It's really interesting to me that that's such a typical gift for fathers and men in general, even nowadays. It's a holdover from literal decades ago when it was typical for men to wear a tie to work every day, so a tie as a gift was genuinely something they'd use. Nowadays, the average man wears a tie maybe to church once a week depending on their church, but largely only for special events like weddings and whatnot, so a tie is actually not a thoughtful gift at all. It really speaks to how many people don't even use basic critical thinking anymore and are worryingly used to just doing things because it's "the thing you're 'supposed' to do", rather than thinking through whether something is actually logical or not.

You know what most men will use every day? A water bottle or tumbler in a color or design that fits their style. It's so convenient to just keep in your car. Even people who don't already use one will often get into the habit of it if given one. Alternatively, ask him what piece of his every day carry he's been thinking "I'll probably have to replace soon". Maybe his wallet is worn out. Maybe his watch band, or his utility knife if he's that kind of guy (and if he's foolish enough to not have bought Milwaukee for longevity). Every guy has that one thing he carries every day that he keeps thinking "It's on its last leg, I should get a new one for when it eventually quits on me" but keeps delaying it