Hey now.... I got a vacuum cleaner from DH one year. I was happy about it, though. It had been on my list!
I don't have a problem with regifting, but here's the way I handle it: I am gracious, thank the giver, and take the gift home. Then I find someone who isn't acquainted with the giver, tell them I have this item and can't use it, and would they like to have it? If they say yes, then I give it to them. I don't regift at Christmas or birthdays. To me, it seems tacky, as if I didn't want to put any thought or effort into a gift, but simply looked around my house for what would be cheap and easy.