That $30 tweezers set I laughed at turned out to be a lifesaver

I've been repairing cameras for about 12 years now, mostly medium format stuff. A guy at a shop in Portland told me I needed to get a proper Swiss tweezers set for sensor cleaning. I thought he was nuts spending that much on tweezers. But after wrestling with a stubborn speck on a Hasselblad sensor for 2 hours, I finally caved and ordered a set. First try with the new tweezers popped that speck right off. Now I tell everyone to stop using cheap tweezers on delicate work. Has anyone else found a tool they were dead wrong about?

2 comments

2 Comments

richard_west518d ago

Got a specific brand or model you ended up with? I've been burned before on "pro" tweezers that were just cheap junk with a fancy logo stamped on them. The difference between a good set and a total waste of money usually comes down to the tip alignment and how tight the grip is. Did you check if they're anti-magnetic or made from a specific alloy? That matters a lot for sensor work since static can pull in more dust than you started with. I'm asking because I've seen guys drop $80 on Dumonts that still had a slight gap in the tips, drove them nuts.

foster.dylan18d ago

You guys are WAY overthinking tweezers." I've been cleaning sensors for years with a $5 pair from a hardware store and never had an issue. If you're spending more than $20 on tweezers you're probably just compensating for shaky hands or bad technique honestly. That speck would have popped off just the same if you'd taken your time.