use them; doesn't mean you actually make use of them; doesn't mean what you do with them is worthwhile in any way. At the end of the day, your actions -- how you treat others, what you make of yourself based on what you're given -- will define you.

But we'd be lying if we said that the things we own can't improve our lives. The right workout gear can help give you the body you want. The right books can help you think more clearly about the world and your place in it. The right outfit can help score you the job you want, the right fragrance can catch the attention of the person you're crushing on.

And yes, we're saying it. There are some pieces of gear that just about every guy should own. Obviously, everyone's path through life is different, and we all have different budgets. For some, they'll own this entire list many times over; for others, many items will seem like unattainable.

But if you're looking through this list and you can't say that you own at least a handful of these items, it might be time to think about changing that. After all, you never know when they're going to come in handy -- or when you'll miss out on something because you were missing just one crucial piece of the puzzle.

A Nice Tie

You’ve just got to have a tie. But it can’t be any tie at all. With neckties, as in many matters of formal male style, there’s a fine balance between boring and ugly. You don’t want to be the guy with an incredibly loud, foppish tie, but you also don’t want to look like everyone else who’s ever worked in an office. It’s not difficult. If you’re wearing a black tie, try one that’s a little textured, or even knit. Or try a nonstandard color, but keep the material classic. Ultimately, you want to be slightly unusual, but you also want your clients and friends to look at your face, not at your tie. We like: the Tie Bar Astute Solid Burgundy.
$21.99 at Amazon.com

Dress Shoes

Dress shoes are just one of those fashion items that you have to splash some cash on. There’s no hiding a cheap shoe, and a painfully high number of men will put on an excellent suit and ruin it with a cheap pair of department store loafers. Don’t be like that -- go with a classic brand, like Allen Edmonds or Alden. Beyond being beautiful, a high-end dress shoe will last for decades if properly maintained and occasionally re-soled. We like: the Allen Edmonds Park Avenue Cap-Toe Oxfords.
$222.56 at Amazon.com

A Dress Suit

There’s no good excuse, other than poverty, for not owning a suit. It doesn’t matter whether you work in an office or not. Eventually, someone around you is going to get married. Or they’re going to take you out to a fancy dinner. Or, maybe, just maybe, you’re going to interview for a better job. If you don’t have a suit yet, keep in mind that buying one is very different from buying a t-shirt. Suits are complicated garments, which require custom fitting. An off-the-rack suit will almost always look like an expensive sack. So make sure you’re buying it from somewhere that does alterations, whether that’s a fine menswear store, or on a custom suit website. We like: the Indochino Premium Charcoal Birdseye.
$399.00 at Indochino.com

A Good Belt

A cheap belt, like an old shoelace, will absolutely snap in half when you least expect it, leaving you to waddle around awkwardly while holding up your pants for the rest of the day. And even if that worst-case scenario doesn’t arrive, an inexpensive belt will eventually stretch out and become useless. Meanwhile, if you get a good, simple, handmade leather belt, you’ll never have to worry about holding your pants up again. We like: the Nickel Free Smoky Mountain II.
$49.99 at Amazon.com

Some Comfortable Socks

Most men go through their adolescence, and some of their twenties, wearing whatever terrible socks are on salt at Wal-Mart. For a time, you overlook the fact that cheap socks get soggy, bunch up, develop holes, and generally make your life miserable. Then, at one point or another, you grow up. You start buying good socks and you don’t go back. When you wear nice socks, you go through life in a warmer, drier, more comfortable state. That’s worth an extra buck or two. We like: Petani's Black Organic Cotton dress socks.
$13.99 at Amazon.com

A Stylish Watch

One great thing about being a man is that accessorizing is simple. All you do is put on a nice watch. That’s it. Sure, you could wear a bunch of crazy bracelets, David Beckham-style, but you really don’t have to work that hard. A great watch will somehow magically transform a v-neck t-shirt into a legitimate outfit. We like: Fossil's The Minimalist Watch.
$115.00 at Amazon.com

A Pack Of Condoms

Let’s face it, gentlemen: none of us love wearing condoms. But contracting an STI, or creating an unintended human life, is much more painful than putting a bit of rubber on your manhood. The good news is that, in recent years, condom technology has improved quite a bit. Today’s premier condoms will almost make you forget that you’re having protected sex. Almost. We like: Kimono MicroThin Condoms.
$7.00 at Amazon.com

Some Lube

Hopefully, you need lube, which is to say that you’re having the kind of intense, prolonged sex that requires a certain degree of technological intervention. If that’s the case, buy your lube carefully. There’s a lot of lube out there that smells like gummy bears and tastes like battery acid. Ideally, you want an unscented, water-based lube, which will add nothing but smoothness to your sexual experience. We like: Lulu Lube's Water-Based Personal Lubricant.
$19.34 at Amazon.com

Some Hair Product

There are pretty much two rules in life: treat people with kindness, and try not to leave the house with bad hair. The latter rule is disobeyed by many unfortunate men. Having good hair isn’t complicated, unless you’re one of those dudes with a complicated man-bun type situation. Put a dollop of texture paste in your hair, then move the hair in one direction. Then, don’t touch it for the rest of the day. Perfect. We like: Kevin Murphy's Night Rider Texture Paste.
$48.00 at Amazon.com

A Signature Scent

Cologne is the most worthwhile luxury good, because it’s so utterly noticeable. Not everyone will notice your diamond cufflinks, but everyone will pay attention if you arrive in a room bearing a wonderful cloud of scent. Just keep in mind that cheap cologne is worse than no cologne, and the same goes for too much cologne. Apply sparingly, and never wear cologne to the gym. If you’re not sure what brands to try, start with Tom Ford, Guerlain, or Valentino. We like: Tom Ford's Noir Extreme Eau De Parfum.
$99.18 at Amazon.com

A Beard Trimmer

Extravagant facial hair is currently in fashion in a way it hasn’t been since Neanderthal times. Seemingly every man is giving the viking look a try. Most can’t pull it off, and even if they can, a lush beard requires tons of maintenance, and traps about a third of every meal you eat. You should probably just skip that, buy a solid beard trimmer, clip yourself down to a societally acceptable level of stubble, and live an uncomplicated life. We like: Oster's Fast Feed Adjustable Pivot Motor Clipper.
$64.00 at Amazon.com

A Good Pair Of Running Shoes

Running is the simplest exercise, and probably the most useful, because you’re probably going to have to run away from something, or someone, eventually. It’s also absolutely intolerable without purpose-built runners. Any other kind of shoe will reward you with dozens of blisters. The best running shoes are lightweight and not overbuilt, so that they can accommodate a variety of running styles, remaining comfortable whether you have a loping forefoot style, or a clomping heel-based style. We like: Nike Men’s Free 5.0 Running Shoes.
$105.95 at Amazon.com

A Set of Weights

Yes, yes, you’ve heard that you should be lifting. As a wise man once said, “do you even lift, bro?” He had a point. Our bodies were designed to face resistance. Since most of us information-age humans don’t do manual labour, we’re basically living in an unnatural fashion, unless we supplement our existence with some sort of strength training. Having a set of weights at home is a good start. Kettlebells are most convenient, because you can do all sorts of crazy full-body motions with them. We like: the Yes4All Super Cast Iron Kettlebell Set.
$38.39 at Amazon.com

A Fountain Pen

Fountain pens are just better than ballpoint pens. Since they don’t require pressure, like ballpoints do, they tend to make your handwriting smoother. This also means that your wrist doesn’t start aching halfway through a long, sincere love letter you’re working on. Also, a beautiful fountain pen has a certain old school cool that’s absolutely unmatched by a cookie-cutter Bic. It’s kind of like writing with a typewriter, except far less pretentious. We like: the Parker Sonnet Black Lacquer Fountain Pen.
$79.99 at Amazon.com

Some Headphones (To Tune Out All The Noise)

If you’re using a bad pair of headphones, how do you get through the day? How do you execute a solo routine at the gym without falling into a major depression? Don’t you like bass frequencies? Cheap headphones reduce your favorite music to a soggy mess of distortion. Also, they don’t tend to be very well-insulated, so everyone on the subway can hear your loud, annoying music. You don’t have to spend much to escape this nightmare world. We like: the RHA S500 In-Ear Headphone.
$27.97 at Amazon.com

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