Tweezers

In their most basic form, tweezers are small usually handheld instruments for plucking or holding small objects. Tweezers usually consist of two narrow slightly curved arms joined at one end which can be squeezed together to grasp objects. From this simple definition, there have emerged dozens of different types of tweezers and hundreds of uses for them.

Medically and cosmetically, tweezers and their larger scissor-grip counterparts called hemostats can be used in everything from surgery to clamp and hold body parts and blood vessels to plucking unwanted hair from the body. Industrially, tweezers are used to pick up and position small parts in delicate or tightly confined areas of larger components.

Tweezers can be made with very narrow sharp points on the end for fine pick up work or for removal of objects embedded under the skin. Others have a flattened edge for grasping hair and holding it in place for removal. Of these cosmetic tweezers, there are some, like the Green Bell tweezer, has a widened area on the handle to make them easier to grip. Others are constructed with sliding springs so that once positioned, a squeeze on the handle will fasten and lift the hair from the skin automatically. There are round tipped tweezers for picking up small objects and square tipped tweezers that are constructed on scissor handles for extra stability in holding.

Tweezers can be constructed of many materials. While the usual stainless steel tweezers are common and can be made in almost any style, there are those for aesthetic appeal which are gold plated tweezers. Some specialty tweezers are made of ground and sharpened coral. Ceramic tweezers have been increasingly improved upon and now can be found that work as well as the basic steel tweezer. You can buy tweezer sets of as many as 24 different styles of tweezers for any application.

The Seki edge tweezers are nickel plated and have the operative end built in a curved fashion for use in straightening eyelashes and can be used to aid in applying false eyelashes without undue danger to the eye itself. Some tweezers can be purchased in manicure sets with nail files and scissors. The Henckels Company uses an extra corrosion inhibitor on their tweezers and bathroom sets so that they will withstand high humidity areas like the bathroom. For a real specialty item, the Emjoi Company has created an automatic tweezer which operates like an electric shaver and can pluck unwanted body hair as quickly as you could shave it down.