Tweezers are small tools used for picking up objects too small to be easily handled with the human fingers. The tool is most likely derived from tongs, pincers, or scissors-like pliers used to grab or hold hot objects since the dawn of recorded history.
Tweezers come in a variety of tip shapes and sizes. Blunt tip tweezers have a rounded end which can be used when a pointed object may get entangled, when manipulating cotton swabs, for example. Flat tip tweezers, pictured at right, have an angled tip which may be used for removing splinters. Some tweezers have a long needle-like tip which may be useful for reaching into small crevices. Triangular tip tweezers have larger, wider tips useful for gripping larger objects. Tweezers with curved tips also exist, sometimes called bent forceps.
How do you choose tweezers?
Your tweezers should be made of strong and durable metal. If you've had to replace your tweezers multiple times, they are not doing their job. A good pair of tweezers should last a very long time – potentially a lifetime. Tip: keep the protective casing for your tweezer tips + put it back on after every use.
What are thin tweezers for?
Point tip tweezers feature a fine, thin tip that is great for removing splinters and ingrown hair. The tips can slide under the top layer of your skin to grasp the trapped object and pull it out. Point tips are also popular for precision tweezing because their thin tips can isolate a single hair in a large area.