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Where to buy decent surgical tools like forceps & hemostats

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Joe Mamma

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May 31, 2009
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339
So where is a good place to get decent quality surgical tools like hemostats and forceps? These are like mini needle nose pliers or clamps for those who don't know what they are.

I wouldn't be using these for surgery. But these are great to have in the workshop and garage for small things. The problem is that I don't know where to decent quality ones for a reasonable price. I think there is a lot of low quality junk out there. It seems like the good quality ones are very expensive (from what I've seen doing a quick online search).

If someone has suggestions as to brands to get or places to buy, please let me know.

Thanks.

Joe Mamma
 
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thk2c

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Dec 15, 2008
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Miltex is my favorite. Very good instruments. Very well made. Very expensive.

There are a number of ways to get instruments....
1. Buy them for full price.

2. Ask your dentist for used instruments (more so for picks, but they may have some forceps).

3. Get injured and ask the resident/PA/nurse/medical school student for the remains of the suture kit (although it will probably be a cheap suture kit made in Pakistan).

4. Become friends with an OR nurse/tech.

5 .Semi creepy, but if you want a plethora of free surgical instruments, wait until ~December and ask your local medical school students for their used dissection kits. Bleach and boil the tools before use. Trust me.
 
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Joe Mamma

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May 31, 2009
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Thanks for the quick replies. But the ones I have seen at places that you guys are suggesting (besides what thk2c suggests) are almost always pretty poor quality.

[ * I meant to post this in the "General Tools Discussion." If a moderator can move it there, I'd really appreciate it! ]

Joe Mamma
 
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david594

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Jul 8, 2011
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Total newbie here, but I'd agree with thk2c that Miltex is awesome stuff. I'd also suggest checking out http://www.spectrumsurgical.com/ for more quality instruments. I have some of their german stuff and its awesome. Keep an eye on their sales.

They also have a really good warranty, but probably doesn't apply to your application.
 
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James E

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I just watched the "How it's made" episode where they did surgical tools. The level of human input that was required to make some of these things was much higher than I expected. It's no wonder some of them are so expensive.

My Dad's a physician and I have a small selection of hemostats that I have found very useful. Even big syringes are handy sometimes.
 
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Torque1st

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James E said:
Even big syringes are handy sometimes.
Click to expand...
I have saved all my used syringes over the years (chemo & veterinary). They do indeed come in handy from applying small amounts of lubricants or adhesives to transferring liquids. The small ones (hundreds) I toss after using them again but the big ones I wash and reuse. I hope I never replenish my supply.
 
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DavidTK

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Feb 22, 2009
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You can find hemostats at Academy in the fishing department. They're useful for removing hooks from deep hooked small fish.
 
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soob

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Jul 11, 2011
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I was in your boat a while back and asked at several stores. They all said they didn't sell them because they were drug paraphernalia. As I understand it not selling hemostats in wal mart has basically eradicated the pot problem, so I can't complain too much.

Oh, but harbor freight sells them.

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch-locking-clamp-94952.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/10-1-2-half-inch-jumbo-straight-clamp-65709.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/10-1-2-half-inch-jumbo-curved-clamp-65711.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/5-1-2-half-inch-locking-clamp-99930.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-1-2-half-inch-locking-clamp-99931.html
 
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machine_punk

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May 14, 2011
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Napa Valley, California
I work as a nursing supervisor in a very large E.R. I deal with these instruments daily at work. We just throw away the stuff from Pakistan and India (they are in one-time-use kits).

Some of the disposable stuff is obviously disposable (imagine a pair of scissors stamped out of cheap wire).
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The stuff from Germany gets sent to central processing and reused.

That said, the stuff from Pakistan and India really isn't that bad. They look and act just like the stuff from Germany, but they don't have quite the same fit and finish or quality of metal. They would certainly last a while for general hobby use.

there are a couple of things to note:
- a hemostat is going to have a longer, thinner, toothed jaw area and has a lot of flex (meant to clamp blood vessels and not crush them). Hemostats can have either straight or curved jaws and come in many different sizes.
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- a 'needle driver' is generally more stout and has a shorter jaw...sometimes without teeth and sometimes with no teeth and a recessed area in the jaw. These are built to push the needle through skin when suturing.
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-There are some fun, 'gee whiz,' tools out there in the orthopedics (muscle and bone) surgery world...stainless steel hammers and a lot of other stuff that would be a great conversation starter in your shop.
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Since the high quality tools are so expensive, wherever you find hospitals, you will find a mobile surgical equipment repair van (look in the yellow pages). They go around to the hospitals and repair all the expensive tools on site. They may have a good source for used surgical tools.

Kev
 
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JohnMcD348

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Apr 27, 2009
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Lakeland, FL
I joined the Navy, became an Independent Duty Corpsman, was given a small surgical kit and when I was discharged, there was no one to return my gear to so it all came home with me. Now I work in a hospital in the OR area so if I need something I borrow it.......
 
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