Surgical dissecting forceps come down to one question before any other: teeth or no teeth. Peak Surgicals stocks 27 patterns across both, from Dressing Forceps Instrument (PS-1121, $4.95) to Walter Splinter Forceps (PS-1182, $16.50), all in German stainless steel and CE-marked and built under ISO 13485. Compare all 27 patterns in the grid below.
Toothed or Non-Toothed? Teeth Grip With Less Force
Teeth grip with less force, which is why toothed forceps are the default for most tissue handling rather than the aggressive option they look like. A toothed tip anchors in the tissue and holds it with a fraction of the closing pressure a smooth tip needs to achieve the same purchase, so less of the tissue is crushed. Non-toothed patterns are the exception, reserved for structures where puncture is the greater risk than pressure.
That exception is absolute in one direction. Toothed forceps are not used on nerves, blood vessels, bowel or other viscera, where a tooth that anchors is a tooth that perforates. Skin, fascia and abdominal wall closure are the opposite case: the tissue is tough, a smooth tip slips, and slipping means regripping and more handling overall. Tissue Forceps (from $6.05) and Tissue Forceps Instrument (PS-1140, from $6.05) cover the standard toothed range. We supply every pattern at MOQ 1.
Tooth Count: 1×2 to 3×4 and the Named Patterns
Tooth count is the second decision, and it scales with tissue toughness rather than with surgeon preference. A 1×2 configuration, one tooth meeting two, presents the finest possible anchor and is the choice for delicate work where the tip has to hold without tearing. Move up to 3×4 or higher and the grip becomes secure enough for fibrous tissue and tumour handling, at the cost of more trauma if used on anything softer than it was built for. Tissue Forceps 3X4 Teeth (from $6.05) sits at that heavier end.
The named patterns map onto the same scale. Adson Forceps (PS-11110, $7.15) is the fine rat-toothed pattern for everting skin edges during closure, and Adson Micro Forceps (PS-11111, $11.00) takes it finer still. Brown Adson Tissue Forceps (PS-1120, from $8.36) replace the rat tooth with multiple inter-meshed fine teeth for broader, delicate grip. At the heavy end, Bonney Tissue Forceps 267mm (PS-1174, $8.25) and Russian Tissue Forceps (PS-1153, from $7.70) are the firm-grip patterns for fascia and closure.
Dressing, Splinter and Specialty Patterns
Dressing forceps are the non-toothed half of the range, and they are not a lesser version of a tissue forceps. Robust and serrated rather than toothed, they hold adventitia, loose connective tissue and dressing material, and they are what goes in when the structure being handled cannot tolerate an anchor point. Semken Dressing Forceps (PS-1150, $7.15), Graefe Dressing Forceps (PS-1130, $6.05) and Cushing Dressing Forceps Instrument (PS-1118, from $5.94) cover the standard lengths, with Potts Smith Dressing Forceps Simple (PS-1104, from $6.60) for longer reach.
Two further groups sit alongside. Splinter Forceps (PS-1178, from $5.50) and Walter Splinter Forceps (PS-1182, $16.50) carry very fine sharp points for foreign body removal rather than tissue handling. Specialty tissue patterns cover specific fields: Heaney Tissue Forceps (PS-1165, from $6.16) for gynaecological work, Singley Tissue Forceps (PS-1168, from $11.00) with fenestrated jaws, and Potts Smith Tissue Forceps (PS-1110, from $6.05) for vascular exposure.
Material, Reprocessing and Certification
Every pattern is forged from German stainless steel and passivated for corrosion resistance across repeated cycles. The inspection point on a thumb forceps is tip alignment under light: hold the forceps closed and check the tips meet squarely with no daylight and no lateral offset, because a misaligned tip either drops what it holds or grips on one edge and tears it. On toothed patterns check every tooth is intact and inter-meshing cleanly; a single flattened tooth changes the whole grip. Clean immediately with a neutral-pH enzymatic solution, brushing between the teeth and along the serrations, then rinse with deionised water and dry fully before autoclaving at 134°C.
These are Class I reusable devices, CE-marked and built to ISO 13485, with a 1-year manufacturing warranty. We ship at MOQ 1 with free shipping over $99, and OEM production is available for distributors. See TC Dissecting Forceps for tungsten carbide patterns, Cardiovascular Dissecting Forceps for atraumatic vascular tips, or browse all Surgical Instruments. Talk to us about OEM terms.
