Tweezers are an essential hand tool available in a variety of shapes and sizes to accommodate a myriad of applications. When you think of tweezers as an extension of your hands and fingers you can see the importance of using the correct tool to do the job well, and do the job right.
A precision level for tweezers is difficult to portray given the term is so subjective and over-used. Do an internet search for Precision Tweezers and you will see results with vast differences in pricing. Obviously, there is quite a difference in quality and actual precision between inexpensive tweezers and expensive tweezers, so how do you know what precision and quality level you are getting if everyone is claiming to offer precision tweezers?
We grade our tweezers for quality using a 5 level system based on material, tip performance, workmanship and consistency. You can find more about the 5 quality levels below.
One of the most important aspects of tweezers are the tips or points. Sure, it needs to fit and feel good in your hand, but you need tweezers for a specific task and choosing the right type and precision level of tip is where you decide if the tweezers are going to perform. So, when choosing tweezers start with the tip. What are you trying to accomplish? Do you need an ultra-fine type under magnification, or do you need to grab a part from a fixture? Do you need an angled or curved tip to offer greater visibility? We have many types to choose from, and if you dont see what you need Contact Us.
Our Grading System is designed to give you the information needed to compare the quality and precision levels of tweezers. Here you can see the criteria we use to determine our grading, so you can be confident in the quality of tools we offer. Grades are from 1-5, 5 being the top of the line tool.
Grade 1: General Precision
General Precision Grade tweezers are manufactured for general purpose work when magnification and fine precision is not required.
Grade 2: Fine Precision
Fine Precision grade are standard precision tweezers. Still manufactured with quality material, but at a lower cost. Can typically be used with a lower magnification.
Grade 3: High Precision
High Precision grade tweezers are made of quality materials with high precision points. Finer tipped tweezers can typically be used to work under higher magnification. Tweezers of this quality will typically have a finer finish.
Grade 4: Special Coatings
These tweezers typically have an added feature, such as diamond coating. This extends the life of tweezers tips dramatically. Diamond coated tips also offer a better grip.
Grade 5: Ultra Precision
These tweezers are typically made of high quality material, such as cobalt alloy steel, and have excellent resistance to corrosion and high temperature. Grade 5 tweezers can also be used with very high magnification.
Micro Fine Tips
Tweezers with this type of precision have points that are exactly the same size and meet precisely when working under high magnification. Some of these tweezers have angled or relieved tips to allow for great visibility under a microscope.
Fine Tips
Fine tipped tweezers can be used under lower magnification, or for work being done without a microscope.
Medium Tips
General purpose tweezers have semi-fine tips and can typically be used without a microscope.
Strong Blunt Tips
Strong tweezers typically have more blunt tips and can be used for more demanding applications without damage. And though they last much longer than finer tipped tweezers, they lack the accuracy of finer tweezers.
Flat Tips
Flat tip tweezers have flat rounded tips. Typical uses might be picking up flat items or placing and removing labels or any application where a pointed tip may not be appropriate.
Coated Tips
Coated tip tweezers are any tip style that has a coating for a specific application, such as Teflon Coated, or Diamond Tipped.
The material used to manufacture your tweezers can have a major impact on your application. Do you need anti-magnetic or corrosion resistance? Do you need tweezers with a harder tip or a softer tip that wont damage your parts? Here is an explanation of the different types of tweezers materials.
A Aluminum: Lightweight, non-magnetic and anti-corrosive.
BR Brass: Anti-sparking and soft tips.
C- Ceramic: Non-magnetic, anti-corrosive, high wear resistance. Heat resistant up to 700 degrees C
CS Carbon Steel: Very strong. Not rust resistant. Shipped in protective oil.
CSN Carbon Steel Nickel Plated: Inexpensive, rust resistant, highly reflective.
HS Hardened Stainless Steel: AISI 40 steel. Rust resistant, strong tips.
SA Stainless Steel Anti-Magnetic: Rust resistant, anti-corrosive, resists hydrochloric and other acids, anti-magnetic. Softer tips than HS.
SN Stainless Steel Non-Magnetic: Rust resistant, anti-corrosive, non-magnetic. Heat resistant to 800 degrees C. Softer tips than SA.
TI Titanium: Very hard, non-magnetic.
TFE Teflon Coated tips: Low heat resistance. Ideal for handling delicate parts without scratching. Can be applied to most of the above materials.